Oh the toddler years.....

wow....who knew the toddlers years could be this trying?? Well im sure if i asked anyone who has raised one they would say "me!" Boy is Titus sure trying my patience lately, and the bad thing is i struggle with having patience anyway and up until now its been ok because i couldnt have asked for a better baby.


From the time he was born i maybe heard him cry 3 times, when he first came out and they were washing him off and then maybe a couple other times when i let him get to hungry in between feedings(if we were out somewhere, etc.) Otherwise he would simply whimper a little and root his mouth in a sucking motion that made me know he was hungry. He slept good and was sleeping completely throught the night at 3 months.


And fast forward................now we are in the toddler years, Titus is 23 months old, he will turn 2 on December 29(im gonna cry i know it). Dont get me wrong he is still a good kid and most would probably say a great kid compared to other 2 years old, but i am so used to how good he was as a baby that this is taking me by shock, lol....


When he turned 8 months old i decided it was time for him to learn to put himself to sleep(i had been rocking him up untill then and he got to where he would not let me rock him anymore, he would squirm and try to sit up, etc), so i used the cry it out method, he cried for about a week when i layed him down and then after that when i layed him down he would just turn over, or play for a little while and babble and then go to sleep(dont get me wrong, i made it sound easier than it was, i cried the first couple nights that i had to let him cry it out and i also felt like i had an ulcer from the stress of hearing him cry and wanting to go pick him up.) But it was the best thing i ever did!!!! He slept so good with the occasional waking up and also with teething he sometimes had a hard time or when he was sick too, but for the most part he was a good sleeper.


One night not too long ago he decided that he was going to start screaming again when i put him down, so i tried rocking him and he went right to sleep. So i decided hey ill just rock him, he is not going to be a baby forever and plus if he was actually going to let me rock him and go right to sleep then why not? So its been about a month now and every night i rock him to sleep, he is usually asleep within 5 minutes and i put him to bed and he sleeps 10 hours(its great!) Well 3 nights ago he decided he was going to start squirming and trying to get up and play games and sing instead of go to sleep, although this is very cute and entertaining and a lot of times i just let him because i love listening to him, it still does not make for a good bedtime routine. SO........what now?


Well i guess i will try the cry it out again, with the new baby coming in April it may be the best thing but a part of me just doenst want to give up that time with Titus, i just love rocking him(if he lets me) and watching him sleep in my arms, so i guess we will see how it goes. My plan before my children were born was to rock them till their feet touched the ground, and if Titus would let me i probably would, these years fly by and i know i will never regret that time with him and i will always remember and cherish it.......I love being a mommy!!!

To God be the glory

THE COLLINS FAMILY

I am convicted by the fact that i asked for prayers for my friend Khrista here, and then once she started doing better i just kinda left everyone hanging, sorry! I guess i was just so thankful she was doing good and the baby was healthy that i forgot to update everyone. Well so here is an update from Khrista, she posted this on her face book page a few days ago:

http://www.facebook.com/#/profile.php?v=app_2347471856&ref=nf&id=783503212

To God be the glory, great things he has done.....

Christmas Pictures

Last night my husband Jarrell and i took Titus to get his pictures taken at Sears. It was a fun little adventure. We first went to the shoe section of Sears to get Titus some black dress shoes, his feet are growing so fast that he only has 2 pair of shoes and no dress shoes(he wears tennis shoes to church). I kinda crenged at the thought of 20 bucks for this pair of dress shoes he may wear a couple of times, but oh well, i am thankful we were able to buy them and have the means to. So anyway we got his shoes and headed to the portrait studio. The lady that took his photos was very nice and understanding, i am thankful for that b/c with him being almost 2 he really wants to do things his way and sometimes he just isnt going to do something no matter how much you want him to or ask him nicely. But she got a few good ones and also we took an updated family photo, our first one with the little one in my tummy too:) kinda neat to think of. So you want to see the results? Ok here you go.....

Khrista

Today as i sit here and write this, my heart is heavy and my mind racing with many thoughts. This morning i found out that my roommate from college, khrista, had her baby at 8am yesterday, when she delivered her uterus became dettached as well and delivered with the baby. She lost 40% of her blood and they had to shock her twice to get her heart to start beating again. They had to perform a hysterectomy and remove her ovaries and also had to do a procedure to stop the bleeding, all which were successful, praise God! They have been keeping her sedated but she woke up long enough this morning to put her hand on her husbands. i am told that the next 48 hours are very critical and that she is in the ICU. Please keep her and her family in your prayers as i cant even imagine what they are going through right now. But there is still hope and i know they are trusting in the Lord to pull her through as we all are.

Hearing about Khrista this morning really got me thinking. Things that i would have normally stressed about today just seem so petty you know? Titus has been whining a lot lately, but you know what? He's alive and hes healthy, and also he is almost 2, so i know that i just need to realize this and know its a stage and handle it with patience. I think God uses things like this to not only make us realize certain things but also to bring us closer to him. I havent prayed fervently like i have all day in a long time, and i should, i should be on my knees everyday thanking him for everything and also praying for people.

I feel flutters!!!

Yesterday i was 4 months pregnant, wow times flies! But then again it sometimes seems to drag when you are pregnant too. Tomorrow we go to the doctor, we will get to hear the heart beat and check my weight. I had been having trouble gaining weight b/c i was so sick and lost so much but i think i am starting to gain, so i am very thankful for that. The biggest news is that i started to feel the baby move, yay!! What peace of mind that brings:)

Titus lifted my shirt up last night while i was laying and texting someone and started rubbing my belly and saying "baby baby" it was sooo adorable and then he gave the baby kisses. I think often about what it will be like for Titus to not be my only baby, it is a bittersweet feeling. I know he will make a great big brother and of course he will always be my first born:)

Today i am going to take titus to the park when he wakes up from nap to take some pictures in the leaves(i will post them soon), i am hoping its not too chilly and most of all that my camera doesnt die during it, lol.....

Well here are some latest picture of Titus, he was a Dinosaur for Halloween, but we didnt take him trick of treating this year yet, he is still too young and we dont let him have much candy, although he did have 2 suckers on Halloween in which his mommy almost had a heart attack(i work hard on keeping those teeth healthy, lol!) Anyway, so here are some pics of little man, enjoy and have a great day everyone!!!