Tristan's Milestones

I plan to keep this post updated with Tristan's milestones. For now we don't have many, but that changes daily as he grows into a happy little boy!

First roll (tummy to back): March (yes, MARCH!!) 23

First (real) smile: April 11

Introducing Tristan Daniel Marks

Whew, it's been a whirlwind of a month, but I think we've finally settled into life with a toddler and an infant! It's a bit overdue, but I'm glad to finally introduce Tristan Daniel to the blog!

Tristan was born March 7 at 6:11am. He was 7lbs, 6oz and 19 inches long. A full pound smaller than his big brother, which I didn't mind! I also didn't mind that he came a week early, also opposite of his brother :)

I hope to post details of his arrival soon, but until then, here are some fun facts about our little guy:

• Tristan was tongue-tied at birth, which was a whole big issue I won't go into. But one tongue-clip later, he eats great and has full use of his tongue!

• Tristan also had an ear that was bent forward and didn't curl at the top (I call it his Yoda ear). We had a mold put on his ear that was supposed to correct it in two months, but after 10 days, it had already worked!

• The boy eats like a CHAMP. Before bed he downs 5-6 oz at a time!

• He is a super fussy/spitty baby. It's taken a full month, but I am hoping we've turned the corner away from sleepless nights and screaming until 2 am.

• With his big appetite, he has a big tummy to go with it :) Brady was always a small, skinny kid, so this chubby baby thing is new to me! His tummy and cheeks have earned him the nickname "Chunky Monkey".

• Tristan is the squeakiest child! He grunts and squeaks ALL the time - earning "Squeaky" as his other nickname.

• When he was born, Tristan could hold his weight with is legs. He could also hold up his head and look around without flopping. We knew he was strong, but we were pretty surprised when he started rolling over at two weeks!

• When he's happy, Tristan breathes really fast like he can't catch his breath, his eyes get really big, and then he sighs with a happy "OHHHHH!". It's pretty cute :)

• We've fought it for a month, but it's clear that Tristan is a tummy sleeper.

• I know it's not on purpose, but he smiles in his sleep all the time. Not little smirks, but full-on, gummy grins that are really precious!

• Although I admit I was hoping for a girl this time, I love my two boys!

• Brady is the best big brother, and loves Tristan more than I ever thought he could at age three.

• Two children is a lot bigger adjustment than I thought it would be. Thank goodness for family and friends who've helped in the beginning, especially my mom and dad!

I don't know when I'll get back into regular blogging, but for now, here are some photos from Tristan's big arrival!

Lent 2012

Do you give up things for Lent? I remember in elementary school several Catholic kids made a big deal about this. I think they did it for the attention and didn't really get why they were giving anything up, but I gave it a stab a couple times because it seemed like the cool thing to do. It was usually brownies or chocolate or something, and I always caved - quite early. I'd start by making exceptions, and then all out blow it by week two or so.

"Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." - Matthew 6:1

A few years ago, I tried again, with greater success. I remember an Ash Wednesday sermon that encouraged taking an action as a way to grow closer to God, but to do if privately. Instead of flaunting the fact that I couldn't eat certain things, I only told those who needed to know, the the sense of willpower at the end was very, well, empowering! I consulted God throughout my day to help me abstain from the temptations and cravings. And at the end I felt like, although it was a relatively small triumph in the grand scheme, that I COULD do all things through Christ, even against my fleshly desires.

This year I am not giving up food - I'm pregnant. I'm not committing to anything - I will soon have a newborn. I'm not gettin' my exercise on - again, the pregnancy card is being played....

I'm not doing anything to set myself up for failure. I'm simply giving up stress/worry for Lent.

How can you actually give up stress. Or worry. I decided, while I may not always be successful or even remotely rid of stress and worry, I do tend to let myself focus on those emotions too often rather than learn to let go of the unnecessary and lean on God for the rest. So, I think it's pretty timely with the baby coming and all. I've already let go of a few things: Lost camera at IKEA? Borrow one. Only a handful of diapers at home? Wal-Mart is two miles from home. Seriously, these are the kinds of things I stress and worry about, more than I should. And then of course there are the bigger worries: healthy baby, safe delivery, Brady's response to a sibling, my emotional state, potential accidents or catastrophes, etc, etc.

I know this isn't something I can do on my own. My natural tendency is to be a controlling worry-wart. I will have to lean on Joel, family, friends, and of course God to help me keep stress and worry at bay - especially with wacky hormones.

I don't really have a way to track, succeed, or fail at this, which is also a good thing. It is what it is, and at the end maybe, just maybe, I'll start to naturally worry/stress less and remember to take each day at a time, being thankful for all I have today instead of anticipating the worries of tomorrow.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Matthew 6:3

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done." - Philippians 4:6