Arielle fancies herself a big girl, even though she's only 7 months old, she thinks she's a big girl like her cousins and her brother. She watches them running around and playing and wishes she could join them. Such is life as an infant. Although she's crawling (mostly) and able to do a lot of big girl baby things, she is still too little to get out there in the muck with her cousins and brother. Soon baby girl, all too soon you will be joining them and running around. Seriously, it feels like she's growing up so quickly that the time just flies by! She is 7 months old already and wearing size 12-18 months because well, she's a big baby and big for her age... I get excited with the new milestones she's experiencing, getting her first two teeth is the most recent of milestones but with every new milestone is a bittersweet feeling of knowing that my baby girl will all too soon be running around, then going to school... and it goes by in a blink. Alaka'i is 13 years old. That FLEW by for me. I can still remember the way his fat cheeks felt when he cuddled up close to me as a baby, the way his sweet baby sweat smelled after he napped, the way I'd hold him when he cried after he fell. Now my little baby boy is a little man, looking towards growing up and going through puberty and all the changes that are part of that process. It flies by in a blink. Take your time babies!!
My Arielle really enjoys any little perks we give her where she feels like a big girl. Andrew got new headphones for listening to videos on his laptop and she wanted desperately to try them for herself so he unplugged the cable that connects to the headphones to let her try them on. She absolutely loved it. She smiled and let me take pictures. She's such a dolly. I asked her "who's a big girl now?, say it Ari, It's me mama!" and she laughed and smiled. It truly was a precious moment that I will remember forever. I wrote it in her baby book last night to preserve that memory in time for her even though when she's old enough to read it, she will have long since forgotten that moment at 7 months old.
If you have children, hold them close and cuddle tight. Breathe them in and enjoy all the precious moments, the smiles, the seconds of peace and the adventures to come because all to soon, those moments will pass and your baby will grow up into a teenager and then into an adult and you'll yearn for those sweet moments burned into your memory. Being a parent is a true gift. Thank you Jesus for blessing me with two sweet babies whom I love so much!
As a blogger and a vlogger, there is a harsh truth I've dreaded admitting to that I address in this video. Why hide the truth anyway? I always look at the home improvement and decorating blogs and vlogs and secretly covet a home of my own to decorate. Yes, I'm in my early 30s and I still live with my parents. Though I'm ashamed of it, I give some perspective on the situation in the video.
Alaka'i aka Captain Random, made his video debut and attacked (not literally). It's a fun video of my kids being fun and silly. I hope it brightens your day!
The entire vlogging adventure that we are embarking on is time consuming, exhausting, but more fun than I've had in a long time. Unfortunately, I don't have the kind of time that other vloggers have to do all the editing and networking because of my day job, but I think I do alright. I mean, these vlogs are for our mainland family to see us for the most part, so mission accomplished!!
This video is mostly of Alaka'i and Arielle playing and hanging out. I wasn't in much of a mood to record myself this weekend so this video is very children heavy and adult light.
Arielle is becoming quite a proficient scooter and crawler. She is growing up so fast! Can you believe she's 7 months (plus ten days) old? I forgot how quickly they grew! I was pondering the rate at which Alaka'i grew the other night while I was up editing a video and man, that boy grew up fast. Somehow that fact escaped me as I watched my baby girl grow bigger and stronger each day.
I try my best to soak up all the moments, to cherish the little cuddles, the squeezes, the cheek kisses and the precious moments of connection. I never really had the opportunity to feed Alaka'i the way I feed Arielle because well, I was 19 when I had him and he preferred the bottle to breast milk. I remember trying and trying while tears poured down my cheeks as my baby boy rejected the breast and opted for the bottle. When Arielle was first born, she seemed to prefer the bottle as well but after a couple weeks at home with me, one day she just latched and connected. It was a magical moment and since then, she rarely takes a bottle (which isn't always convenient for me), but I can't complain. It's those moments where she is connected to me that I cherish the most. Knowing that she will never have that same bond with another human in her entire life just warms my heart. There is something so special about feeding your baby and allowing that natural bond between mother and child continue to grow. Not that bottle feeding makes you any less close or any less connected than breast feeding. Alaka'i was my constant companion. We spent so much time together, cuddled and loved and had all those same precious moments. It's just that in these twilight hours of silence that I'm awake editing videos that I can truly reflect on the differences between my two children and appreciate how precious and truly unique they each were and are.
