guess who can sleep through the night!

Ho'ea!!! Yipppeeeee!!! he started doing it just when he turned 2 months old and has been doing it consistently now for the past 2 weeks. (Maybe just 1 or2 nights of the past 14, he got up once, but only in the early morning). Hallelujah! Now if only we could get his older brother to do the same...

Yes, kaua still gets up 1x a night pretty regularly. Usually for his "baba" which is now his word for milk. I give all the credit for sleeping through the night to the fact that Ho'ea sleeps in his crib in another room. With kaua, because we were living at my mom's house for his whole 1st year of life, we had no choice but to have him sleep in our room. And because of it, I could hear his every stir, and at the slightest possibility that he sounded uncomfortable or that he was getting up, i would go pick him up and feed him. But because Ho'ea is sleeping in his own room, i dont get up (or even hear) his nighttime stirrings (but yes, i do hear actual grunts/cries if he is up), so I dont pick him up and unintentionally wake him when he isn't really up.

AND, Ho'ea is such a good waker-up-er in the morning. Many times, I'll hear him stirring and I'll go over and check on him and he'll just be up, happily looking at his mobile or out the window. ITS WONDERFUL! None of this crying when he gets up business that his older brother still does. I have read about babies like Ho'ea and have always been envious of those stories and perhaps even somewhat in disbelief that it could really be like that, but its true!!! I have one of 'THOSE babies!

Speaking of difficulty sleeping, guess who's crying and stirring right now (it's night)...the older brother. Duty calls.....

Grateful reflections

As I walk down my hall, heading to bed for the night, I check on my sons. Ho'ea is sleeping peacefully in his crib. I cover his legs with a light blanket. (Yes, I know, according to the books, this is a no-no, but with this one, since I'm "experienced," I do what feels right). Whew, sigh of relief, since apparently, he has very recently decided that he hates bottles and pretty much cried the entire day today, refusing to take milk from the bottle while i was at work. (This new and sudden phenomenom will hopefully be discussed in another post soon). Ho'ea is a big boy for his age, two months old today. His cheeks are full and round, his legs bulging with baby fat rolls. He stirs a bit when I lay the blanket on him and I hold my breath, hoping that he wont wake. He doesn't. He looks just like me, I think.

Kaua, is also sleeping peacefully in his twin bed, cuddled up against one of the mesh railings. I pull out the twisted sheet under his leg and body and cover him up with it too. This boy sweats when he sleeps (even though his room is the coolest of the house), so he only gets really light coverings at night. I touch Kaua's head, to check that he isn't sweating, and in doing so, caress his face and new haircut that his GG gave him today (the boy refuses to get a haircut, and thus, has had his hair growing out since January of this year). He is such a handsome boy, taking entirely after his dady! And now, he looks like an angel. I'm so proud of him!

As I head to my room, to get ready for bed, I think to myself, "amazing!" I have two children. Two sweet, beautiful, adorable children (who definitely can also be monsters...yes, even two month old Ho'ea) who both love me, depend on me and for whom I am pretty much their entire world. I think, I am so blessed. I've come so far. I am a mother. Wow!

Life is so different now with two children. I have become a different person. I'm still me, yet not me. I'm a mother. I've discovered an unknown inner strength, patience, love, empathy, knowledge, instinct, stamina, determination and duration. Things that all come with the territory, but none that you could describe or know until you are in it.

My marriage is also different. We are not each other's centers anymore. Our lives revolve around our children, our work, and our house/home. I struggle to find a balance and to keep the relationship strong. I know so many marriages fail because the couple loses themselves to the daily grind of family and life. I do not want that for me. I want to be proactive to ensure a strong healthy relationship.

I am so thankful for this experience. For my children. Although, they present the biggest life challenge, I've ever had to endure (yes, even bigger than my journey to become a mother and the miscarriages along the way), they are the best parts of me.

Ho'ea is two months old. Kaua is 22 months old. They are both so handsome and perfect.