Friday, December 31, 2010

2 months



Micah is 2 months old today. I can hardly believe that our Little Man has only been with us 2 months! He has truly changed our lives for the better. He celebrated his 2 monthaversary today by staying up ALL day. That's right, Micah has decided that it is better to be awake during the day than it is to sleep and thus is not taking naps at home. Hopefully the new year will change this!

Anyway, here is what has happened in Micah's life in this, his second month:

*He smiles ALL the time.

*He laughs, especially when Daddy does silly voices or makes him wiggle when he's naked.

*He has started to discover his hands and can almost get them in his mouth.

*He discovered the lights on his playmat and loves staring at them.

*He loves it when Mommy sings to him, especially after his morning feeding, we have a great time singing Bible songs and playing together.

*He enjoys being worn in the wrap that Mommy made.

*He celebrated his first Christmas and got lots of presents from everyone!

*He went to the zoo for the first time and got to see lots of pretty lights.

*He had his first baby sitter--his Auntie Brittany while Mommy went to see a movie with Auntie Heather and Aunt Tracy.

*He sleeps through the night pretty consistently now and we're working on pushing his bedtime up.

Overall, Micah is a very happy baby. He rarely ever cries or fusses. We are so blessed to have such a beautiful Little Man!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Happy Anniversary


Today is Brad and my 3rd anniversary. When we got married we promised each other that we would always go away to celebrate our anniversary, even if only for a night. We didn't go anywhere tonight, but plans are in the works for sometime in 2011. However, despite it being a very low-key day, it was still a great anniversary. Not only because we got to spend it as a family, but because I spent it with the love of my life.

Brad is absolutely the man that I always imagined myself marrying. He is so thoughtful and selfless. He puts my happiness before anything else, and he is always trying to find ways to make me feel special. He remembers the little things, which are really important to me. And he knows that sometimes surprising me with a Dr. Pepper is the best gift he could give me. He listens to me when I have to process something. Again. And again. And again. He pretty much always lets me pick what movie we're going to watch, and rarely ever argues when I ask if we can eat at the same restaurant again.

But most importantly Brad loves me with a selfless love, like Jesus loves his Bride, the Church. I know that Brad would do anything for me, and for that I am truly grateful. I am so glad that I married my Prince Charming 3 years ago, and I look forward to many more wonderful years together.

From our wedding day:



Our 1 year anniversary (we went to Disney World):



Our 2 year anniversary (spent that weekend Downtown, but went to San Francisco in February):



Our 3 year anniversary (okay, I'm just too lazy to download photos from today so that I can upload them here, but we went to the zoo lights at Brookfield Zoo. Instead, here's a picture of us at Brad's brother's wedding in June):

Monday, December 27, 2010

Oh! The Anticipation!

Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm not always a very patient person. I have a lot of patience with people, but that's not the kind of patience I'm talking about. I'm talking about not being able to wait for good things. At 27, I still count down the days until my birthday. I still get up in the middle of the night Christmas Eve to go look at my presents and open my stocking. Anticipation kills me. If I know something exciting is coming up, I'm miserable waiting for it to happen. Christmas is the worst. As soon as December hits, I start snooping around looking for my Christmas presents. The kicker is I hate knowing what all my gifts are on Christmas morning, but I still can't stop myself from snooping! Luckily, my husband knows this about me and he doesn't keep unwrapped presents in the house anymore.

This Christmas was especially exciting because it was Micah's first. Not only was I eager to see what wonderful gifts my husband had picked out for me, but I couldn't wait to see what he had picked out for Micah. See, I'm also a gift person. I love opening gifts and being surprised by things. I think my eagerness was contagious this year because I somehow convinced Brad that we should open our gifts before we went to bed Christmas Eve night. Typically we open one gift from each other before going to bed. Then, I wake up at about 6 in the morning and anxiously wait for 7 when I can finally wake Brad up to go downstairs and start opening our presents. This year, after opening our one gift, I said we should open all our gifts right now, not expecting Brad to agree. But after thinking about it for a minute, he did agree, saying it might make the morning not so rushed since we didn't know what time Micah would be up and it now takes us a lot longer to get ready and out of the house in the morning. However, he put the stipulation that we would save one present for the morning as well as our stockings. Fine by me. Of course, after opening our gifts neither one of us could wait for that last gift so we opened them all (but saved the stockings for morning).

But this isn't really a post about what wonderful presents I got. Or how I have the patience of a 6-year-old. As I was thinking about how much I was anticipating Christmas, I started thinking about what was I really anticipating? Was it the presents? Partly, but more than that, it was the whole day. I was looking forward to see how well my husband knows me: did he pick out gifts that showed he really listens to me and thought about me? I was looking forward to watching Micah interact with his family and how well he would do with all of the excitement. I was looking forward to just relaxing with our families, talking to each other. I was looking forward to sitting on the couch and watching a movie with my husband. I was looking forward to singing Christmas carols and looking at all of the pretty lights. But was I really anticipating what Christmas is all about?

It's so easy to lose the true meaning of Christmas in all of the bustle. With family pictures and meeting Santa and baking cookies and wrapping presents, who has time for Jesus? So often the first thing that gets left out is going to church. It's just not at a convenient time. Or I have to get these cookies baked for the party. Or the baby is sleeping and I don't want to wake him. It's not that I think you have to go to church in order to properly celebrate Christmas, but for me it really helps keep me focused. So, that got me thinking, what did I do this year in anticipation for celebrating Christmas the right way? I didn't really do anything to make Christmas more Christ-focused. The whole year. I believe that as Christians, we have to anticipate Christmas all year long. I started off the year right, but somewhere along the way, I just lost it. I lost that excitement, the anticipation of that special day. I just wasn't excited. And as I was opening my presents in the early hours of Christmas I thought, what if I approached my relationship with God in the same way that I approach this day? What if I was excited to get up in the morning and couldn't wait to find out what God had to say to me this day? What if I jumped out of bed every morning because I just couldn't lay around anymore, I had to see what lay ahead for me? What if I anticipated that God was going to do something wonderful in my life every day? How different would my life be? How different would my family be?

I think that's what I'm going to do in 2011: anticipate God's faithfulness every day and eagerly anticipate all of the wonderful, exciting things that he has in store for me. I wonder how that will change my life?

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Micah's First Christmas


There is so much I want to write about because of Christmas, but I just don't know if I'm going to be able to write everything. For now, I will focus on it being Micah's first Christmas.

As usual our Christmas was very busy, but Micah handled it all like a champ! Brad had to work on Christmas Eve so it was me and Little Man for the day. We went to church first and then headed to my aunt's house to see my family. My mom bought Micah a vest to match the Christmas dresses that she bought for my nieces. They all looked so cute in their Christmas outfits!







Once Brad got off work, he met us at my aunt's and we went to his stepsister's house for Christmas with his family. Everyone was there. It was nice to see everyone again and catch up. This was a very late night for Micah and we didn't have anywhere to put him to sleep so Brad ended up holding him most of the night and missed out on most of the present opening. We got home around midnight and put Little Man to bed (because he still hadn't fallen asleep!). Then, Brad and I had to put all the presents under the tree. We sat down to open one present (our Christmas Eve tradition), then both of us were wide awake. We decided to open all of our presents so that we didn't have to feel so rushed in the morning once Micah woke up (more on this in a later post). Since Micah didn't wake up until 8:00 and we had to leave our house by 9:30 it ended up really working out. Luckily, I thought to take a picture as soon as all the presents were out:



Brad and I weren't sure what to do present-wise for Micah. He's so young we knew he wouldn't know whether he got any presents or not, and we knew he would be spoiled by presents from his aunts and uncles and grandparents. Plus, there isnt' really anything that he needs and when he does we'll just buy it. However, we both love giving presents so much that we just didn't feel like we could not get him anything. So, we decided that we would each buy him three things and not tell the other person what we got. Then, we could open each other's present for Micah and there would be at least some level of surprise and excitement. It worked great and Micah got some things that he really could use.



After breakfast, we packed up the car and headed to Brad's mom's house ("Grammie). Micah fell asleep in the car and missed the present opening, but he sure got spoiled by his aunts and uncles! We enjoyed a delicious brunch and had fun just talking with everyone. It was a very relaxing morning and Micah enjoyed some quality time with his Uncle Kevin:



Then, we headed to my parents' (Oma and Boompa) for Christmas with my family. All of my siblings were there as well as my three nieces. Once again, Micah was awake and Brad spent most of the present-opening time walking around with him trying to get him to sleep. And, once again, Micah was really spoiled by his aunts and uncle and Oma and Boompa. After a wonderful dinner, we packed up the car and headed for home.

Today was a little more normal for Micah. He has slept most of the day, I guess all that running around really wore him out. He did really well with all of the Christmas festivities, but we're looking forward to getting back to our regular days. Last night before we went to bed, I asked Brad if he felt like he missed Christmas since he was away with Micah most of the time. He told me absolutely not. Getting to spend quality time with Micah is worth missing out on everything else. He also said that if Micah and I were the only presents he had for Christmas it would still be the best Christmas ever. That's how I feel, too. Micah really is the best gift we ever got and we are both so thankful to have him and to be able to celebrate this special day with him.





Monday, December 20, 2010

O, Christmas Tree

Well, the holidays have definitely hit the Kolar household! It seems like as soon as December comes, it is gone! It's very different for us, we're learning what we can and can't do with a newborn. We're so used to being really busy that it's weird to not be gone every night of the month. But that doesn't mean that we're not keeping ourselves busy!

Last weekend we went to cut down our Christmas tree. We went to a tree farm in Wilmington. It was raining so Micah and I stayed in the car while Brad cut it down. Of course, we did jump out of the car for a quick picture next to our tree!



Before we could go outside, though, Micah had to get all bundled up. I bought this little Bear snowsuit for Heather just before Lilie was born. I knew she wouldn't get much use out of it so I bought a 0-3 and told her when she's done with it, I could use it for my (unborn at the time) child. So, Heather gave it back to me after Micah was born and we used it for the first time last weekend. I don't think we're going to get any other uses out of it, though, because Micah is growing so fast! Here's some pictures of Micah all bundled up with Mommy and Daddy:





After we got back in the car, Micah was all smiles! He loved it when I sang Christmas songs to him.





The next day we had Brad's work Christmas party. It was snowing outside all day and I wasn't sure if we were going to go, but Brad said the roads weren't bad so he picked us up after work and we got to meet some of the people that Daddy works with (Brad is currently working as a pharmacist for Osco. He does not have his own store so he has to travel to several different store in the area, which is why we only met some of the people he works with.). Micah did great at the dinner, no fussing at all (once Daddy got home...after this picture was taken!).



This weekend was a busy one, too. On Saturday I went with my aunt and sister to see It's A Wonderful Life on the big screen. The actress that play ZuZu in the movie was there, too. When I originally said I would go, Brad was not scheduled to work so this was going to be the first time I left Brad and Micah alone. However, Brad's work schedule changed so my sister, Brittany, came over to baby sit instead. Micah did great (so did Mommy!)! Sunday, all of the women in my family went Downtown to see White Christmas at Bank of America Theater. This is my favorite Christmas movie. I can remember watching it several times a day when I was younger. I loved acting it out, especially the scene where they perform "Sisters." I was really looking forward to seeing this play. However, I didn't like it that much. Too much about it was different from the movie, so it was a little disappointing. But I would go back again because it's a great family tradition. After the play, everyone came back to my house for dinner. Oh, I forgot to mention Micah and Daddy spent the whole day together. Brad brought Micah over to Grammy's house and Uncle Kevin was there, too. Brad said he did great, but I was so happy to be back with my Little Man!

This week is looking busy too. We have Christmas with our close friends and I have dinner with my girlfriends from high school. Then, there's Christmas Eve and Christmas, and next week is our anniversary! December is almost over. But we're really looking forward to spending our first Christmas with our Little Man. I'll post picture of our tree all decorated once I get them. And, of course, there will be pictures of Micah's first Christmas!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

What Do You Do All Day?

I often get asked, "What do you do all day?" Especially by my mom. The truth is, I don't know. Often, at the beginning of the day I will wake up and think, "Today is going to be such a long day!" Especially on the days when Brad has to work. But then it's 9:00 before I know it and the day is over! I think I spend a lot of time just starting at Micah. I am so in love with him, I can't help it. It seems like every day I discover something new about him. Like last night, he was looking at me and cooing. It was the cutest thing. Brad says it's totally obvious that he loves me. And I'm okay with that. More than okay, really. Anyway, for those that are curious, I'm going to try to write down what I do as best I can.

Micah typically wakes up between 7 and 8. I feed him and eat my "first" breakfast (a S'More pop tart). He usually falls back asleep after this feeding, unless we have somewhere to go (Thursdays we go to BSF and every other Friday we go to MOPS). I typically go back to sleep, too (hey, they say sleep when the baby sleeps!). He wakes up again around 10 or so for another feeding. After this he usually is awake for a while. We play for a little while in the bedroom. He loves looking at our ceiling fan. Every other day, I give him a bath. He loves taking baths! Then, we make our way downstairs where I eat a quick "second" breakfast. He usually sits in his bouncy seat for a little while. Just yesterday he discovered the things that hang down. He doesn't reach for them, but he just stares at them now. At some point he wants out of his seat and I wear him in a moby wrap that I made. I turn on some music and we try to work on whatever I have to accomplish for the day (usually cleaning the kitchen, going through the mail, folding some laundry). Sometimes he falls asleep while I'm wearing him, but I've yet to manage taking him out and not waking him. He eats again around 2:00 and can usually nap after this feeding. If we're going to go out, it's usually around this time. I try to get out of the house at least once a day, whether it's to the library, Target, or to visit my mom. Typically, he takes a pretty good nap at this time and doesn't eat again until 6:00. Then, we play for a little while more, but he's usually tired and will sleep for a couple hours. He gets his last feeding between 9 and 10. I feed him in our room with the lights dimmed so that he knows it's night time. When he's done eating, Brad wraps him up and puts him in the bassinet. He'll usually fall asleep on his own, but sometimes Brad walks around with him to get him to sleep. Then, he'll sleep until about 4:00 in the morning when he wakes up to eat again and falls right back asleep to start the day over.

Of course, no two days truly looks like this. Every day is different. Some days he's awake for most of the day, other days he sleeps all day. I try to get stuff done when he's sleeping so that I'm not worried about the bathroom being dirty or the laundry not being folded. When he's awake, I try to focus on him. We play on his playmat, sing songs, I tickle him. I love our time together. Seriously, the days just fly by and I'm not always sure what I really got accomplished, but I know that any time that I get to spend with my little boy is time that I wouldn't trade for the world!

Our smiley baby.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

1 month



Okay, I'm 2 days late, but I still wanted to write a post about Micah's first month. He turned one month on Tuesday. I still can't believe he's been in our lives for one whole month! It has been the most awesome, tiring, emotional month of my life. Micah has accomplished a lot in his one month of life. Here's a brief glimpse at what he's done:

*As of Monday, he weighs 9lbs. 6.5oz. He has gained 2lbs. 11oz. since coming
home!
*Poor guy has been to the doctor every week of his life--his circumcision got
infected and then the medicine for that gave him a yeast infection!
*He smiles at Mommy and Daddy.
*He has started to make more cooing noises.
*He has slept through the night FOUR times!
*He has met all of his aunts and uncles and cousins and many friends of Mommy
and Daddy's.
*He celebrated his first Thanksgiving.
*He loves being in his seat and outside or going for rides. Seriously, never
fails to put him to sleep for a long time!
*He follows Mommy and Daddy's voice and watches them when they are in the
room.

We are so totally in love with our Little Man and really looking forward to this next month of his life!

Micah on his first Thanksgiving.



Micah and his cousins on Thanksgiving.



Micah now LOVES taking baths.