Monday, February 28, 2011

4 Months



Micah is 4 months old today. I have really been looking forward to this age because I know that so much happens now. Micah truly is the light of our lives and every day he brings us such joy. We are just so in love with out little buddy! Here's what's new in Micah's 4th month:

*Last week at the doctor Micah weighed 16 pounds, 1 ounce (he's a very good eater!)

*He got his first ear infection and is on antibiotics again.

*His first two teeth are coming in. If you run your finger along his bottom gums you can feel them, you can also see two little bumps. He is a drooling machine! Some days he goes through 3 bibs!

*He is playing with toys more. His favorite is still the rings, but he also loves balls, his jungle gym, his jumperoo, Daddy's hair, and Daddy's glasses.

*Micah LOVES music. Seriously, loves it. I sing songs with him every morning after he eats and he just smiles. His favorite is "I've God the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy." We also listen to different CDs throughout the day. It never fails that he smiles as soon as I turn on some music!

*Micah survived his first blizzard and even got to play in the snow for a bit.

*He went on his first road trip to Grand Rapids to meet some of Mommy's friends. I am sure there will be many more road trips to Grand Rapids.

*He continues to be very vocal. His favorite is when Daddy changes his diaper--those two just talk and talk!

*He loves to sit or stand. Whenever you stand him up or sit him against something he just starts smiling--he loves being a big boy!

*He has started sleeping in his crib overnight. We were worried that he might wake up in the middle of the night, but he is still sleeping through the night and doing great in his crib!

I am so excited to have such a wonderful blessing in our live and I cannot wait to see how he continues to grow!



Micah's sleeping in his crib now and loves it!



All dressed and ready for church!



He loves his jumper!




3 month pictures. Look out Tom Cruise!

Thursday, February 24, 2011

New Year's Resolution Check-In

Now that February is almost over and most people have given up on their New Year's resolutions, I thought that I would do a little check-in to see how the Kolars are doing so far.

My resolutions were to read 25 books, do my quiet time every day, make a recipe I've never tried for every family party, try something new once a month, and try a new recipe for dinner twice a month. I'll comment on the first two for now and come back in the next day or so to comment on the others. Let's see how I'm doing...

So far, I've read 4 books this year: Choosing to SEE by MaryBeth Chapman, Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella, Another Mother's Life by Rowan Coleman, and That Summer by Sarah Dessen.

I really enjoyed Choosing to SEE. MaryBeth is married to my favorite singer, Steven Curtis Chapman and I was really interested to read this story. I thought it was going to be about how the family is recovering after their four-year-old daughter died. It was largely about that, but it was also about MaryBeth's life before that. I enjoyed the insight into their private life, but I was slightly disappointed in the book as a whole. I just felt like it didn't flow very well. I was expecting to learn more and be inspired in my own walk with God, but I really wasn't. I would still highly recommend this book, though. At the very least, it was a good read.

Mini Shopaholic is the latest book in one of my favorite series. It was an easy read. Very light and fun.

Another Mother's Life was a good book as well. I loved reading how the two different mothers felt like this one event changed the whole course of their lives. It was a very dramatic story, but not too over the top. I enjoyed reading it.

I was actually a bit disappointed with That Summer. I've always enjoyed Sarah Dessen, but I felt like this book didn't have much of a plot. I kept waiting for the storyline to pick up, but it never did. It was an easy read, but if this was my first experience with Sarah Dessen I don't think I'd read any more.

Okay, how's quiet time going? Well, it's up and down. I joined a Beth Moore Bible study at my church. That has been great. I've always loved the Beth Moore studies. They really get me in the Word and thinking about my own walk. I always feel encouraged and challenged. I especially love the time to talk with other women and see how God is using the study in their own lives. Plus, the homework forces me to spend time with God during the week, too. Some weeks are better than others, but somehow I always manage to get my homework done (sometimes I'm doing 3 days worth on Sunday night!). Up until this week, that was pretty much the only way I was spending my quiet time, but this week I've picked up journaling again. I've always loved journaling and am looking forward to spending that time with God again. Hopefully I'll be able to be more consistent with that.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Micah's First Trip

Last weekend we made a trip up to Grand Rapids. I went to college in Grand Rapids and try to get back up there every other month or so to visit with my friends. But we hadn't been there since the end of summer, before Micah was born. My friend, Kathy, had her second little boy in January and we decided it was time for Micah and Noah to meet (not to mention for the mommys to have some time together!). Brad had the weekend off so we drove up there.

Micah decided that would be a great day to wake up at 4am. I cannot remember the last time he woke up that early so that really threw us for a loop. After feeding him it took a little while to get him back to sleep. Of course, Brad and I both wanted some more sleep too. Micah woke up again around 8:00 and needed to eat. Since Brad and I went back to sleep with him, now we both needed to get ourselves ready as well as him (this was really putting us behind schedule!). We finally left our house around 10:00 in hopes that he would sleep most of the way there (it was time for his morning nap, afterall). It took about 10 minutes and he looked like this:



We thought we were golden! Ha. Ha. Ha. Micah had other plans for the car tip. He slept for about 30 minutes and then woke up. I ended up in the backseat with him for most of the car ride because he was crying and just did not want to be back there by himself.

We were all able to meet little Noah. And Mommy got to spend some time with her girlfriends while Daddy got some alone time. It was great catching up with my friends. I always look forward to our time together, and I'm so excited for our children to grow up together.



Noah, Micah, and Jack. Noah and Micah are only two months apart--can you believe how much bigger Micah is than Noah?!



Noah and Micah. Look at them holding hands--they're best friends already!

This was also Micah's first time in a hotel. I was a little worried because he doesn't do well sleeping in unfamiliar places, but I think he was so tired from the day (he slept a total of about an hour and a half the whole day) that he did great. We set up the pack 'n play next to our bed and he slept great. We did have a slight problem because we had to give him a bath. At our house, we have a little bouncy seat made for the tub that we use because all of our sinks are in bad places for baths. We didn't bring the seat with us so we decided to just give him a bath in the sink. That was an interesting experience, but we all made it out okay!








Sunday afternoon we went to another friend's house. I used to baby sit for this family when I was in high school and college. They moved to Grand Rapids right as I was moving back home. We typically stay at their house when we go to GR, but we didn't want to disturb them with a crying baby all night. Micah loved meeting the boys and they promised to teach him how to skateboard, waterski, and snowboard. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of all the boys (what was I thinking?), but it was great spending time with everyone.

Micah did much better on the ride home, slept almost the entire way. I think he really enjoyed Grand Rapids. I sure hope he did because he will be spending a lot of time up there. Hopefully next time we'll be able to stay a bit longer and see more people!

Monday, February 14, 2011

School is Now in Session

I've only been a mom for 3 months, but I feel like I've already learned so much. Mainly I've learned that I have a lot to learn still! It's not that I thought I knew everything before having a child, but I certainly thought I knew a lot. I've been baby sitting since I was 13 years old. I've baby sat all day, gone on vacation while baby sitting, done week-long overnights, etc. I thought I had at least somewhat of a taste of what it feels like to not "give them back." But I had no idea what motherhood would be like.

To be honest, I have a lot of patience when it comes to kids. It can take more than an hour to put Micah to sleep and I'm okay. I don't usually get frustrated very easily. Of course, it helps that he's such a good baby and happy most of the time. So, it's not really patience that I've had to learn. The biggest thing I'm learning about being a mom is that I am so selfish.

I think this is natural. For 27 years I've only had to worry about myself. Specifically for the four months before Micah was born I had free reign to do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. If I wanted to go to Target I could. If I wanted to go meet my Mom at Caribou, no problem. The only thing I had to think about was if I really wanted to do it or not. Now, I have another person to consider. He's not quite as flexible as I am. If I want to go to Target, I need to work around his nap and feeding schedule. And Micah doesn't always understand that I'm working around that schedule so he likes to mix it up every now and then. Often times, I get him down for a nap then guesstimate what time he'll wake up. Then, I figure I'll feed him, play for a couple minutes (enough time to let his food settle), then we'll pack up and head out. He should be a happy little baby in the car. Of course, those are the times that he decides to sleep for an extra long time and it's too late to go. Or he acts tired right after eating so I have to decide if I should put him down for another nap or risk a crabby tired baby at Target. I have to choose: do what I want to do or do what I think is best for Micah. Is it more important for me to go to Target, go to our Gymboree class, meet my Mom, etc. or is it more important for Micah to get his nap, have some good play time with Mommy, etc.? Every day I have to consciously choose Micah's well-being over my own desires.

I have to admit, I don't always choose to stay home. Sometimes we go to Target or my Mom's and I deal with the consequences. I don't think that makes me a bad Mom. In fact, sometimes I think it makes me a good Mom because there are some days that I just might go crazy if I can't get out of the house. But it really makes me think about what a selfish person I am. It's hard to change old habits. Even though I love my son so much and I would do just about anything for him, it's the day to day little decisions that are harder. But in a lot of ways I think those are the most important. And I'm learning every day that when I choose to stay home and spend that time with Micah it is way more rewarding than running any kind of errands!

I mean, really, who can resist this face?

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Blizzard 2011



Micah had a great time in the snow on Wednesday.



He even got to go sledding. He loved it so much that he nearly fell asleep!



Mommy even came outside for a couple minutes. Just for a photo op, though.



I think this is the first of many times that Daddy and Micah will be together in the snow.



I'm not sure who enjoyed it more. Daddy or Micah?