Living a Blessed Life

For the past month or so I have been telling myself almost daily that I really need to update this blog. Well, I finally have a few uninterrupted minutes to work on this so here we go! Tobiah is now 4.5 months old!! It's so much fun seeing his personality develop every single day. Four Month Stats: 13 Pounds 25 Inches Long I love that I am able to spend 4 days each week with him, but I really do look forward to the day that I can spend every single day with him. He is such a joy! I have learned A LOT about life, balance and motherhood over the past 4.5 months. It's truly amazing how someone so small can steal your heart, and change your life in ways you never thought imaginable. He laughs and giggles all of the time, and is really happy when he wakes up from naps or night time sleeping. His smiles are amazing and melt my heart. Toby is rolling over a lot, primarily from tummy to back. It's funny to watch him, because he has made tummy time into a rolling game....

This is exactly what Tobiah has been up to lately! Rolling around. He can go from front to back very easily, and from back to front with a little more effort. He appreciates knowing how to roll onto his back, as tummy time is really not his favorite thing. He is getting better, though, and will stay on his tummy without crying for decent lengths of time. It's been a lot of fun watching him learn and grow! Tobiah is now 3 months old!! He is growing up so fast that we are just trying to make sure we take it all in. It's hard to remember what life was like before we had our perfect little addition. We are filled with joy every single day when we look at him and watch him discover new things. On Toby's 3 month birthday he discovered his hands. He would hold them out and stare at them, and turn them. Now he will still stare at them and open and close his hands. It's SO cute!! He has also discovered that he can use them to put things (fingers and toys) into hi...

If you have seen the most recent Subway commercial, you will know exactly what AnyTober means. If you haven't seen it, you will want to watch for it now... In the Schwarz home it has become a fun, new nickname for our favorite little guy. :-) Our little AnyTober is still growing by leaps and bounds, and continues to amaze us daily. He smiles and talks a LOT now! He is very responsive to sounds and will look at people when they are talking to him. He is starting to do a lot more tummy time, as I recently discovered that we were not doing it nearly often enough. I might be a little over-mothering on that, but I want him to develop into a very strong, healthy boy, and I know that tummy time is a very very very important step in that process. Tonight we spent a little extra time on the Boppy pillow, and then on the new blanket that Grandma Margie quilted for him. He was NOT happy with this mama, but I know it was important for him to work on his core strength. I have been instructe...

Tobiah is THE happiest baby ever! He smiles a lot now, and loves having conversations during his awake time. I have a feeling he will rival his mom with his talking once he learns words. :-) He is SO cute!! I can't help but sit and stare at him when I'm home. (I stare at his pictures when I'm at work). Tobiah meeting Great Grandma Margie  Last weekend we took our first 'road trip' to Albert Lea for our friend, Jaycie's 2nd birthday party. We had a great time and Tobiah slept a good portion of the time. The rest of the time he pretty much hung out and cuddled with David and Laura. It was great spending time with some of our closest friends, and all of the adorable kids there! After watching them all interact, I really look forward to watching Toby grow and develop. He is a very smart boy, and will continue to learn all sorts of new things as Grandpa Dana continues to teach him something fun and new every day. Jack Turner (Laura Davis & D...

I can hardly believe that Tobiah is already 5 weeks old!! I catch myself thinking of some things we were told about newborns, and then telling myself "he's not a newborn anymore" so that no longer applies. It's a bittersweet process as our little miracle continues to grow and develop. We are SO happy that he is growing into a strong, healthy little boy but we keep reminding him not to grow up too fast! (Not a 5 week picture, but I love this one and HAD to add it) What's New: Toby is outgrowing his reflux issues, which means he's doing a much better job keeping his milk down, and has very few extreme gas issues. PRAISE THE LORD!! We purchased a bottle of Colic Calm, which is a homeopathic treatment for gas, reflux and colic. I have only had to use it a handful of times, and lately just once / week (if that). It helps settle his tummy, and get rid of the gas bubbles to relieve the pain. I have heard that a little water will do the same thing, and help...

Happy 1 Month Birthday, Tobiah!! 8/26/2011

Where does the time go?? I know that it flies, especially when there is so much going on in life, but really it could slow down just a tad! Today marks my father's 53rd birthday! He's always proud of his birthday's so I thought I would give him (part of) the lime light on my blog today. :-) I hope you have a great day and I love you, Dad! On Friday, Tobiah will be officially 1 Month old!! WOW!!!!! That's hard to wrap my mind around. It seems like yesterday that my mom was here and we were walking, walking, walking, getting toes done, massaging feet & ankles, walking, walking, walking... You get the point. Now here we are and it's already been almost an entire month! Tobiah is a happy, healthy baby. He is a very good eater and sleeper! :-) Praise the Lord!! We are working through some minor reflux issues, but other than that things are just great on the home front. Of course I will post a 1 month picture on Friday, but until then here is the most recent p...

It's been quite a few weeks since my last significant post. I apologize for the delay, but I have been a little bit occupied. :-) So much has changed and I really want to put it into words so I don't forget. These are pages I'll add to Tobiah's baby book as I get these thoughts into print. On Monday, July 25th I had an appointment with my midwife, as I was 1 full week overdue at that point. She checked me to see if my body was progressing toward the birth process. Everything was looking great, except that I was not dialating at all. I was given a couple of options at that point. I was informed that I would not be allowed to go beyond 2 weeks overdue, so by the following Monday I would have to be induced if the baby hadn't made his appearance yet. I was also told that if I didn't go into labor before that coming Wednesday, I would have to come in for an Ultrasound to see how my amniotic fluid levels were, and if they were low (which we later found out that they...

Tobiah William Schwarz (Tobiah: God is Good!) 7 lbs. 5 oz. 19 in. long 7/26/2011 Darek & I are SO very blessed to have this amazing miracle in our lives, and we look forward to sharing him with all of our friends and family so he can meet the wonderful people that have helped shape us into who we are today. There is so much that I would like to write and share about our journey thus far, but it will have to wait just a little longer as time allows. I'm including a collage of pictures including some of Tobiah's first visitors, and family. Enjoy! Kisses From Hunny Grandma & Grandpa Schwarz with Zeke & Tobiah Grandma & Grandpa Ford with Tobiah & Hunny Cousins - Best Buds Uncle Mike, Auntie Emily & Ezekiel Laura & Jack Katie DiLoreto Cole & Christine Hmmm... What's that thing up there squriming around?? To Be Continued... ~Steph

I know! 2 blog posts in 1 day!!! I didn't want to neglect the fact that we had a very nice visit with my grandparents today. They drove up from Burt, IA and took Darek, my mom and I out for a very delicious and filling lunch at Axel's. YUM! I always enjoy eating there. :-) Thank you Grandpa & Grandma for a wonderful lunch!! After lunch we headed back to our house (the entire 1.5 minute drive) to relax and chat. Grandma always makes a quilt for the babies, so even though he hasn't arrived yet we received some very nice gifts. 100 Bible Verses to Bless Your Baby Boy Handmade Quilt from Grandma Quilts are such a treasure and we know that Baby Schwarz will cherish this one!  Hunny Snuggling up with Grandpa Hunny trying to get some lap time with Grandma We enjoyed their visit and look forward to having a new great-grandchild for them to visit next time! Later that afternoon we enjoyed watching the Twins win against the Detroit Tigers (on TV this time)...