Baby N: 9 Months

It may be April Fool's Day but there is no fooling anyone here. You are growing at an exponential rate. How can you be 9 months old?!
You are almost 1!  

Weight: TBD later this month

Height: TBD later this month

Clothes: 6-9 months...9 months more so for length

Eat: You are such a good eater! You eat 7-8 ounces every 4 hours. You have about 2 ounces of baby food for breakfast and lunch and then 4 ounces for dinner. You have started eating puffs, but have yet to start self feeding. You'd much rather mommy or daddy give them to you. You are, however, much better about holding your bottle. You can definitely do it...if you want to. You've tried grown up foods such as macaroni and cheese and loved it!

Sleep: With the time change, you go to bed slightly later. You lay down between 7 and 7:30pm and sleep until about 5am. Occasionally you will sleep past 6, but those mornings are rare. You still take 2-3 naps a day. You generally take 2 cat naps in the morning and then a longer (1-2 hours) in the afternoon.

Play: You want to be on the go so bad! You have been trying to push yourself forward with your legs and arms. We've seen you make a little progress in the forward direction, but not much. It won't be too much longer I'm afraid. You continue to love music and anything that makes noise. We get you outside every chance we get. You love the sights and sounds...and the cats.

Your sister is still your best friend. She loves you so fiercely and you constantly look for her in the room. You light up when she comes around. She still has the ability to make you laugh like no one else.

Odds and Ends: You are up to 2 bottom teeth with a top one on the way. You have some no fail signs of teething that have presented with all three teeth. You begin by drooling excessively and your nose becomes runny. Soon after, you have several days of rather acidic stool. Once that goes away, you end up with a noticeable divot where the tooth will come in. Within a week or so, the tooth typically pops through.

Despite teething, you are still so happy. people continue to comment on your cheery, laid back disposition.

You celebrated your first St. Patrick's Day.

You celebrated your first Easter with our church's annual Easter Egg Hunt and Sunday service.

You had on a super cute Easter outfit prior to a major diaper blow out minutes after arriving.

You helped us welcome Granna to the state of Virginia. She is now an official resident.

We love watching you grow!

Watch me grow...

Linking up for Mommy Moments

Valentine’s Day Weekend

Friday was a little rough. I didn't feel well thanks to an ear infection and my mood wasn't as cheery as it usually is. I was frustrated with a lot of things and quite honestly,  I felt in need of a good pout session. Then, as the Lord sees fit, my mood was lifted...in the sweetest of ways.

A student whom I totally adore, came and gave me a spontaneous hug in the hallway. His sweet smile never fails to warm my heart. Later that same day I received a special "turtle-rific" surpise valentine. The kids could pay to send these little goodies to their friends. I received one from one of my former students. Despite having been out of my class for 3 years now, she still takes the time to make me feel appreciated. 

After a long day, I came home to a sweet surprise. My husband had gotten me flowers! Mind you, we said no gifts this year. He's just sweet that way. He had to work on Saturday and was not sure if he'd get to come home on Sunday so he gave them to me early.

On Saturday,  G and I headed out in the bitter cold to her friend's birthday party. The kids had a blast and I had a good time catching up with my adult friends.

We came home and warmed up the rest of the day. G came down with a cold and quickly became a pitiful mess.

Sunday was a creature all of its own. My earache was still going strong and G's cold (i.e. runny nose and congestion) had gotten worse. We didn't go to church since she had been up almost every two hours the night before. She had thrown up because she gagged on the mucus and she just couldn't get rested. Of course this means Mommy was up too. I'd do anything to help her feel better. She and I ended up in the living room on the couch. We finally slept a solid 3 hours before N woke up ready for the day

Eventually my hubby came home and I made our Valentine breakfast. We loved on the kids, gave them their goodies and celebrated N's first Valentine's Day. 

My husband surprised me again, only this time I felt awful. Grateful and in love, but awful. We said no gifts and he gave me this!

Of course he had a super sweet explanation that made me fall in love with him all over again...but I still felt bad that he only got a card.

I did make up for it some baking the meal he requested. I began cooking around 2pm and finished around 6pm. Things like this take lots of prep...a true labor of love.

Homemade...Bacon Wrapped Green Beans, Bang Bang Shrimp, and BBQ Ribs. 

We ended the evening by putting the kids to bed and cuddling on the couch. He had to leave for work since the weather was going to get bad. He left a little after 9pm and I was in bed by 10pm.

I am so thankful for all the love in my life. Above all, I'm thankful that God loved me enough to send Jesus in my place, to forgive my sins, and to provide a light when all seems hopeless. He is truly Love.

Baby N: 7 Months

 

 

 

We watch in awe as you change right before our eyes. So many wonderful things have happened with you over the past month. It's hard to believe how quickly you are growing. You are seriously one of the happiest babies in the world!

Weight: 18+lbs

Height: TBD

Clothes: 6-9m

Eat: 8oz of formula every 4 hours and 2-4oz of baby food twice a day
You enjoy lots of different food combinations and you now eat your green beans without complaint.

Sleep: You have been consistently sleeping through the night (7pm to 4-5am. There are rare occasions that you'll sleep until 6am and that is complete bliss. When you wake up in the mornings,  your big sister wakes up with you and you two chat until she comes to tell me you're awake. Your "conversations" are the sweetest things to listen to over the baby monitor.

Play: You continue to love music and movement. You love to bounce in your exersaucer and your bouncer. You and your sister continue to be best friends. She loves to make you laugh.

I promise...they really are best buds

You are still so ticklish. We get those giggles out of you any way we can. You continue to play well on your play mat and you scoot around on your belly to get where you want to go. It is almost impossible to keep socks on your feet. You are constantly pulling them off and playing with your feet and toes (which occasionally make their way into your mouth). You are always so happy!



Odds and Ends: You are sitting up so well on your own! You are still a little wobbly but you'll be independent before we know it.



You definitely have teeth on their way. Your drooling has continued to increase and you gnaw on everything. We can now see a couple of indentions on your bottom gum. These were indicators for your big sister so we'll see if it is the same for you.



You experienced your first snow...and loved it!!!

We had several snow days which meant extra snuggles.

You babble so much now. There are times it definitely sounds like you are saying "da-da". Your daddy is so excited. I'm still holding out for mama to be your real first word ;)

Watch him grow...

Baby N: 5 Months

There are two things I can't wrap my brain around. First off, we are now in the month of December, which means you will soon be celebrating your first Christmas. Secondly, you are now 5 months old. My mind is blown.

Weight: 16 lbs give or take

Height:  26 inches

Clothes:3-6/6 months across the board.

Eat: 7oz every 3-4 hours. You've begun eating solid foods. So far you seem to like sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, prunes and peaches. You do not like bananas...I was really surprised!

Sleep: You are making progress. Most nights you are sleeping from 7:00p.m. to 3:00a.m. The 8 hours you are sleeping are nice, but we cannot make it to bed at 7. This makes it a little tough some nights. The bright side is that over the last week, you've slept from 7:00p.m. to about 5:00a.m. We really hope you will do this more often so that you can make your way into your new room that you'll share with your sister.

Play: You can't be stopped these days. You love being in your exersaucer. You are still not a fan of tummy time but will tolerate it if your sister is willing to lay and play with you. You easily grab toys and love to watch lights.

Odds and Ends: You still haven't rolled over yet, but it's coming. I'm sure. You have however started making some efforts towards crawling. You put weight on your arms and use your legs to help you frog scoot across your mat.

You celebrated your first Thanksgiving with friends and family.

Time is going much too quickly. We love you to pieces and look forward to celebrating your first Christmas this month!

Your ornament from last year...and now this year you're here!

Linking up with Tuesday Talk

18 Months

In the blink of an eye, our infant has grown into near "toddlerdom". On Sunday our little miracle turned 18 months old. I'm allowing myself to call her a baby until she turns two. She amazes us daily. She's picking up on words, emotions and habits. I never knew I could be so in love. There are moments I catch myself in awe of our red headed beauty and I've been known to cry on occasion.  I can't help myself.  I consider myself completely honored to have carried her in my womb for a precious 37 1/2 weeks and now, as I look upon her 18 month milestone I struggle to grasp how quickly the time has gone.

Our road to conception was not easy. I treasured my pregnancy and still count myself blessed to have been able to carry her. I am honored and humbled that the Lord chose me to be her mother. I could not have asked for a more perfect blessing.

I pray daily for her future...Both immediate and distant. One of the most important things a mother can do is bathe her babe in prayer.

Ok, I'm getting super sentimental over here. So, let's move on to G's 18 months stats.

Stats: 
Weight: We’ll know October 21st.

Height: 2' 7"

-Clothing: 24 months/2T

-Shoe size: 4-5

Meal time: You are still a great eater. You still aren't eating as much as you once were but you are still eating well. You're healthy and that is what is important. You are a huge fan of Nilla Wafers, macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets and green peas. You still love all things fruit and you tolerate most vegetables. You have added to your list of allergies...which thankfully is not too long. Not only can you not eat ketchup but now you cannot eat yogurt. It breaks your face out in a serious rash. The crazy thing is that you can eat all other things dairy without any issues. You love yogurt so we hope we can attempt it again at some point. You eat well with a fork and are working on using a spoon. You love your high chair...so much so that you want to sit in it even when you are no longer hungry.

Playtime: We got you a rocking horse and you love to ride it...you could be a cowgirl. You also love riding your motorcycle. It plays a lot of music and if there is music, you are going to dance. You wave your hands and shake your little body. It melts our hearts. One of your favorite toys at the moment is your baby stroller. You thoroughly enjoy pushing Chicken and Bella around. The newest member of your tote-around crew is Mo-Mo the giraffe. Bella is still your favorite but Mo-Mo is a hold tight second. He goes almost as many places as Bella does. You've also been dabbling in coloring with crayons and painting. I adore helping you be creative.

Sleepy time: Your morning naps vary. Sometimes you can easily go without one and then you lay down for your afternoon nap around 1-1:30p.m. This usually occurs on Sundays since church kind of interferes with your morning nap time. Otherwise, you still take two naps a day. You lay down around 10 a.m. and sleep for 45 minutes to an hour. Your afternoon nap happens around 2:30 and you sleep for about an hour to an hour and a half. Gone are the days of 2-3 hours naps. You generally sleep through the night unless you're not feeling well. You lay down around 8 p.m. and wake between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m.

Memorable moments:

-You keep adding teeth. In fact you've cut 6 more over the last 3 months. Total number?  13!

-You had Hand, Foot and Mouth...again. You ran a 103 fever for about two days. You hardly slept or ate thanks to some painful mouth blisters.

-You joined Mommy for our back to school night...and you were a big hit.

-You had your first four-wheeler ride.

-We took a four-wheeler ride around our new property. Someday we'll build our forever home where many more of your childhood memories will be made.

-You got to meet your newest little friend who was born late September.

-You had your first ice cream cone.

-You had your first face paint.

-You took a "Mom and Me" trip to see Aunt Lala in Washington, D.C. for the first time.

-Your favorite book is Llama Llama Red Pajama.

Linking up with Leslyn

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