Michael: 6 Months

11-15-13

This Month:

*You weigh: 19lbs 9oz and are 27in long
*You are wearing: 6 and 6-9 month clothes

*You eat about every 3-4 hours. Sometimes more sometimes less.
*You are in a size 3 diaper.

*You go to bed around 7:00-7:30 and typically wake up and have to be put back to sleep at least once within an hour of going down. Then you wake up around 11:00 or 12:00 to eat and sleep about 3 or 4 more hours and then wake up for the day between 7:30-7:30ish. Sometimes you might sleep a little bit later. I like the mornings you sleep until 8:00! Daylight savings time really screwed things up! The past few nights you have gone down and stayed down until around 2:00 or 3:00. You are still sleeping in a pack and play in our room, but papa just finished your crib so for almost a week you have been taking naps in your own room!

You like to jump in your jumper, but love to be on the floor. This month you started crawling. It's more along the lines of army crawling but you are definitely on the go! And you are quick! You like to explore and I have had to pull you out from under the end table a time or two. Sometimes you will get up on your hands and knees and more a little bit, but you haven't quite conquered the "normal" crawl. Ellie is not enjoying having to share toys now that you are mobile and more interested in playing. I have to constantly remind her not to take toys away from you and that she has to share.

Once you wake up the clock starts ticking because you can really only handle being awake for 2 hours at a time before you are ready for a nap. When you are tired you lay your head down and suck your thumb and that is my cue to get you to bed! Now that we have a little more of a routine things are a little easier. And you have been napping for longer stretches during the day. And a well rested baby is a happy baby, and a happy baby makes for a happy mama!

You are still such a happy baby. You smile at everyone and are just a joy! If you don't fall asleep nursing you still need to bee bounced/swayed to sleep, but sometimes we can lay you down and you will suck your thumb and go to sleep on your own. You have gone to the nursery at church a few times and have actually taken a little nap while you were there. Of course they love holding you while you sleep!

When you are happy you scrunch up your face and it is the cutest thing ever!!

For your first Halloween your dad picked your costume and you were a pirate. We went truck or treating at church and you spend most of the time in the carrier but you did really well and looked absolutely adorable. We were going to go out on Halloween but the actual day ended up being super cold and rainy so we skipped it and stayed inside.

Trying to get a good picture of the both of you is impossible

I am so happy that we have made it 6 months exclusively breast feeding. Even though sometimes it has been hard and trying that you wouldn't take a bottle, it really made it easy to not have to struggle to continue to breastfeed. The time and flown by and I am so glad that we have made it this far. I hope to go at least another 6 months. I plan on giving you some avocado in the next couple days and see how that goes. I am not going to push you with food and am just going to take things slow. Breast milk is still supposed to be the main source of nutrition, and after all; food before one is just for fun!!

Sometimes I am so amazed with how much I love you. After having Ellie I never though I could love another child as much as I love her, but you have really shown me that my heart just grows with each child. I never want to forget all the little things about you being a baby. Like the way you suck your thumb, the reddish tint to your hair, how your feet are so fat they won't fit in most shoes, how you really don't have a wrist-it goes from a chubby arm right into your little sausage hands. You are the cutest, sweetest little things and I could just eat you up. I am so thankful you are a part of our little family!!

Here is Ellie's 6 month update for comparison 

Michael: 5 Months

10-15-13

This Month:

*You weigh: about 18lbs 8oz according to our scale at home
*You are wearing: 6 month clothes

*You eat about every 3ish hours. Sometimes more sometimes less.
*You are in a size 3 diaper.

*You have wanted to go to bed earlier this month. Closer to 7:00 than 8:00. I wish I could get you to stay up a little later, but you don't want to take your last nap of the day. After about a month of your sleep regression, waking up every 1-2 hours, you finally learned to roll both ways and started sleeping better. On September 21st you slept through the night until 8:30am. This was the best you have ever done. I heard angels singing that morning. you had a few nights sleeping until 6:00 or so, but then went back to waking up around 4:00 to eat and again around 7:00. But then you typically go back to sleep until 8:00 or 8:30. You are still sleeping in a pack and play in our room.

Your hair looks pretty blonde but if you are in something that is red it looks a little auburn.

You are doing better in your swing and like to play in your jumper, but love to be a part of the conversation. When we eat dinner you do not want to sit in your bouncer on the floor. You want to sit in the bumbo on the table and see what is going on. You are a little social butterfly. You roll all over the living room floor trying to get to toys that you want to play with.

You have the sweetest smile and have the hint of a dimple in one of your cheeks. I love it! You are such a happy boy.  

You still suck your thumb and I absolutely love it. I think it is the cutest thing in the whole world. Not to mention it is nice that you are able to self soothe pretty well. If you wake up at night fussing sometimes if we just give it a minute you'll find your thumb and go right back to sleep. I can tell when you are tired because you will put your head down and start sucking your thumb. That is my cue to snatch you up and get you down for a nap! Typically you wake up about 8:00, eat and down for a nap around 10:00, sleep for 1-2 hours, up for 2 hours, eat and back down around 2:00 for another 1-2 hours up around 3:00-4:00, eat again around 6, and then down fort he night around 7:30. Some days you don't nap well at all and some days you nap great! You are getting better as you grow.

You met your future bff Cameron this month. You two are only a little over 2 months apart. I can't wait to watch the two of you grow together and hope and pray that you will be friends for life. I love his mama so you really don't have a choice!

You aren't too sturdy if we prop  you up to sit, but you'll get there. You still have no interest in taking a bottle, but I have given you a sippy cup to hold and play with to try and get you used to it in hopes that you will use one in the next month or so. If not, oh well. There's plenty of time to go to the movies and have girls night, you will only be little once and the time is flying by!

You are enthralled with Ellie and spend a lot of your time watching her. It is so cute when I see her crouching down next to you and whispering things to you. She will bring you toys and cover you with a blanket and sweetly tell you "You wouldn't be so tired if you would just go to sleep!!" I think she might have heard mama say this a time or two!

It is so fun to watch your little personality take shape and I can't wait to see what it will be like as you grow. You are such a sweet boy and I love you so much! I can't imagine our family without you in it!

Here is Ellie's 5 month update for comparison 

A Little Catch Up

There are so many things going on in our life right now! I feel like I am finally getting the hang of having 2 mini humans to keep alive all day, but I'm certain something will happen soon to make me feel otherwise.

Isn't that always how it goes?
Michael's monthly updates seem to be about all I can manage to type out lately. It's hard when the minis team up against me so I have to free minutes in the day! As soon as one goes down-the other wakes up. I think they have a secret code! But today I actually seem to have a few minutes of overlapping naps!!

 

I can't believe that Ellie will be 3 in a few months. 3. T.H.R.E.E. THREE. How did that happen. Three isn't a baby anymore. Three is officially a big girl. It seems like the past (almost) three years has flown by, but then sometimes it seems like it's been forever since she was a baby like Michael. She has quite the personality. She is a very strong willed girl. I know that this will be a good thing when she is older, but honing it while she's a toddler is an every day battle! She is so observant and remembers everything. We have to be extra careful what we say around her because she is going to repeat it. I don't mean like swear words (she doesn't hear those), just everything in general. She is starting to sing songs off the CD we listen to in the car and it is so cute. She doesn't always get the words right, but it warms my soul. This just reinforces why we only listen to contemporary Christian/worship music in the car (and sometimes oldies when we're with Mike). I don't need her singing "I kissed a girl and I liked it"" or any of that crap. She has prayed a few times at dinner and the first time brought me to tears. There is no sweeter sound than to hear her talk to the Lord. When I ask her what she wants to pray for she says "God loves mommy and daddy and Ellie and Michael".

Melts. Me.

 

She speaks in full sentences. scratch that. Full paragraphs. She is a little chatterbox. Sometimes I wonder how she knows so many words and how to string them together! She loves to learn and definitely keeps me on my toes. She knows her ABC's. She can recite them, recognize them when written down, and knows the sounds they make. She knows all her colors. And learned to count to ten (sometimes 12) over the summer. She loves driving past the airport and looking at and talking about all the planes.

 

I just love that little girl.

 

 

 

 

Michael: 4 Months

9-15-13

I can't even explain how much I love you! You are the sweetest little baby. I can't believe how fast time has gone and that you are already 4 months old. It seems like we just brought you home and here you are transitioning from a little newborn into an infant. You are learning so many new things and even though you aren't our first baby we love to watch you take in the world and reach all these new milestones. I can't imagine our life without you!

This Month:

*You weigh: 16lbs and 15.5oz (Ellie didn't weigh this much until 8 months!!)
*You are wearing mostly 3-6 month clothes.

*You still eat about every 2ish hours; sometimes more, sometimes less. You are pretty efficient though and nursing sessions only take about 5 minutes or so.
*You are in a size 2 diaper.

*You have a bath every night around 8:00 and then eat and go to sleep. On August 16 you started a horrible sleep regression. You were waking up every 2 hours, and sometimes every hour. You were try to roll over in your sleep and are constantly waking yourself up. We have tried a lot of different things to help you sleep better. Nothing is working. I am hoping that in time you will go back to sleeping longer stretches. I don't know how much longer mama can handle this!!

Your hair has definitely lost most of the auburn hue and is pretty lint with just a hint of auburn!

You are a little more content in your swing or bouncy. During dinner you want to sit in the bumbo on the table and be a part of the action. Or you like to be held on our lap; which doesn't make eating very easy! You love to lay on the ground under your play mat. This month you accomplished rolling from back to belly AND belly to back! I guess all that practicing in your sleep really paid off!

You have a toy monkey that you love playing with. Whenever I bring it over you will smile and wave your hands and kick your feet. Everything instantly goes in your mouth. If someone is holding you, you always try to put their fingers in your mouth and gum them! 

 You are such a happy sweet boy. Anytime someone talks to you, you break out in a huge grin. It is the sweetest thing ever. You are such a talker and love when we lay down and talk to you, sometimes you are just down right loud! You definitely love attention!

 You have discovered your feet and are constantly grabbing at them. You love to put them straight in your mouth! Who needs a pacifier when you've got your big toe! Speaking of pacifiers, we've pretty much given up hope of you taking one. You still have no interest in taking a bottle, but that doesn't keep us from trying!

I think we have conquered the car seat and you rarely ever cry in the car any more. Thank the good Lord for that! There has been more than one occasion that you have fallen asleep while we're driving. I love it.

 You are definitely a little thumb sucker, and it still melts me when I see you do it. It usually means that you are tired and we better get you down for a nap asap! You can really only handle being awake for about 1.5 hours before you need to be back to sleep so it makes it a challenge to get anything done during the day! I still feel like most of my day is trying to get you to nap! We are getting into a little more of a routine and I feel like I am finally starting to get the hang of it! (Or maybe my hormones are just starting to balance out!)

You love to watch Ellie run around and you are constantly staring at her. She loves to bring you toys and try to hold your hand. She still gives us a play by play of what you're doing. I can't wait to see the two of you become best friends and watch you play and grow together.

Here is Ellie's 4 month update for comparison

Michael: 3 Months

8-15-13

 

 

This Month:

*You weigh a little over 16lbs according to our scale at home! You are definitely not a peanut like your sister was!
*You are in some 3 month clothes but a lot of 3-6 month stuff!

*You eat about every 2 hours. You are pretty efficient though and nursing sessions only take about 5 minutes or so.
*You are in a size 2 diaper and we have used cloth a lot this month.

*You have a bath every night around 8:00 and then eat and go to sleep. You are still a pretty good sleeper at night. You sleep until about 3-3:30ish eat, then go right back to sleep. After your first feed you are up about every 2-3 hours until about 8:00.

Your hair is still a little bit auburn, but it's lightening up. I am really going to miss it if it goes completely blonde!

You are definitely still in a hold me phase and always want to be held. You like to face out and see what everyone is doing. You will take a long nap if you are in the ergo or being held, otherwise you usually only stay asleep for about 30 minutes or so. But I know you will get there...eventually. You still aren't the biggest fan of your swing or bouncy, but you are getting more interested in your toys and are getting a little more content. You are starting to grasp your toys and you always bring them straight to your mouth.

 

 

Evidently we waited too long to try giving you another bottle because you want nothing to do with it. You just push it our of your mouth, look at us like we're trying to poison you , and then get ticked. We've tried a TON of different kinds too. You better believe we're going to keep at it tough. Mama and daddy need a date night! We have tried I think 4 different kinds of pacifiers and I'm pretty sure it's just not going to happen. You are getting better at sucking your thumb and I think it is the cutest thing in the world. I know that it might be a hard habit to break when you get older, but I just can't resist the cuteness. 

 

Whoops!

You are such a happy baby and you are so chatty! You love to talk and have the cutest little voice. You are always cooing and squealing whenever anyone looks at you. You are getting better with your car sear. Most of the time you sit there and play with your monkey and there have even been a few times that you have fallen asleep. *GASP* It makes the car rides a lot less stressful when we're not trapped with a screaming baby inside.

 

Ellie is still doing really well with you. She loves to bring you toys and any time you are fussy she will pick up a toy and shake it in front of you and say "Here. Here you go Michael." She is so sweet. She loves you so much and I can't wait to see you two play together and watch you grow into the best of friends!!

We are so blessed to have you as a part of our family and we love you so much. I am constantly amazed at how much I cherish and adore our children.

 

We'll get there

Written on 7-11-13

Some days being a stay at home mom of two kicks my butt. I am currently typing this while Michael is in the Moby. I had to give Ellie a bath, put lotion on her, put on jammies, brush her hair and teeth, and hoist her up and over her crib all while carrying all 13ish pounds of Michael in the wrap.

 

My back is going to hate me tomorrow.

 

 Michael is 8 weeks old and Ellie is 2.5 and we still haven't quite found our groove yet. Michael likes loves to be held, isn't fond of his swing or bouncer, and needs to be held, swayed, and bounced to sleep. And if you put him down you have maybe a half hour before he wakes up. But at night time he's out and sleeps like a log when I put him down.

 

 Thankfully Ellie does pretty well playing by herself most of the time. But I feel like I am always telling her "Hold on Ellie" "Just a minute Ellie" "After I feed Michael" and it makes me feel horrible. Sometimes I can have Michael in the Moby while I color or play stickers with her and today we went for a walk outside and I was able to spend some quality time talking with her but I still miss the one-on-one time with my first baby. Luckily, Mike works less hours in the summer so she has a playmate when he gets home from work.

 

I just feel like I am being pulled in 100 different directions and I wish there were 2 no 3 no 4 of me to get everything done that I need to and be able to give everyone 100% of my time and attention. I really had to adjust my expectations for this summer and what being a mom of two would be like. Ellie seriously slept for the first 6 weeks of her life. No joke, she woke up to eat and was right back asleep until it was time to eat again. So I expected that I would be able to put Michael in the swing or bouncer and life would carry on as normal. Until he got a little bigger and started being mobile. Not the case; he's a little needier than I expected.

I had a lot of expectations about what it would be like to have a baby when Ellie was born. They were all shattered. There were months filled with incessant screaming. Nothing went the way I had imagined in my head. Nothing. But I readjusted my expectations and we made it. Yet that didn't stop me from dreaming and making expectations about what this summer would be like. Expectations that I've not let go. We really haven't done much of anything that I imagined we would do.

And that's ok.

 I think this time I was a little better prepared for what having a newborn is like; but you forget. It's been 2.5 years since I had a teeny baby who's needs are so constant and need to be met immediately. And this time not only do I have this needy little creature, but another bigger needy creature running around demanding my constant attention.

Being a mom is hard work. Being a mom of 2 littles is hard work. I'm sure being a mom of 3 is harder work! But time goes so fast and is so precious. I just imagine that it will be next July before we know it and I will have a 3.5 year old and  a 1 year old. So today-today I am going to snuggle this baby and  cherish this toddler and cut myself some freaking slack. I'm not super-mom, I'm still struggling to figure out our routine, I don't have time to be a perfect "Pinterest Mom", and some days I'm lucky to get the laundry finished.

But we'll get there.

 

Michael: 2 Months

7-15-13

 

I can't believe another month has gone by! I feel like the time is just flying! We are still trying to find our groove, but I'm just taking things day by day and I know that we'll settle into some sort of routine at some point. Ellie wasn't on a schedule until she was 6 months. I don't know if I can wait that long this time!

 

 

This Month:

*You weigh 13lbs 6oz. (Your sister didn't weigh this much until she was almost 6 months!!)
*You are in some 0-3 sleepers, but mostly 3 month clothes!

*You still love to eat! You eat about every 2-3 hours (I'm feeding on demand so I don't watch the clock. If you're fussy I just always offer the boob first and go from there!)

*You are in a size 1 diaper and I think we're going to start cloth here soon.

*You do have a schedule when it comes to bedtime. Which unfortunately conflicts with Ellie's schedule. You get a bath around 8:00 and then eat from about 8:30-9:30 and then pass out and have actually given us a few 7 hour stretches!! Hallelujah, Praise the Lord!!! You typically stir around 2:30ish and sometimes Mike or I can pat your back and get you back to sleep until 4:30-5:00ish, but if you don't settle I will feed you and then you eat every 2 hours the rest of the night and usually wake up in the morning when Ellie gets up.

 

 

You still really like to be held. You are getting a little more fond of your swing and bouncy seat, but mostly you want to be next to me or in my arms. Mike can put you to sleep like nobodys business so when he is home that job is transferred to him. You won't nap in your swing, you need to be bounced and swayed to sleep and then prefer to be held the whole time. If we lie you down on our bed the longest stretch you will stay asleep is about 30 minutes. I feel like most days I spend the entire day trying to get you to sleep-and stay asleep. But I know that these days are short lived and one day soon you won't fall asleep on us anymore.

Your hair still has an auburn tint to it and I absolutely love it. I hope it doesn't change! You still don't really take a paci. Sometimes if we hold it in your mouth long enough you might keep it in for a minute or two but mostly you spit it out and look at me like I'm crazy. You suck on your hands a lot and try to get them in your mouth though. You are getting better with tummy time and do pretty well holding your head up. You get lots of practice lifting your head because *gasp* you sleep on your stomach 99.9% of the time.

 

You have the chubbiest cheeks and I just love it! You are such a sweet smiley boy. You melt my heart! You love to talk and coo. You are so happy if someone sits with you and makes faces at you and talks to you. You aren't too fussy of a baby, and thankfully pretty much never cry in the middle of the night when you wake up hungry. You just rustle around a little bit and move your head from side to side and then coo at me when I change your diaper. You still hate your car seat and I get stuck riding in the very back of the van trying to keep you happy whenever we go anywhere. Hopefully you learn to love it soon. Very soon!

 

 

You had your first bottle around 8 weeks and you took it pretty well. I only put an ounce in it because I certainly didn't want to waste precious breast milk if you weren't going to drink it! We haven't tried again since then so I don't know if you will still take one. Hopefully, I think mommy and daddy are ready for a date night!

Ellie adores you. She will give you a hug and kiss and say "I think he likes me". Anytime you start to fuss she says "I think he needs his brand new toy" and runs around the house bringing you little toys. Or she says "Mama calm him down". I can't wait to watch you two become little best friends!

 I love you so much sweet boy.

 

Breastfeeding-The Second Time Around

Breastfeeding the second time around isn't that different than the first. Other than I have another child to chase after and keep out of trouble while I'm feeding Michael. Now I just need to master feeding in the Moby wrap or Ergo and I will be good to go!

 

When I was pregnant with Ellie I was told by countless people about how bad breastfeeding hurt and to expect it to be horrible for at least the first two weeks. I was told that it would hurt so bad that when she would latch it would take my breath away. I was nervous, but I was mentally prepared for the pain and it was so important to me that I breastfed that I was willing to push through it. So in order to prepare I took 3 hour breastfeeding class at the hospital and was super gung-ho that I was going to make it at least a year.

After she was born she latched right away and nursed like a champ. Every time that I had to feed her I would page a nurse and have her help me make sure that she was latched correctly. I had no qualms about every one of my nurses seeing my boobs. I wanted to make sure that I was doing it right. Surprisingly it didn't hurt. There was a little discomfort but that was about it. I never cracked or bled. I was never in tears while I got her to latch and fed her. I was so thankful! She ate every 2 hours around the clock for months. She had some belly issues around 3 months and that was he first time I introduced formula. I remember sitting in the glider in her room crying while I gave her a bottle. I felt like a failure. I ended up "getting inside my head" and was constantly worried about my supply and if she was gaining enough weight. She was a dainty thing and I always had people asking me if she was getting enough to eat or telling me that she was still hungry every time she cried (which was A LOT). So the stress did eventually affect my supply and let-down. It was a vicious cycle. I continued to breastfeed, but she was so impatient and slowly more and more bottles crept in until she weaned at 8 months. I was devastated that we didn't make it a year, and I was determined that if we had more kids that I would do things differently.

Enter Michael. Just like his sister he latched and nursed like a pro right after birth. But this time I had more confidence. I didn't ask the nurses for help, and I had 2 different lactation consultants come in and offer their services before we were discharged, but things were going so well I told them thanks, but we were all set! Here we are at 2 months still going strong.

Since Ellie ended up getting so impatient with breastfeeding and ended up getting so many bottles I had no desire to give Michael a bottle. EVER. Even if that meant I could never leave his side for the next 6+ months. However; due to some recent circumstances I realized that I should make sure he could take a bottle in case there was ever a time that I had to leave him with someone so at 8 weeks he just had his first experience with a bottle of breast milk. I put an ounce in a bottle and gave it to Mike and he drank it no problem. I was pretty shocked because he doesn't do so well with a pacifier so I figured he would do about the same with the bottle. I am happy, but at the same time I kind of feel like he cheated on me! Thankfully, there was no problems the next time he nursed, but a bottle will not be a regular thing.

 

 

Ellie has seen me nurse Michael from the beginning and sees me pump too. I want to make sure that breastfeeding is normal for her and that she doesn't ever feel like it's something that has to be hidden or that is taboo. With Ellie I was so nervous about nursing in public. I spent a lot of time feeding her sitting in a bathroom. Gross. This time-not so much. Half the time I don't even use a cover. It's to friggin hot for a cover. And Michael is fussy when I try to use a cover. I wouldn't want to eat under a blanket either! I just wear a tank top under my shirt and then pull the top one up and you can't see a thing. If you don't like it-feel free to leave!

 

Now I am by NO means against formula feeding moms. My motto is "feed your baby". Whatever method that may be. Please just remember the AAP recommends no solids until SIX months of age. It's hard enough being a mom; we don't need to judge each other on how our babies are fed. We're all just doing the best we can!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Let Freedom Ring

My family got together at my brothers house to celebrate Independence Day and my mom's birthday which was on the 7th. (My dad's birthday is the 6th so it's a busy week for us!) I put the kids in their red white and blue and we headed over for a day fun in the sun.



I swear she was happier than she looks!

My brother had a giant blow up water slide that all the cousins were playing on, but Ellie was absolutely terrified to go down the big slide and wanted nothing to do with it. I told Mike to just make her go down, and she reeeally didn't like it after that. There was a spray gun attached to it and she had no problem shooting other people with it, but ran away yelling " No no don't get me" any time anyone aimed it at her. Typical.

After lunch and a non existent nap Ellie played outside with her little cousin and we played with some sparklers and made some s'mores on the bonfire. I had Michael in the Ergo, managed one s'more and high tailed it inside at the first sign of mosquitos.

 

Over all we had a good day and had fun celebrating my mom and the fourth. I had such a good time spending the day with family and Ellie always loves getting together to play with her cousins. It will be so fun next year to see Michael running around and playing with all the other kids.

And what day would be complete without a mini photo shoot at Aunties house??