Photo Dump 1: Park Day

One of my New Year's resolutions was to use my actual camera more so that not ALL of my children's baby pictures were taken on a phone, so I took my Nikon and the kids up to Hope Park last week during a beautiful afternoon and got some cute photos! Enjoy!

Kathryn Reese: 6 months!

 Weight: 15 pounds, 12 ounces (40th percentile)

Length: 26.3 inches (65th percentile)

Head Circumference: 17.5 inches (95th percentile)

Diapers: 2 during the day, 3 at night

Clothes: 3-6 month

Happy half birthday, lady bug! I cannot believe you've already been with us for half of a year. That just seems NUTS! You get better and better every single day, and you are really becoming fun! Your current favorites are lights/screens (tv, computer, phone, etc...sadly), your puppy toy, and your doorway jumper. Just like big brother, you LOVE the jumper! I think you spent a good half hour in it yesterday morning. It was LOVELY!

So, about halfway through this month, you battled some serious sleep regression...as in, you cried for your ENTIRE nap. Didn't sleep at all. Brutal. So, we tried to reassess things, and it seemed like you were trying to transition from 3 naps to 2 naps all on your own. As of the last week, I can happily say that we've done it! Almost every day, you are up around 6:30am, nap from about 8:15/8:30-10, and then nap again from about 12:30-2:30. You've had an occasional day here and there where your naps weren't long enough and you needed a late afternoon cat nap, but for the most part, you now take two naps that are around two hours each. Amazing! Bedtime has become a little earlier - usually 6:30pm - and the 5 o'clock hour can get ugly, but you'll get there! Because of this change, you've also dropped down to four feedings, basically. (The second feeding of the day ends up getting split - 6 oz at 10 when you wake up from the morning nap and 2 more with your "lunch" which you eat right before your afternoon nap.) Whatever works, right?

Speaking of "lunch," you now eat real food! You have been showing interest in our food for a LONG time, so we tried introducing oatmeal and pears right around the time you turned five months, but baby girl, you just weren't ready. You cried every time I touched a spoon to your lips. So, we took a break for about 10 days and tried again about a week ago. Total success! You've had sweet potatoes, squash, green beans, apples, pears, and prunes. You devour almost everything except squash...that you just kind of tolerate. :) Your new obsession is Mum Mums. I think you'll do really well with table food, but I'm holding off for another month or so just because your little tummy is still super sensitive, and you've been battling some reflux/constipation issues with the introduction of food.

You CAN sit up, but you aren't very confident with it yet. I also don't think you really like it yet. Most of the time, I have to force the issue, and if you are tired at all, you throw yourself backwards and just lie down. I think you like to play the game with me to see how many times I'll pick you back up. Stinker!

Speaking of motor skills, you got discharged from PT! You kicked that torticollis in the...booty! Wahoo! While I loved working with your physical therapist and watching you make progress, that was an EXPENSIVE little venture. Glad you're developing so well and that we are done with that!

You did great at your check-up this morning. Dr. Newton noticed that you seem to have a minor flat spot on your head on the right side (related to your torticolis), but since your hair covers it up so much, he didn't think we needed a band. Yay! We love watching you grow and develop every day - keep it up little bug!

A Day in the Life...

I get asked all the time by my former co-workers and family members who work what exactly I do all day, so I decided to take a random Tuesday and do a little rundown of what a typical day looks like for our little family. Here goes...

5:40am: Carter is awake and crying, "I want my mommy!" I hear it, but the monitor is closer to Blake, so I smack him and ask him to go see what's going on. He grumbles something inaudible, but obliges me and informs me that my son (at 5:40am, he apparently belongs only to me) is hysterically wailing for me. I run upstairs in an attempt to quiet him before he wakes his sister, and he informs me that he is scared of his noise machine. (The same noise machine that he has had in his room since the day he came home from the hospital...) I translate that to mean he had a bad dream, but I turn down the white noise anyway and get in his bed with him to help him go back to sleep. I doze off briefly.

6:00am: I startle and notice Carter has fallen back asleep, so I attempt to creep out of the room. Fail. He wakes up, I kiss his head and tell him I'm going back to my bed, and just as I open the door to sneak away, I hear a booming, "Ah-choo! Ah-choo!" Two earth-shattering sneezes (of course) happen during the four seconds his door was open. I catch my breath, uttering a silent prayer that Kate didn't hear it, and I tip toe down the hall. As I reach the top of the stairs, I hear, "Wahhhhh!" Kate's awake. DANG IT! I decide that it's Daddy's turn, so I come back downstairs and inform him that HIS daughter is awake and crying for him. (Karma is a B.) I go back to sleep as he heads up to get her up and feed her.

7:45am: I startle awake to the sound of Kate fussing. Blake has come in to inform me that she is ready for a nap and that Carter is awake, so I should probably join the human race. I fumble into the kitchen for my coffee and fill Carter's OJ cup.

8:00am: Kate goes down for a nap while Carter and I drink our respective beverages and watch a little GMA. Blake heads off to work, and I turn on a Blue's Clues DVD while I get ready for the day.  I am starting a new women's bible study at my church this morning - yay! An hour and a half of ADULT time every Tuesday for 7 weeks?! Sign me up! :)

9:00am: Carter informs me that he's had a "poo poo party" in his pants. Joy. After a quick change, we get him dressed, and he has a meltdown because he wants to wear his Christmas jammies today instead of the jeans and t-shirt I chose. I distract him with a "drack" (snack) and get him a Nutri-Grain bar while I start pulling things together for church.

9:15am: Kate's up, so I get her up and dressed. I put her in the car seat and ask Carter to get her a toy for the ride to church. He wants to get a toy, too, and he proceeds to have another meltdown when I inform him that his remote control car won't work in the car seat. It's tough being two and half sometimes.

9:42am: We arrive at church (10 minutes late...not bad!) where I discover that Carter's cup of water has leaked ALL OVER Kate's diaper bag. I quickly grab her bottle and a dry diaper and stuff them in my purse. That'll have to do for today. I get the kids checked in and into childcare, and then I begin checking in other moms and kids. (I was asked to arrive early since it was the first day to help with the check-in procedure. I mentally note that I need to learn to say no more as I wipe formula off my shoulder.)

10:10am: I take my seat in bible study, and I begin to chat with some other moms. We talk about our kids (of course), and I learn that my table mate has a daughter two weeks older than Kate, so we commiserate over our lack of sleep and mutual disdain for formula. It really DOES smell terrible.

10:45am: Our table needs a group leader to facilitate discussion of our book. Guess who gets the job? (No, Allison. The word is NO. Add it to your vocabulary!)

11:40am: I pick the kids up from childcare where I am informed that Carter was an angel, and Kate was terrible. No surprise here. The nursery worker thinks she's teething and tired...nope, that's just Kate. She's neither of those things. Carter begs for Chick-fil-a, and I oblige him. I give Kate a Mum-Mum to quiet her in the car.   

12:10pm: We arrive home and eat our respective lunches - chicken nuggets and fries for me and Carter, rice cereal and applesauce for Kate. I am trying to teach Kate a little bit of sign language, and she laughs at me any time I do the sign for "more" or "all done." I soak up each and every laugh I get out of her - she's a tough cookie to crack!

1:00pm: I put Kate down for her afternoon nap, and Carter hides in his closet because he says he doesn't want quiet time. Truth? He pooped again and didn't want me to change him. Stinker.

1:30pm: I close Carter's door - freedom!!! I assess the kitchen situation and realize I am out of clean bottles. I start to wash the dirty ones, but I get distracted because the dog is acting weird and skittish lately, and I remember I need to call the vet. I open the door to let her outside while I call, but I quickly close it and panic because I'm 99% positive I spy a dead animal in our bushes outside. Sick. After a quick call to the husband to inform him of the carcass (and forgetting about both the call to the vet AND the bottles in the sink), I sit down to complete Carter's class valentines for his party at school tomorrow.

1:50pm: Valentines are done. I check the monitor quickly and see Kate sleeping and Carter singing in his bed with his blanket on his head. Whatever - he's not crying, so I leave him be.

2:15pm: Kate's up. No clean bottles. Crap! I stick her in the Bumbo with a Mum Mum - what would I do without those dumb things? It momentarily distracts her while I get a bottle ready.

2:35pm: Kate's done eating, and I check the monitor again. (We make Carter have at least 1 hour of quiet time every day, even if he doesn't nap.) He's sleeping today. Sweet! I sit down to start this blog, but Kate is fussing for my attention, so it'll have to wait until later.

3:00pm: I turn on the TV hoping to watch Ellen (my happy place), but instead it's the dumb Olympics. Ugh. I eat a chocolate chip cookie to make myself feel better. Delish. I think I'll have another.

3:35pm: Carter is awake. I get him up and give him a snack and let him watch an episode of "Caillou." Kate is getting grumpy due to her short naps today, so I decide we should go on a drive and let her fall asleep before we head to the mall for some play time. She sleeps for a whopping 10 minutes before waking up hysterical due to the dumb cold.

4:30pm: We arrive at the mall where Blake is waiting for us. (The mall is 2 minutes from his office, and he was done early today.) In the play area, Carter tries to play tag with some older (and by that I mean 5 years old) girls. They have no interest in the little boy chasing after them, but he is blissfully unaware and keeps jumping into their game. (It starts young, people.) I attempt to wander and go look for a dress for Kate's baby dedication next month, but Carter insists on following me into the store despite Blake's efforts to keep him back. He gets into everything in there so we head home, and I vow to shop online only.

6:00pm: We arrive home after Kate has screamed the ENTIRE ride home, and we reheat some leftovers for dinner. (Mom of the year!) She munches on some Mum Mums and puffs, and Blake feeds her some squash while I dominate the microwave.

6:30pm: Bath time - the only guaranteed time that neither of my kids will be crying. Bliss.

7:00pm: Kate finishes up her bottle and goes down for the night. We move Carter down to play in our room since he's not quite ready for bed yet. The next hour is spent playing Hide and Seek, rough housing on the bed, and having some iPad time.

8:00pm: Carter begins coming up with excuses not to go upstairs and read stories - he wants more milk, "something is funny" on his pajamas, he wants another "drack," he needs a band-aid. You get the idea. I give him some milk, ignore the rest of the excuses, and drag him up for stories.

8:30pm: Carter's door is closed. Day is done...so we think. Now it's time for some trash tv on the couch, a few more cookies, and then we cross our fingers and hope it stays quiet until morning.

It ain't glamorous, but that's a day! Whew, I'm tired just reading all of that!

Snow Day!

 Keeping warm and playing "night night"

 First bath together! (Kate is not so sure about this...)

 Venturing out!

 We rigged up a "sled" with a laundry basket and bungee cord. (Yes, Carter wanted to take "his" doll outside. What of it?)

 Sled rides for "baby"

 Attempting to taste the snow

Kate stayed warm and toasty in her new hat.

We may have battled some serious cabin fever, but it was a fun day at home!

Kathryn Reese: 5 Months

Weight: 14.7 pounds (our scale)

Length: No clue

Clothes: Mostly 3-6 months (although you can still wear 3 month pants!)

Diapers: 2

Sister, another month has come and gone. This month (like all, it seems) had major ups and downs for you. You went through a major sleep regression mid-month that was AWFUL for about a week, but thankfully we've gotten past it now and are back on track with night sleep and doing decent naps. As far as your schedule goes, we still aren't really in sync with clock time, but typically, you are up at 6:30/7 and nap from 8/8:30-9:30, 11:30-1, and 2:30-3:30/4. Bedtime is always consistent at 7pm, but you vary so much on what time you wake up in the mornings that we just can't seem to sync with the clock, so we just go with the two hour wake time and adjust from there. We'll get it eventually...maybe...

Your reflux has made DRAMATIC improvements this month. Your daddy and I looked at each other the other day and were commenting on how nice it was that we hadn't seen you in any reflux pain in a while. Thank goodness! One battle seems to be drawing to a close. It's been a LONG road with that, and I am SO thankful that you finally seem to be outgrowing it. You are eating 6 ounces typically at 7, 10, 1, 4, and bedtime, and now that you keep it down, you are gaining weight like a pro. :) Finally! 

You have two precious little bottom teeth that sprouted in the last two weeks. Your first tooth broke through on Saturday, January 4th, and your second broke through yesterday. You really took teething like a champ - we hardly even noticed it happening. Sweet thing.

We broke you of your swaddle habit in the last week as well. You hardly missed a beat, thankfully! We did one nap with arms unswaddled the first day, then two naps the second day, then all naps the third day, then we were done altogether. After spending a whole day unswaddled at nap, you actually woke up that night two hours in trying to get your arms free. I think you actually prefer sleeping that way. Yay! I was terrified of this transition, and I'm so glad to have it behind us.

You are now rolling both back to tummy and tummy to back and have almost been discharged from PT! Woohoo! You SO badly want to be mobile...I think once you are that we'll be in for big trouble. You seem so frustrated when you try to pull your knees up under you and it doesn't get you anywhere. I'd be willing to bet you are crawling by 6 or 7 months. Yikes!

You really are just the sweetest, most content little lady now that you seem to not be in pain all the time. You have the sweetest little smile and have started laughing more and more. You love to chat and think that the word "mommy" is hilarious. :) We love you baby girl, and we can't wait to see what month six brings! XO.

Christmas Eve/Morning 2013 - Better late than never!

 Before Christmas Eve Service

 Santa came!!

 Stockings filled - sorry, Kate, we'll get yours monogrammed next year! [Mom fail!]

 Motorcycle!!

 Thrilled about her new play mat :)

Top of the stairs tradition begins...ignore the creepy photobombers on the right. :)

Kathryn Reese: 4 Months

Weight: 13 pounds, 8 ounces (30th percentile)

Length: 25 inches (75th percentile)

Head Circumfrence: Enormous (95th percentile)

Clothes: 3-6 month

Diapers: Size 1

This month has been...rough. Girlfriend, your little digestive system just doesn't work very well. At the end of month 3, we started on Prevacid ($360 for a month's supply) which we were promised would be a miracle worker. Um...not so much. Two weeks later, I was back on the phone with the nurse because you were still pretty uncomfortable and vomiting at least one bottle each day. So, we decided to start on a thicker formula designed specifically for babies who spit up excessively...some help in the vomiting department, but since it is thick and not nearly as broken down for your tummy, it's very hard to digest and your stomach has been pretty upset. We've had to give you some pear juice and some...ahem, assistance...from time to time to help keep you...ahem, regular. Three days ago, I stopped giving you Prevacid, and you are doing SO much better! Dr. Newton told us this morning that the spit-up formula has to have stomach acids present in order to work, and the Prevacid was preventing your stomach from making acid...hence the discomfort. Soooo, all of that to say, feeding you is challenging. The plan going forward is to keep you off the Prevacid and ON the Similac for Spit-Up. We are going to hold off on solids for a while, too, given your sensitivity, and start with fruits and veggies in six weeks or so.

You are a PHENOMENAL sleeper at night, and you are slowly getting more and more consistent in the nap department. Most of the month, you took short naps around 8:30 and 11:30 and then went down for a good 2-hour stretch around 2pm. The last week or so, you've decided to make the morning nap the long one, so we'll see if that sticks. We've started putting you down more awake and letting you go to sleep on your own which seems to have helped quite a bit. You fuss for a few minutes, but generally speaking, you've got it figured out well. We did our new nap routine consistently the last two days and your naps were all at least 90 minutes long. (Wahoo!) Once we get your tummy figured out and I know you aren't crying out of pain/hunger, I think we'll be able to get on a more consistent schedule. 

You really are a sweet, happy little baby, but when your tummy hurts, you let us all know. Loudly. And when you're tired and ready for a nap, you let us all know. Loudly. Something tells me that your strong will and very opinionated nature won't change anytime soon...wonder where you got that from?? :) 

You are doing SO much better with your head/neck. We are still doing PT every 2-3 weeks to work on your tummy time aversion and stretch your tilt out, but you have ZERO trouble with your range anymore. You willingly look to the left (and can often be found sleeping that way!), but you still struggle with some tightness in the front of your neck. You are tolerating tummy time so much better though, and when on the Boppy, you do SO well looking up at my phone or a toy.You looked right on track this morning when Dr. Newton looked at your head control, so thank goodness for that! One less thing to worry about!

We look forward to celebrating your first Christmas with you in a few weeks! Love you, ladybug!