James - 3 months

James turns 4 months old tomorrow.  I would say this is a good time to write up James' three month post.

Eat

You are on exclusively breast milk and you have (5) five ounce bottles a day and you wake once or twice in the night to eat.

Sleep

You wake each morning around 6:00am.  You don't have a strict nap schedule because we are always on the go with Evan.  You mostly nap in your swing but that's because we are suckers and don't want to fully sleep train you yet.  Maybe we will tackle that over Christmas break.  You go to bed each night at 6:30.  You have chosen this bedtime yourself.

Sizes

You are in 3-6 month clothes or 6 month clothes.  You do not fit in any 3 month clothes anymore.  You are our big boy!  You started this month in size 1 diapers, but you are now in size 2.

Stats

Weight: 14.4 pounds (at the beginning of 3 months of age)

Likes

• bath time
• making eye contact and smiling
• when Evan talks to you
• car rides (only when moving)
• being held--we do this a LOT just in case you are our last baby

Dislikes

• being awake after 6:30pm
• overall you are a VERY happy and content baby

Firsts

• grabbing objects
• reaching for objects
• holding on to objects
• you discovered your hands this month
• you started to like tummy time 
• Thanksgiving!
• Visit to see all your great-grandparents
• First long car ride to Louisiana, Houston, and Temple
• First Halloween
• First time meeting Santa Claus

James, we are so blessed to have you in our family.  We know that you have been put in our family for a reason.  We love you so much!

James - 2 months

James you are 2 months old!  I cannot believe this is true.  You are such a happy, patient baby.  I guess you have to be since your big brother has been seeking all the attention.

 

Eat

Since you are now in daycare full time, you are eating mostly from bottles.  You are eating 4 ounce bottles every 3-4 hours.  You still wake up 1 (maybe 2) times per night to nurse.  

Sleep

You wake each morning between 5:30 - 6:00am and take short naps throughout the day.  The only place you will currently nap is your swing.  We need to break you of this habit asap.  You are ready to go to sleep for the night around 6:45pm.  As soon as you get in your swaddle you know it is time to eat and start searching for food right away.  Overall you are a pretty decent sleeper except for nap times.

Sizes

You are wearing mostly 3 month clothes, but you still fit into most 0-3 month clothes.  You are definitely a big boy!  You are in size 1 diapers.

Stats

• Weight: 12 pounds, 9 ounces (74th percentile)
• Height: 24 inches (85th percentile)
• Head Circumference: 15 inches (17th percentile)

Likes

• Eating!  You love to eat.
• Your swing.  It is our saving grace.
• Car rides (but we have to be moving)
• Pats on the back (you will fall asleep while I am trying to burp you)
• You are very happy in the morning
• Sitting in your bouncy chair
• You don't dislike baths, but you don't seem to enjoy them yet
• Being outside

Dislikes

• Being in the car while it is stopped
• Getting hit with items that Evan throws.  Some examples include chalk, balls, and burp cloths. 
• Naps anywhere but the swing
• You dislike tummy time after about 5 minutes

Firsts

• You have rolled over from tummy to back 3 times, but I'm trying to decide if you were laid closer on one side and that gave you some help.
• Pumpkin patch
• Sitting in your bumbo (not for long, just a minute here and there).
• Balloon Festival
• You really started talking a lot this month.  We just love hearing your sweet voice!

Fall Fun

A couple of weekends ago we spent some time enjoying some Fall fun.  We decided to check out a different pumpkin patch in our town.  It's not as cute as the one we like to go to out in the country, but Evan had fun nonetheless!

 

Evan's favorite activity was BY FAR the pony ride.  We thought he would be a little scared but he surprised us with his courage.  We definitely need to find more events that have pony rides.

Finding his way through the hay maze

Learning to hoola hoop

Enjoying the petting zoo

 James has been changing so much!  He has started smiling a lot and it is adorable.  His favorite weekend activity is to relax and cuddle with anyone and everyone.  To say he is spoiled would be an understatement! 

I'm absolutely enjoying this precious time with these two boys...even if that time includes temper tantrums and an endless amount of dirty diapers.

Maternity Leave

My maternity leave officially ends this week.  On Monday I will be sending my sweet baby boy off to daycare.  To say that I'm not anxious and sad would be an understatement.  But honestly, I'm ready for some something else to do.  Don't get me wrong, I've loved spending lazy days with James and organizing my house like crazy...but I'm ready to be around other teachers and my students.  I'm ready to get back into the classroom.  I just want to shorten the school day to 10:00am-2:00pm.  Who's with me?

"You mean I can't fall asleep in your arms while you watch too much tv???"

My 8 weeks off can be summed up into two words: stretchy shorts.  That should give you an idea of my comfort level over these last 56 days.  I barely ever put on real jeans or shorts.  My exceptions were when I ran up to school for lunch with Amanda, church, and the occasional dinner/lunch at a restaurant.  My body is about to go into shock when I introduce dress pants and shoes other than flip flops back into my wardrobe.  

Evan's imagination has been running wild these past couple of months.  It's so fun to get a glimpse inside his mind.  He spent a good afternoon hopping around the house telling me he was a bunny.  He even asked for carrots.  I'm counting this as his daily vegetable intake.  Success!

Matt has a pretty lengthy commute with his new job.  It has me nervous about returning to work because he doesn't get home until later than we are both used to.  I'm trying to work out in my mind how I will pump, pick the kids up, feed James, cook dinner, and keep my sanity every evening before Matt gets home.  Thankfully, Matt takes on bedtime duty each night.  It's his special time with the boys and it gives me a moment to breathe and relax for a little bit.  I definitely count myself as a lucky girl to have a husband who comes home and doesn't skip a beat.  He just jumps right in and takes over.  Usually Evan is desperate for more attention after sharing the attention with James. 

EVERY time my mom comes to visit, she brings chocolate cupcakes for Evan.  She makes a big batch at home and sticks a ton in the freezer so I can grab one for him and give him a treat each day.  She also brings me simple meals to stick in the freezer that she made at home (homemade spaghetti sauce, taco meat, etc.)  I have decided that cooking is her love language.  Every time she comes we list out 4-5 recipes we want to try.  She takes me to the grocery store, buys all the ingredients, and we spend nap times cooking.  

Thankfully I have a nice freezer stash of meals to start off my week back at work.  Wish me luck!

It's Fall!!

I'm beyond thrilled that Fall is finally here.  It is by far my favorite season of the year!  One of our favorite October traditions is to visit our favorite little pumpkin patch.  They have animals you can feed, a hay maze, a hay ride, food, and of course...pumpkins!  This is our third year in a row to go and it has turned into a tradition of sorts.

October 2013

October 2014

Check out how much Evan has grown in the past year!  I was able to get so many more pictures of Evan last year.  Nowadays he won't stay still and he doesn't want to smile when you ask him to.  He is definitely independent and will let you know it!

Evan was scared of the longhorns and only wanted Matt to feed them.  He eventually found a nice, safe spot on Matt's shoulders. 

The goats were a different story.  I guess they were less intimidating.  After much coaxing, Evan put food in his hand and fed the goats.  He was so very proud.  My mom LOVES coming with us to the pumpkin patch.  I think it will be a tradition to also bring Gaga along with us.  My mom was kind enough to stand behind the camera and capture some family pictures.

Confession:  I seriously cannot believe I have a kid who has BLUE eyes.  I've always wished that I had blue eyes...but boring brown is what I was given.  I know that James is still very young and his eyes can change any day, but I will soak up these blue eyes for as long as I can.  And then I'll cross my fingers forever in hopes that they stay blue. 

I attempted to get a couple of brother pictures.  James was all for it.  I mean, he was even okay with the dangerous lean your kid against some round pumpkins act.  He's a rebel I tell you.  Unfortunately, Evan would have rather followed the cute little kitty that was wondering around in the background of this picture.  I'm the mean mama that set him down next to the pumpkins and wouldn't let him chase it.  He punished me by whining and refusing to smile.  Touche Evan.  Touche.  

I'm loving this Fall tradition of ours.  I mean, I'm an Aggie.  We love our traditions!

One Month - James

James you are one month old!

Eat

You nurse on demand which turns out to be about every 1-3 hours during the day and then you eat about 3 times during the night.  You are an EXCELLENT nurser.  We do give you one bottle a day to get you used to it, but I love nursing you so we can snuggle. 

Sleep

You wake up in the morning around 7:00ish and are usually up for an hour or two before you take your first nap.  I like for you to have about 3 good awake times during the day because I have found that helps you sleep better at night.  The best way for me to get you to nap during the day is to wear your in the baby bjorn or lay down next to you while you nurse.  We put you in your crib for the night around 8:30 and you usually give us a 4-5 hour stretch.  Then you're up every 3 hours or so during the night.

Sizes

You stopped fitting in your newborn clothes right around the time you turned one month old.  You are currently wearing 0-3 month onsies and some 3 month clothes that run small.  You are in size 1 diapers.

Stats

• Weight: 10 pounds, 10 ounces (74th percentile)
• Height: 22.75 inches (85th percentile)
• Head Circumference: 14.75 inches (39th percentile)

Likes

• Nursing
• Sleeping
• Looking at light (windows, lamps, etc.)
• Being held in the baby bjorn
• Walks in your stroller
• Car rides
• Watching the ceiling fan when it is spinning slowly

Dislikes

• Baths
• the process of being swaddled (but you like being swaddled once you have calmed down)
• being poked by your big brother

Firsts

• You smiled on purpose for the first time on September 18th (you were technically 1 month, 4 days old but close enough)
• Following objects/people with your eyes
• First time to the park (you slept the whole time)
• You have started losing your hair on the top of your head just like Evan did.