Silas - 2 Months!

Precious Silas!  It doesn't seem possible that you are already 2 months old!  This month with you was so much fun, especially because you learned how to smile.

You smiled for the first time during a members' meeting at our church on April 28, however you began smiling much more readily a week and a half later.  Oh, how I love your big smiles, Silas, and I love how you usually stick your tongue out a little bit when you do it!  I'll often be doing something else while you're laying in my lap and will happen to look down and see you smiling up at me.  I can't help but just stop what I'm doing and smile back at you.  My favorite is when you get really excited and start kicking your legs, flapping your arms, grinning really big and making cute noises...it's like you can't hardly contain yourself!

You started making fun noises this month, and it will be neat to one day know what's going on in your head as you go throughout the day.

I also really, really love your kisses!!  You now will open your mouth really wide when I start kissing you.  Sadly, I can't remember if you started doing that this month or last, but I love it!

I still call you my "Spider Monkey" because you still cling to me whenever you can.  I remember picking you up one day and as I was holding you upright, facing toward me, you kept reaching your arms around my neck.  Each arm kept grabbing on and then moving further behind my neck and grabbing on again.  It was one of the best "hugs" I've ever gotten!!  I stood there soaking up those moments of your little bitty body and those tiny arms wrapped around my neck so tightly.

You have also been sleeping longer and longer.  You started going 6 hours between feedings at night at 5.5 weeks, which is technically referred to as sleeping through the night.  At 6 weeks old, you started going 7 hours between feedings, and at 7 weeks old, you started going 8 hours.  How thankful and blessed I am that you have proven to be a good sleeper like your brother and sister were!

Speaking of, your brother and sister are still so crazy about you!  Caleb is constantly talking about how cute you are and how much he loves you, and Evie is always saying, "Baby!  Baby!" or "Baby see!" (because she wants to see you).

You now usually eat at 8, 11, 2, 5, 8 and 11 again, with a 1-1.5 hour nap in between each feeding.

We tried giving you a bottle for the first time this month, which you hated and would act like you were gagging.  Thankfully, you eventually got the hang of it, though, and have successfully now had 2 bottles.

While feeding you on April 22, I noticed your left eyelid going up and down while feeding you, and I realized that you have a minor case of Marcus Gunn Jaw Wink Syndrome.  I guess I hadn't noticed it before because you usually ate with your eyes closed prior to that.  You can barely see your eyelid movement when you're looking straight ahead and sucking, but it is definitely more noticeable when you look down.  Though I wasn't noticing any of the other symptoms that can be associated with MGJWS, we scheduled you an appointment to see a pediatric ophthalmologist on May 10.  Dr. Packwood confirmed that everything else looks fine, so we'll go for another visit in 6 months.  Though this is something that you'll have for the rest of your life, I'm grateful that it's nothing that will require surgery or anything like that. 

You also experienced your first Graham carnival this month (and even rode the train and elephants), though I think you slept through all of it. 

Your hair has been falling out a bit, I guess, because it seems more patchy now than when you were born, and you really enjoy sucking on your hands when you can find them.

We moved you up to Size 1 diapers this month, and you are still wearing Newborn and 0-3 Month clothes, though I'm about to pack up your Newborn clothes, which makes me kind of sad.  You're growing too fast!  In fact, at your 2 Month checkup (which was about a week late), you weighed 13lb. 8.4 oz (83.3%) and were 23.25" long (55.39%).  It blows my mind that you have grown so much in just 2 months!  At your checkup, you were diagnosed with a small umbilical hernia, which we'll just keep watch on because it should resolve on its own over the next few months.

Silas, you are such a joyful, laid back baby, which has been such a blessing as I learn to care for you, Caleb and Evie.  Thank you for your love and your smiles, sweet Silas--they brighten each one of my days!

(Click here to see more pictures of Silas.)

Silas - 1 Month!

 

Sweet Silas!  I can't believe it's already been a month since we first laid eyes on you!  What a precious blessing and perfect addition to our family you are!!

Everything looked great at my 38 Week checkup on Wednesday, March 13, though I hadn't made any progress toward labor.  On Thursday, I was getting really worn out and becoming convinced that you were not going to stay put until Sunday, which was my goal because Dr. Cawley was out of town for a few days and wouldn't be back until Sunday afternoon.  I started having contractions sometime after 5 a.m. on Saturday.  Some of them took my breath away a little bit, but I was sleeping and wasn't fully aware of what was going on.  When I woke up, I was still out of it and wasn't positive whether the contractions had been real or just a dream.  Your daddy encouraged me to call the hospital (around 7:40 a.m.) to find out if the on-call doctor was already in town or would have to drive in, just in case.

My contractions continued throughout the morning and early afternoon.  Your daddy left around 11:30 a.m. to go to a meeting, and I was under strict orders to let him know if my contractions got to 5 minutes apart.  When he got home, we ate lunch, and around the time we finished, my contractions were about 4 minutes apart.  Your daddy was so sweet and gave Caleb and Evie a very quick bath (per my request), and by 2 p.m., he was getting them dressed.  We dropped Caleb and Evie off at the Antles' house and headed up to Dr. Cawley's office, where we met Kim (our NP-C).  When she checked me, I was 80% effaced, bag bulging, and dilated to a 3 or a 4.  We left the office around 2:25 p.m. and headed over to the hospital.  I don't know that the nurses really thought I was in labor when I arrived, but in less than an hour after leaving Dr. Cawley's office, you were out!  Dr. Simonian had considered leaving the hospital to run back to her hotel and change into her scrubs, but thankfully she didn't because she wouldn't have made it back in time.  After just 2 pushes, you were born at 3:24 p.m., (8 days early) weighing 8lb. 2oz. and were 20" long.  Though Dr. Simonian was concerned about meconium, you did great!  How precious you were!!  After 2 nights in the hospital to monitor you for any effects of Beta Strep, we got to go home.  Right before we left the hospital, you were diagnosed with jaundice but were able to be monitored through daily blood tests.  Thankfully, your levels went back to normal after a few days without any phototherapy.

You're so strong!  When you were just 25 hours old, you held your head up on your own for quite awhile, causing our nurse to comment that you seemed more like 25 days old.

For the first week or so, you really weren't excited about sleeping at night unless it was cuddled up with me.  I LOVED sleeping with you in my arms--whether on the couch or in our bed, but I was also glad when you got into a routine.  Starting at 5 days old, you began getting up just one time in the middle of the night to eat (around 11p.m., 4a.m., and 8a.m.), and that continues to be your pattern.  You're a pretty laid back baby and have been a great eater and sleeper, praise the Lord! 

We usually have you sleep on your tummy (propped up on a small tummy time pillow) during the day and then swaddle you on your back at night. We were able to use receiving blankets to swaddle you for the first week, but after that, you got too strong and we switched you over to your SwaddleMe blanket (a velcro swaddle blanket). 

You're a content little guy and usually only fuss when you're hungry or if you need to burp. I will say that you seem to have a fairly strong gag reflex, which makes it important to burp you well or get you upright if you appear to be gagging.

I have affectionately started calling you my "Spider Monkey" because you cling to me, my shirt, my hair, etc. just like a baby Spider Monkey clings to his mommy.  I love it!

At this point, it seems like you might have curly hair when you get older because it gets wavy when wet, which is more than Caleb's hair used to do, but we'll see.  Speaking of, when you were born Caleb was so excited that you have blonde hair because now he's not the only one!  :)  You do seem to have longer hair than your brother and sister did--the hair on the top of your head is already about 1.5" long!

Silas, you're just like Caleb and Evie in so many ways--looks, eating, sleeping, your apathy toward a pacifier...however, you, unlike your brother at your age, seem to really enjoy your baths. Evie even cried during her first bath at home, but you have never cried during bath time.  You even have a stork bite right below your hairline, like Caleb used to.
 
Caleb and Evie both love you so much!  Caleb is often commenting on how cute and sweet you are.  Whenever they wake up, they always want to know where you are.  Evie will run out of her room, looking around, saying, "Baby?  Baby?"  They both love to hold you, and I've had to keep a really close watch on you--Caleb has tried to pick you up some, and Evie (in her love for identifying body parts) will try and poke her finger in your eye and say, "Eye!  Baby's eye!"  No doubt that you will be a tough little guy with these two around!

We love you so much, little Silas, and praise God for your sweet life!

(Click here to see more pictures of Silas.)

Baby #3

Well, my blogging has been non-existent throughout this entire pregnancy, but it is not a reflection of how excited we are to meet this little guy!  Here are a couple pregnancy pictures and one from the day we found out we were having a boy (I'm hoping to post more Gender Reveal Party pictures soon).

32.5 Weeks

20.5 Weeks

It's a BOY!!!

Evie - 1 Year! (1.5 Months Late)

 

Sweet, Evie!  How is it that you're already 1 year old!?  I feel like it was just yesterday that we were scurrying to get to the hospital and praying that Dr. Cawley would get there in time to catch you!  And then, after about 3 hours of labor, 38 minutes at the hospital and 2 pushes, you were out and we got to hear your first little cry!  I was quickly asking for confirmation that you were a girl because I hadn't gotten to see you yet.  I wanted to know that this precious little baby was my "Evie".  Born at 2:08 a.m., you were 8lb 0oz and 21in. of pure blessing!!  

You learned to wave "night night" on June 1.  For awhile, when you waved “bye bye” or “night night”, you would wave both hands—one that was seen and the other that was wrapped behind my back as I held you.  Despite my sporadic attempts at teaching you sign language, you actually learned to sign "all done" on May 30.  It was pretty cute because when I looked at our video monitor after your nap one day, I saw you standing on your tip toes in your crib, looking toward the door and signing "all done"!  You also learned to say, “Uh oh” on 6/16, which is so precious!  You experimented with all sorts of other adorable sounds with your mouth this month too.

Your top left tooth came in on 6/10, and your top right tooth came in on 6/19, which brings you to a grand total of 4!  It's a little funny to me because so many of your little friends have so many more teeth than you do!

You've done this for a month of two, but you'll often spit food out right after you put it in your mouth and then immediately put it back in your mouth.  You are a GREAT eater!  You'll eat anything I put in front of you and usually a lot of it.  In fact, it's not uncommon for you to eat more than your brother.

You've only been drinking out of a bottle for a month and a half, and I just LOVE watching you do it.  You actually stick your tongue out of your mouth a little bit as you drink.  How fun it is to see that little tongue out as you suck!

This month, you discovered how to pull clothes out of the hamper, put them on your head and walk around the house like that.  You always seem so proud of yourself for it, too!  I've said before that you have a happy walk, and I love that you waddle just a bit when you walk.  How I love the pitter patter of your little feet!

You have 2 fuzzy blankets that are the same style but are different colors.  This month, you learned how to reach your hand between the crib slats and pull out your blanket.  I usually keep your other blanket in your car seat in my closet, so you'll often walk around the house carrying both fuzzy blankets.  You still have this devious growling-type laugh whenever you see or get your blanket...even asking you where it is can prompt that cute laugh.

You really like to dig in the trash and also like to put stuff into the trash (like Caleb’s toys or your bottle).  I'm hoping I haven't thrown away too many toys by accident!
 

You love sitting in our laps.  If your daddy or I am sitting on the floor, you'll come running over to sit in our laps.  You usually "back into" our laps, which I think is adorable!  You'll even try to do the same with Caleb, though he doesn't think it's nearly as much fun.

I think your favorite person is your big brother.  At least, he's the only one you'll regularly give kisses too.  It's kind of funny because you were so big about giving kisses since you were two months old, and then a couple months ago, you stopped unless it was Caleb.  I will say that though I miss getting your open mouth kisses so freely, it's possible that it makes those times when you do initiate giving me them so much sweeter!

You still take 2 naps a day and will fall asleep wherever we are when necessary.  In these pictures, you fell asleep while riding a golf cart at a friend's ranch.

You finally outgrew your Size 3-6 Month shoes this month.  It reminds me that Dr. Cawley commented during one of your ultrasounds that you had little feet.  :)  You're now wearing Size 3 diapers, and your clothes range anywhere from Size 6-12 Months.  At your 12 Month checkup, you weighed 20lb 13oz (45.02%), were 29.75in. long (71.15%) and had a head circumference of 17.5" (30.97%).
 

You are an extremely happy little girl who loves to laugh and is determined to get whatever it is that you've set your sights on, and your love for soft things (blankets, stuffed animals, etc.) is as strong as ever!  You're definitely still a mommy's girl, which is to be expected since I get to spend all my days with you.

Though you've grown and changed so much over the last year, you're still a pure blessing to us!  We adore you, sweet Evangeline and praise the Lord for giving you to us!

Click here to see more pictures of Evie.  

Evie - 11 Months!

Precious Evie!  I can't believe you're 11 months old!  One year is just around the corner, and yet I feel like we just got home from the hospital!  You have become so much more independent this month--walking (never crawling), insisting on feeding yourself, being willing and even excited to drink out of a bottle and also holding it yourself (I know this one may seem silly, but it's HUGE for you!).

You took 5 steps on your 10 Month birthday, 11 steps on May 3 and 21 steps on May 4;  I don't think you've crawled once since that day.  Watching you walk around the house makes me so happy--not because you're walking, but because I think you have such a happy walk.  You also usually have a huge smile on your face as you wander about.  I so love the pitter patter of your tiny little feet.  Speaking of, you wear Size 3 or Size 3-6 Month shoes.  It was a little tricky figuring out a solution for you when wearing your pajamas because none of yours have the rubber gripping on the bottom of the feet to keep you from slipping on our wood floors, but you seem to have gotten the hang of walking in them much better.


You wear Size 3 diapers and either 6 Month, 6-12 Month or 9 Month clothes.  You now take just 2 naps a day--one from about 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and one from 2:30-4:30 p.m.  You've also learned how to chew on your crib rail when you're not sleeping.  Thankfully, those are now covered up so you can't do it anymore.




I would say the one thing that characterizes you most this month is that you LOVE soft things!!  You like to pick up an article of clothing (Caleb's shirt, your pajamas, etc.) and carry it around the house.  Frequently, you'll pull down the dish towels that hang in our kitchen and leave one on the floor, while you carry the other around the house.  You also LOVE stuffed animals!  You get so excited when you see one and will let out these devious sounding giggles, give it a big open mouth kiss, bury your head in it and squeeze it in your arms.  You'll often walk into your room by yourself just to get either your lamb off your rocking chair or your giraffe or bunny off your table.  You walk back out of your room looking so proud with your stuffed animal in your arms.

You still get crazy excited over your blanket.  If you're crying because I put you in your car seat, you will immediately start laughing instead if I give you your blanket.

This month you started doing this really adorable cry.  When you get really upset and are crying, your bottom lip will quiver, which you can hear as you cry.  It sounds so pitiful and yet is so incredibly precious!

For a month or two now,  you've absolutely loved to eat shoes.  Definitely not the most sanitary habit, but if there is a shoe on the ground anywhere in the house, it will quickly find its way into your mouth.

For the most part, you will only initiate kissing Caleb and Wally (our dog).  They get the full on, open mouth kisses.  Everyone else is lucky to steal a kiss from you before you turn your head away, smiling.  It's kind of ironic to think back to how much you wanted kisses so early on (even as early as 2 months).


You LOVE to eat, but you definitely prefer to feed yourself (though you don't seem to mind as much if Caleb is the one feeding you), which has essentially eliminated jarred baby food from your diet.  I'm still trying to think of a good way to incorporate the jars we still have into your solid foods so they're not just sitting on our pantry shelf.  The foods that you've especially loved this month are Cheerios, green bean casserole, spaghetti, sliced turkey, cheese and bread.

You got sick at the end of last month/beginning of this month and had your first ear infection (left ear).  You were a little more clingy than normal but not really fussy.

I started weaning you this month, and you dropped your third nap at the beginning of the month as you adjusted to the weaning process.  In the beginning of weaning you essentially refused to take a bottle which meant you were skipping your last feeding of the day and going to bed a little earlier.  Thankfully that only lasted about a week, and you've since become a champ at taking a bottle and even drinking out of it by yourself.  It's so funny to me how crazy excited you get when you see your bottles now, when less than a month ago you wanted nothing to do with them.

You went through a spell of not saying "Ma Ma" this month, which made me sad, but you started saying it again at the end of the month.  Sometimes you'll hold your mouth in this really cute position--it looks like you just finished saying the word "oh" and then you keep holding your lips in that semi-pursed/open position.

You went swimming for the first time this month.  We didn't have a swimsuit for you yet, so you just wore your brother's old hat and t-shirt.  Seeing you in that hat, especially, reminded me all the more how much you resemble one another.  You loved the water and didn't seem to mind at all that it was a little chilly.



I think this picture shows your personality so well--so joyful and carefree.  We adore you, sweet Evie, and praise God for blessing us with you!

Click here to see more pictures of Evie.

Evie - 10 Months!

Sweet Evie, this was another big month of firsts.  You had your first ear infection (left ear), took your first step, went to your first rodeo, experienced your first time around farm animals and went on your first big road trip.

When we went to the doctor for your first ear infection (left ear) right when you turned 10 months old, you weighed 18lb 12oz (40%) and were 28.25" long (55.21%).

You continue to be such an active little girl!  You took your first step on 4/7/12 (at 9.5 months) and then took 5 steps in a row on your 10 Month birthday.  You also really love to swing.  Your legs often kick nonstop in excitement.

You LOVE animals.  On a recent trip to a farm, you wouldn't quit kicking your legs in delight at the sight of them.  I can't praise you (and Caleb) enough for doing such a great job on our road trip to and from Louisville.  You were so good and slept most of the way and then played quietly while you were awake.

You still just have your bottom 2 teeth, but that hasn't really limited what you'll eat.  You LOVE Cheerios.  You will eat most anything, but sometimes I have to try harder to get you to eat vegetables than fruits.  Caleb was the opposite and seemed to prefer vegetables at your age.  This month you have become much more independent in eating and now prefer to feed yourself.

For a couple months now, you have to have something to play with while you drink your milk.  Like I had to do with Caleb, I keep a stash of random items near me when I feed you so that I can hand you something else when you get bored with what you're currently holding.  In the morning, though, you'll usually close your eyes and play with your hair while you eat.

This month you definitely seem to have learned who "Da Da" and will call him that.  I love that you seem to have learned how to mimic the inflection in my voice when i say "Hi".  You'll sometimes crawl/cruise around the house making a clicking sound with your tongue.  Whenever I start doing it too, you get a huge grin as you look up at me and then continue to do it.
You now randomly make Motorboat sounds and will blow raspberries.

You love stuffed animals and will giggle with delight when I give you one.  You also still LOVE your blanket and will laugh when I give it to you, even if you had previously been crying.  Your blanket laugh is more of a growl laugh, though.

You'll regularly pull the dish towels off the stove and dishwasher doors and will drop them on the floor.  You also like to pull stuff out of the dishwasher and tupperware cabinet.

You have become much more stingy with your kisses and will usually only let Caleb kiss you on your mouth.  You love your brother so much, and man, can he really make you laugh!

So far, you are definitely a mommy's girl but also love to be around other people.  People are always commenting on how happy and smiley you are.  Caleb was an extremely happy baby too, but I'm guessing that you're going to be more of a social butterfly than he will be.  I may be remembering incorrectly, but it seems like Caleb was a little more laid back, whereas you're more squirmy and ready to be in the middle of the action.  We'll see, though.

Baby girl, we adore you!  You bring so much joy to our lives, and we're so thankful you're ours!!



Click here to see more pictures of Evie.

Evie - 9 Months!

Sweet Evangeline! Oh, how we love you, precious baby girl! You bring us so much joy!

At your 9 Month checkup, you weighed 18lb 10oz (45.5%), were 28" long (64.82%) and had a head circumference of 17.25" (44.14%).

You started this month by getting your second tooth (your bottom middle left) on 2/27, just a few days after your first one. You've also started to really enjoy trying to drink out of cups or CamelBak water bottles.

Toward the end of this month, you became much more interested in our food. Whenever you see us eating, you now seem to think that you need to have some of it too. You're so cute trying to feed yourself! You will shovel pieces of food in your mouth as quickly as you can, but very little actually makes it into your mouth. Speaking of putting stuff in your mouth, food may not always successfully make it, but it sure seems that every little piece of trash, grass, etc. on the floor ends up in your mouth.

I was shocked when you stood by yourself for the first time on 3/22--surely this wasn't supposed to happen for a couple more months! You're adorable standing, though, and often look so pleased with yourself when you keep your balance for awhile.

You love sticking out your tongue and will often do it while you smile. You've also learned to sniff in and out of your nose quickly and seem to think that it's funny, especially when I mimic you.

You really enjoy going to the park, and especially swinging. You kick your legs pretty much constantly as you swing.

Evie, you LOVE your brother! You love being around Caleb and get so excited when he actually plays with you. As you both get older, I pray that you will have a close relationship and that you will love and care for each other well.

Nothing has really changed regarding naps (you still take 3 a day), sizes of diapers and clothes, etc. You still absolutely LOVE your fuzzy blanket! Anytime you see it, you start laughing and kicking your legs in excitement. The other day, I put you in your car seat, gave you your blanket, and you immediately started laughing in delight. A few minutes later, I was in the other room getting our stuff together to go, and you were still laughing about your blanket. It's hard to say for sure because your hair isn't overly long yet, but it seems like it might be starting to curl at the bottom in the back. We'll have to wait and see if you have your daddy's straight hair or your mommy's (and brother's) curls.

What a sweet, happy baby you are, Evie! Thank you for constantly brightening our days!!

Click here to see more pictures of Evie.