Dear Georgia - 8 months

Dear Georgia,

I am behind this month on your updates and I even though I can say we are busy, we are just enjoying every second together as a family that blogging is SO low on the list. Summer is in full affect around here and we are loving our no fuss schedule and sometimes lazy days.  I say sometimes because we still have activities for the kids, but much of our day is spent at home or in the backyard (especially when it is over 100 out, the AC is just too darn good to pass up).  So here are a list of things that have been a BIG deal in your development that we don't want to forget:

*Two new teeth, on top and with a space in the middle just like Jillian
*Last month you started attempting to push chairs around or a walker in an attempt to walk upright and this month you just perfect that. I may have said this before,  but out of all three kids you were the most physical, meeting these milestones way faster than the other ones.  I would love to do a comparison overview one of these days, but I am not holding my breath. 
*sleeping seems to be in a better pattern.*Headed back to the doctor this month to make sure your head size was growing on your curve.  It fell back at you 6 month visit so we did a follow up to make sure everything is growing and it is.
*LOVES water probably more than any of the other kids at this age
*You say mama now!!  And it's clearly at me, so even though you still mumble dada, you don't direct it to daddy!  So I call it a tie.
*Goodbye infant car seat carrier.  We ditched it, because even though it was handy when you would fall asleep in the car, you would always wake up quickly after.  And I hated lugging that thing. 
*Super good in the car seat (at one point you did not like the car seat but I guess you realized that 3rd children get toted everywhere).
*You have this thing for shoes and chewing on them (so gross)
*You take baths with your brother and sister and love it
*Bedtime is still around 7:00 pm and you wake up anywhere between 6 am - 7 am
*Not sure if you like pureed baby food.  I still want you to try and eat 2 jars of food, but you don't seem that interested. I think you we will start you on table foods next month. I should also point out I am really trying  not to stress out about it.  I am still producing enough milk (at least it seems) so maybe I can bring it up at your next doctor appointment.


Two major things happened between 7 - 8 months.  First, you had your first palm springs trip.  This was our 6th trip....and we HAD a blast.  And while you were there, you had your first big earthquake (5.2)!! You slept right through it!  Actually everyone slept right through it and since it was in the middle of the night, daddy and I went right back to sleep.  We swam every day and you were so chill the whole time at the pool where I didn't let you do too much crawling around.  You survived the hot temps (110) and generally slept great. I can't wait for you to get a bit older so you can run around the golf course with daddy and your siblings at night.

Second big thing was you fell down the stairs. While you've been mobile for 2 months now, you haven't really started to speed crawl until a few weeks ago.  Mostly because you'd crawl, discover a new fascinating thing (even a stinky Weston sock was a gem) and you would stop to admire it.  I should have put up the baby gate sooner at the top of the stairs and it was something that just kept eating at me.  One morning when I was trying to get everyone dressed and out the door, I was helping Wes brush his teeth.  I put you down in your room, ran into my room (across the hall) and helped Wes get toothpaste on his brush and a huge cry was let out.  I ran back to your room and you were not there, and then I heard more tears, at the bottom of the stairs.  Of course I started to ball, Jillian and Weston were confused, and I ran down to scoop you up, immediately looking for any signs of broken bones or bruises.  You held me tight and I realized you had a bloody lip.  I nursed you right away to hlep sooth you, and it didn't take long for you to catch your breath and just nurse.  I cried big tears as I inspected your body and lucky for me (us) you seemed totally fine.  A bit scared more than anything, but the saving grace was this.  You didn't fall all the way down. At the turn you stopped, so you never hit the tile.  I tried not to beat myself up about it, but this was now an accident that would be included in your first year, much similar to weston's swing accident, and his falling out of the bed.

Truthfully this is just another experience many moms go through.  I am so happy that you were not hurt and I think this just goes to show how strong you really are.

Lets touch on your personality and some of my predictions:  So you fell down the stairs and got right back up (so to speak).  Yes, you are strong, but you are determined, and adventurous. You are also super cool. You sit on my lap and don't need to move all the time, which tells me you can be both.  I think you are smart, and you LOVE music and when I dance.  I think you will be my dancer, as opposed to Jillian who might be more of an athlete.  You laugh and smile all the time.  You are just joyous.  You are so sweet with your kisses and you even give a little pucker.  You love to be held so I also think you are soft and kind.  Mostly you are beautiful with lots of hair and your now green / hazel eyes.

I love you SOOOO much.  Just stop making me want to have more babies will ya??

Love, Mom

Dear Georgia - 4 Months

Dear Georgia,

Another month has flown by and we officially say goodbye to those newborn days.  You spend more of your time awake now, with only a few naps a day.  I get it too!  Everything around you is WAY more important and interesting, and we can see you just soaking it all in and learning. So what is new this month?  LOTS and lots of rolling around, front to back and back to front. 

Lots of drooling.

Lots of babbling.

Lots of lost sleep - for some reason you have started this 4 month old sleep regression a bit early, and since you were sleeping in the co sleeper right next to my bed and STILL waking up every 2 hours, we decided to move you to your crib. Of course you rocked it, and we dusted off the video monitor and you are officially now in your own room. **And yes, I am checking on you all the time to make sure you are still breathing, such a mom thing.

You got more shots at your doctor appointment and your stats are below:

Weight: 13 lbs 5 ounces (50%)
Height:    (95%)
Head: (50%)

Breastfeeding is going so well, and we have continued to cut out dairy from my diet.

You sat in the bumbo seat for the first time and liked it, but still kind of slump forward.  Those muscels are getting a lot stronger though and your neck control is on point! I can hold you on my hip which you love and of course you still love facing outwards when carried so you can see the world head on (just like Jillian did!!). 


Georgia Peach you are the love of our lives.  EVERYONE admires you, thinks you are so beautiful, wants to hold you all the time.  I am so proud of how well you are thriving into babyhood and how well you adapt to almost any situation we throw your way.  You are by far the easiest baby for us, and we love how easy going you are and how even keeled your temprament is. We love your little screetches and squeals. We love your bright blue eyes.  We love your gummy smiles.  We LOVE you.

Love,
Mom

Dear Georgia - 2 Months

Dear Georgia,

How in the heck are you 2 months already?  It's going too fast!!!  So because I am behind on my update for you, lets share what you have been up to.  You celebrated you first Thanksgiving and Christmas!! I dressed you in the cutest little christmas jammies for Christmas morning and low and behold you decided to have a huge diaper blow out.  I kept you in your stained PJ's for pictures but we all know there was a huge poop stain on the back!  At legoland a few weeks ago, you had another great blow out while everyone was on rides and I was solo.  I had to maneuver you out of your outfit, change you, and THANKFULLY had another outfit on hand.  The current outfit was not savable, so in the trash went the cutest little bird onesie :(

Beside some diaper blow outs here and there, you are still the sweetest little lady.  SO easy going. Probably the easiest baby ever.  You sleep still 4-6 hour stretches, no schedule on your naps.  I don't swaddle you anymore, you prefer having your arms out.  You have started doing a lot of sucking on your hands and fingers so I predict this is a way for you to self soothe. You use me every now and then, but you can easily fall asleep on your own.  You eat SO quick, in 5-10 minute feedings.  Speaking of eating, you have still only had one bottle (From daddy) and you hated it it, so it's strictly breast at this point.  Another thing I want to remember is you have a dairy sensitivity.  I have been working on cutting out all dairy, and for the most part I have been consistent but when I do fall off the wagon, you suffer the next day (spitting up, lots of fussy behaviors which is NOT like you at all), so I am really watching my what I eat. You love your swing, you love the bath, you love your play mat.  You smile ALL the time, and you are so beautiful.  You had you first laugh at one of my jokes, but haven't done it since. I am guessing more of that next month!

You got your first set of shots this month and it was VERY hard to watch. You cried really hard, which is something you don't ever do, so I knew you weren't happy.  But you are tall and thin!!  Measuring right on track for a healthy growing baby.  You are 50% for weight ( just under 12 pounds) and are 91% for height.

One thing that I think is very unique to you is how much you try to speak.  You are trying to talk so much already, and you babble all the time. You LOVE to engage and look at people.  That is your favorite thing - and you get upset when someone isn't paying attention to you.  I mentioned you hardly ever cry, and it's true. Because mostly when you are upset it's like you are yelling.  It's weird. It's not a cry but more of a way to talk to us in a angry tone.  I know it's seems crazy, but I really think you will talk early on.  I predict you will be very good at communicating.  You have engaging eye contact, and your social smiles are spot on.  I can't wait to have actual conversations with you, for now though I talk to you all the time, and you love a good song!

Your baby acne is not as bad and you have a bald spot on the back of your head.  You don't seem to be loosing anymore hair, but it has thinned out.  It's still brown though and your eyes are still blue.

My favorite part of the day is waking up with you.  I usually pull you into bed with me early in the morning (between 4- 6 am) and when we wake up ready for the day, you are smiley and cuddle and just SO lovable.  Seriously, you are just the most squishy lovable little lady and I am so in love with you.  Can't wait to see you grow and thrive.

I want to eat you up I love you so!!
XO,
Mom

Dear Weston - 12 Months!

Dear Weston,
I was quite emotional on your first birthday.  It came up so fast, I wasnt ready for it.  I feel like this year has had some up's and down's and it's been no secret that you have been a difficult baby for me. I remember on countless occassions, I would think to myself, "I wish you would just get older and we could pass through all this baby stuff."  But the truth is, we made it, and I really feel like we are connected in a way I have never been with anyone else.  For 1 whole year, it was ONLY me that could soothe you. I was your source of food, and because you would not take a bottle or a pacificier, it was just the two of us for all your needs in the beginning. Now that it has been one whole year, I would go back and do it all over again for you.  Sure it was hard, but you made it feel so rewarding, and I feel incredibly blessed.  My heart is SO SO SO full, Weston, and I have you to thank for that.

In the last 6 weeks, you have met every single milestone. Dr. Tang (your pediatrician) still agrees with me that you are stubborn, and you are, but there are so many things I love about you.  You are cautious - you know that old saying, think before you leap?  That is something you have practiced since birth. You do things slowly, but once you figure out how to master them, it's on!  It's really amazing to see you thinking things over....this is how it was with walking.  As predicted you took your first steps at 11 months.  But you took your time.  Little baby steps, nothing too crazy.  Daddy and I would practice with you after dinner every evening by sitting on the ground, having you walk to and from our laps (arms wide open). Each night we made the space between us a bit bigger and finally you were mastering that no problem.  But you weren't fully ready yet. So you crawled when you wanted to get somewhere or didn't feel safe.  Finally at 12 months, you were ready to walk everywhere.  You had a funny little walk. Arms were bent at the elbow, raised up, with hands out in front to help you balance. This mode of transportation has fueled your independence.  While you have always been curious about things around you, you can know walk all over and explore.  We've been to story time at the Tustin library and it's always in a big room full of parents and kids.  When I put you down on the ground - off you go.  Usually to say hello to another little dude your age, or just to wander. This is important to me that you have this independence about you.  Its bitter sweet.  I want you to be independent - absolutely - but I have grown attached to you.  You hare my little man, my little bubbie, and I adore our time.  I know as you get older, bigger, more adventerous, I will have to let you go.  That's what is so hard about a first birthday.

You have this infectious smile, with 8 teeth popping through.  You have a funny snort when you laugh, and you always are curious when you see Jillian playing with something. You just have to be nosey and get involved.  She might now always love it, but you adore her.  She adores you too (most of the time). She gets a little over protective of me, but there are times when I sneak peaks of the two of you playing together. She can pick you up now from the back side and carry you.  You love it.  She also helps pick out your clothes some mornings and she always wants to say good night to you when you go to sleep.  No one can make you smile bigger than Jillian.

Speaking of sleep, I'd say we have made some advancements!  You have been going down at 8 pm and sleeping 4-6 hour stretches! Usually at this time I bring you into bed with me and we sleep until morning.  I think now is the time we need to let you cry it out....I am anxious for you to sleep all night and I know you can do it.  Naps are now in your crib in the afternoon from 2-4, and if you are tired in the morning and we are on the go you still sleep in your carseat.  I would say you are definitely still taking 2 naps a day, but I don't see that sticking around much longer, only because there are some days you only take 1 nap (the afternoon one).

Another stressful thing for me with you is your eating - I'd say you are sort of a picky eater, but one thing I have finally just LET go of, is your hatred for pureed food. You hate it. You can't stand it. You would get mad at me if I even pulled it out and put it on the table. Gone are the days where I had to do a billion things to distract you so you would chow down at least 2 of those a day.  UGH! So we have changed how we feed you. You still eat what we eat at dinner, and for breakfast and lunch you get table foods. You also LOVE to hold a spoon or fork when you eat. You want to be JUST like us, which is why I think you hate the pureed food. Food you love: waffles, pancakes, goldfish crackers, cereal bars, crackers, cheese, milk, chicken, beans, pasta, sausage, broccoli (sometimes), hot dogs, corn.  I wish you would eat more veggies and fruits but you are just not interested.  You get about 6-8 ounces of whole milk through your sippy cup.  Funny story about you mastering the straw - that took forever, and you still aren't that great at it.  You take big sips and then half the milk comes spilling out your mouth. This is absolutely hysterical.  Of course I was stressed you weren't getting enough milk, but like all other things with you, I have had to let it go and just go with the flow.  Your dad is always telling me "just relax."

In the past year, it's easy to look back and reflect on how you have made me a better mom.  I was able to grow right along side you - molding you, teaching you, helping you absorb the world around you.  In turn you helped me slow down and to take the small moments and cherish them.  I learned that even if I had a bad day, and the house was a mess, and I barely had time to brush my teeth, that for a fleeting second of watching you smile and be completely happy nothing could top it.  I would rather spend my days knowing that these magical moments, as simple as they are, make EVERYTHING (all the hard times) worth it. 

You are perfection in my eyes.  There is nothing more I can say to you other than I love you with every inch of my being. This heart of mine is yours, and I know you will move mountains in your life.  Here's to your first birthday and to many, many more.....

Love you always,
Mom

Dear Weston - 4 Months

Dear Weston,
Your personality is front and center and you make it known!
Your facial expressions are priceless.  Your huge smiles are common, but so is the biggest bottom limp quiver when you start to cry.  Even though you are upset, I can't help but think it's probably the cutest thing I have ever seen.

This month we saw a little determined guy really starting to use his hands.  You can reach for things above you, you can hold things we give you like a pro, you have a tight grasp once you have your tiny fingers around something, and you can bring things from you hands to your mouth. You have been a drooling machine for a while, and I am surprised you didn't cut a tooth yet. If I had to predict you will cut one in the next month. You still absolutely love tummy time and can do it throughout the day, although you have no interest in rolling over.  You are super content in the swing, and love your activity gym for most of the day.

Sleep has become an issue with you this past month.  Unfortunately you have decided that the co-sleeper next to our bed is not good enough anymore and you would much rather be sleeping right next to me.  Last month everything seemed to work since you would sleep in the actual co-sleeper, but now that you are boycotting it, I am losing sleep.  The problem with you being right next to me is that you wake almost 4-5 times a night and want to nurse or comfort yourself.  I am getting broken sleep, no more than an hour or two at a time, and this is starting to wear me down.  I am really conflicted.  Part of me wants to wait until you are a bit older before moving you to your crib.  You will be a bit more mature and you will have begun solids by that point. Honestly as I write this my ideas or theories change daily.  While my ideal situation would be to have you sleeping independently, I don't want to let you cry it out and feel abandoned.  Things are just so different than Jillian who was on a schedule (but this was due to her bottle feeding, you are breastfed).  I have good days and bad days.  I am angry then sad.  I know you are just a sweet little guy wanting to be close to the warmth of my body and the comforts of my breasts. I try to remember that, and am still trying.  I plan to do some more research, talk to friends and your doctor to see what I should do next if this is still continuing at the end of next month.

Other fun things about you at this stage are that you love to be held facing out, propped on my hip.  You like to observe. You LOVE to watch Jillian, and almost instantly you cheer up when you see her if you are sad. You love being outside. You love to be held and to be with people.  You are content on a lap, watching the world in front of you.

You had your first trip to Palm Springs, spent time with both grandma's, and were toted along numerious playdates. 




At a Glance:

4 month Stats:
Weight: 15 pounds, 1 ounce
Height:
Head:


Sleep Stats:
You are now soley dependent on me to fall asleep as I mentioned above.  Your naps are still great, in the car, on the go, and in the swing.

Food:
You are nursing exclusively.  And you have taken a few more bottles last month, but the catch was that they were freshly expressed milk. You won't drink my frozen supply.

Random Stuff:
You are still wearing size 1 diapers, but should be in size 2 (I am just waiting to finish the size 1s we have!)
You wear 3-6 month clothes.  Still very skinny, but very tall.

Milestones:
Talking, talking and tons of talking
Holding things with your hands
Grabbing for things
Taking things in your hands and placing them in your mouth
Grabbing your feet with your hands
Smiles all the time

Dear Weston - 2 Months

Dear Weston, 

It's already happening. Time is flying by, and you are growing like a weed. You haven't stopped cuddling since you were born.  You can't get enough of it.  Mostly with me, but you love daddy's chest too. Every day between 1 pm and 4 pm we get alone time, because Jillian is napping.  Some days I will lay you on your play mat and talk to you or watch you talk to your surroundings. Other days, you enjoy the rocking of the swing.  I would say your favorite activity is to be with me on the couch nursing or just hanging on my breast for comfort staring at my face.  I don't mind this at all. You fall in and out of sleep and I get all the cuddles a momma could ever want.  Sure, I don't get much done, but thats okay.  These moments with you are like a dream come true. 

Speaking of nursing, you are going strong.  However, in  your short life, you haven't figured out how to self-sooth.  So if you get fussy or upset, the only way to calm you down is to put you on the boob.  You might eat for a few minutes but you just love the sucking senstion; so my nipple has become your pacifier. People think it's crazy I am letting you do this, because seriously you could be "nursing" for almost an hour like this.  So far it only happens at home, so I really don't mind.  It's this incredible bond I feel with you.  We have been inseperable since birth, and if comfort nursing is helping ease you in to the world at a gentle pace, then I am all for it. 

Plus I owe you! You have quite the social calendar whether you like it or not.  Jillian and I are toting you along every where we go.  And every day it's some place.  Grocery store, play dates, parks, story time, John and Ava's house, more play dates and parks. You are so wonderful (as long as I time it right!!). 

This month your gassy fussy temperment in the evenings started to go away.  You are still a tooting machine and boy oh boy do you love to poop, but it seems as if these things are easier for you to do now that your digestive system is starting to mature.  For a minute we thought you were going to be one of those colicky babies. I started to cut out dairy at the same time these fussy times started to diminish, so I knew it wasn't anything in my diet.  You have become an easy baby. Do you know how much I love this and appreciate it?  If you cry it's because you have pooped, are hungry, or are tired and need to comfort nurse. 

Our night time routine is still forming.  We made some changes to where you sleep, because we really needed to get Daddy back into our bed.  Out went the bassinet and in came the co-sleeper. This has made a world of difference, however, after you wake up for your first feeding, I keep in you in bed next to me until the morning.  We are all getting amazing sleep.  Another new thing I am doing is not changing your diaper at night.  I know that sounds bad, but you never poop at night and it just wakes you up if I change you.  This way you nurse and fall right back to sleep. For a while we were swaddling you, then not swaddling you, and back and forth.  By 2 months here is where we are at:  we swaddle you when you first go down.  After your first feeding, we leave you un-swaddled. It works, and hopefully when you are able to self-soothe yourself (i.e. sucking your thumb or fingers) you will be able to help yourself fall back asleep or have longer durations of sleep.  We aren't getting more than 3 hours at a time, so I am hoping for those 4-5 hour stretches soon. You are naturally setting your own sleep routine, meaning you fall asleep between 8-9 pm and we usually have between 2-4 feedings a night.

You have had two bottles, although, we have plenty of milk stored in the freezer for you. You still love tummy time and have incredible neck control.  You are my little tank - 90th perecentile for height, 75% percentile for weight and 90th percentile for head.  Your ears still stick out a bit, but the doctor didn't think you needed to see a Plastic Surgeon, and your hip clicking turned out to be nothing as well.  Your eyes are a deep blue and continuing to lighten and you have a teeny bit of hair on that head of yours.  Sometimes you look like me, but mostly you look like Tim, and I can't get over how much of a resemblance you have to Jillian. 

Some first for this month: smiling and cooing, first trip to the beach, first bottle, and longer awake times. 

I sound like a broken record, but I love you so much.  I have been the happiest me I could be. I have an amazing husband and two beautiful kids who are absolutely perfect.  It's strange, life that is.  I know it won't always been this perfect, but for now in this moment, we have it all. And it was you that completed us.  It's you who I have been waiting for my whole life.  Thank you, Weston. 

Love, 
Mom 

 

Jillian 20 months

Oh Jillian,

What a crazy summer it has been.  Even though you are not considered a toddler yet, I feel like you have all the characteristics of one. You scream MINE when we take something away from you, you throw dramatic fits when you don't get your way, and you still embrace your independent streak and challenge the rules that we set for you.  We know it's a phase, and secretly, when you get really upset and open your mouth wide and belt out a cry, you look so darn cute, I can't help but secretly smiling to myself.

When you aren't acting like a toddler, you are the sweetest little girl in the world and you remind us you are still a baby. As of lately, you like to cup our faces with both hands and kiss us right on the lips.  And you aren't done.  Because after you kiss our lips, you twist our face and kiss both cheeks.  You scream cheek, cheek, and you smack a big one on us. We melt! You can't form sentences yet, but you repeat almost all the words daddy and I say, and you have perfected many of the older words you first started to speak.  You eat off a plate now, and soon enough you will be transitioned to a booster seat and out of your high chair.  You use a fork and spoon and request these at dinner time. You are obsessed with flip flops, or as you like to call them, "flops."  You want to wear them ALL the time, plus when you wear them, you require that mommy and daddy do too! So you run to the closet and pull out our flops and set them down by our feet demanding we put them on. You remain focused at swim lessons and are becoming a water lover.  Sometimes it scares me how much you love the water, and the swim instructor was so impressed with you in the lessons she predicted you would be water baby for life. We have a blow up pool and water table in our backyard that you love to play with during the hot summer evenings and we spend a ton of time outside on the weekends. You have your friends, Oden, Colton, John and Ava over to help you enjoy these fun toys. Your baby side still comes out when you reach for your blankie.  You love to put blankie in your mouth to help sooth you, and he is a staple where ever we go. Daddy hates how dirty it gets, but mommy understands the love you have for your blankie because I still have mine.  You gotpotty in the big toilet a few times a week.  We are trying to get you to tell us when you have to go potty or poo poo, and although it's not consistent, it's a start.

You went through a phase around 16 months where all you wanted was "mommy."  I wouldn't call it separation anxiety, because you always like to do your own thing, but when you wanted me, nothing would get in your way until I would pick you up and hold you tight.

You put us through a HUGE scare at 20 months.  You pulled out the comet toilet bowl cleaner from under the kitchen sink.  It was the powder kind, and your curiosity got the best of you when you decided you wanted to taste it. We saw white powder all over your face, and panicked.  Of course my shrieks and crying only made it worse, because once you picked up on our fear, you started to sob.  Luckily, you had just learned to spit, so I made you drink water and then spit it out. I also thought it would be a good idea to have you brush your teeth with water and spit again, so we did that while daddy called 911.  911 transferred us to poison control where we put at ease.  The operator told us we did everything right, and to check the mouth for sores.  They advised us if any vomiting occurred to rush to the hospital, but the amount that was probably swallowed was so little that there was no harm.

You are a road warrior!  You handled a 10 hour road trip to and from Lake Tahoe like a champ! You may have cried a few times, but honestly, I couldn't have asked for a better baby.  You played with your toys, watched the scenery change outside and we sang along to your toddler cd.  You got to hang out with my side of the family in Lake Tahoe, and while you are the most outgoing baby I know, you were a little shy and hesitant with all these unfamiliar people.  You clung to me more than you ever have, but the last night there you finally ventured out of your shell and became the Jillian we knew.  You had a melt down on a boat tour, and screamed for an hour.  I tried to rock to you sleep, but you were stubborn and kept on crying.  It was hard on me to see you so tired that you couldn't do anything else but cry, but the saving grace was my cousin, Slater.  He sat with you, and played you music, and danced for you.  You sat sobbing in  my lap for a bit, but soon enough that smile emerged and you started to feel better.

These summer months aren't over yet, and we still have one big vacation left.  We leave for Hawaii soon and this will be your second flight.  We hope that you have zest for traveling like your mommy and daddy, because we love taking you everywhere with us. You are such a great baby, even through the minor fits, and we feel complete when we are all together.

If I had to sum up your personality traits with three words, I would say that you are Independent, Smart, and Social.

I just know you are going to be the best big sister when baby #2 comes, and I can't wait to see all your accomplishments in this new role.  You really are becoming your own person.

Love,
Mommy (and daddy too).