Olivia: 4 Months

***Here are the pics from over 3 months ago!  :) 


Olivia, 

Another month has gone by! Your sweet little personality is starting to come out more and more. You continue to be a very content baby, you just go along with the flow. You smile every time someone looks at you and you love to talk! You've really gotten into your brother this month. You follow him with your eyes as he moves around or you turn your head to follow all of the commotion he is making. This just warns my heart. I love seeing the two of you together and know it is going to be so much fun watching you guys interact over the months to come. 

You continue to grow and develop right on track. Although you turned over for the first time a couple of months ago, we were finally able to witness a couple of weeks ago. You smile and laugh and are very alert. You like reaching for toys, holding your hands and feet, reading books, and for someone to look at or talk to you. 

Here is an update on some of your other milestones this month:

You are still sleeping well for your age. Most nights you wake once and several you sleep through the night - a full 12 hours. On the rare occasion you wake twice to nurse. You go to bed now around 7:00-7:30 which is great for all of us! 

Your naps have changed a ton this month. We have basically gone from four to only two most days and even had a few days with just one - you are way too young for that!! We need to practice our naps this next month. :) 

Nursing hasn't changed much this month. You probably nurse about 5-6 times a day depending on what time you wake up and if you take a long nap or not. We've decided to hold off on solids a while as you just don't seen ready at all at this point. 

Things are going much better with the bottle. You've pretty much taken one a day over this last month. 

You finally rolled tummy to back, of course we haven't seen it happen. You only do it when we turn our heads or when you are in your crib. You still roll back to tummy much more frequently. 

You love to sit up or to be held standing at all times. Your head control is excellent at this point. You sit in your bumbo seat for short periods of time and can reach for toys placed in front of you. 

You are so vocal! You let out happy shrieks all the time and talk back and forth with us a lot. You really love hearing your own voice and it's so cute! Jackson always  thinks you're crying though and gets a little concerned. 

You've found your feet and will hold on to them and watch them for several minutes. 

You love putting your tiny fists in your mouth and are starting to bring other objects to your mouth like bibs, blankets, lovies, and some small toys. 

You started sucking your thumb and it's so stinking cute! You mostly do it to put yourself to sleep. It's nice that you have a method of self soothing, but I'm sure it will be hard to break you down the road. 

You have let out a few little laughs but mostly still just let out big shrieks when being tickled or something is amusing. 

We had your check up and you continue to be very tall. You measured 25.75 inches which is in the 93% for height. You only gained a pound the past two months and weighed 13lbs 4oz. Your weight was only 28% on the growth chart. You are a tall skinny little girl! Your pediatrician says that you are very active and that is most likely the reason for the drop in weight. You still wear size 2 diapers and are wearing mostly 6 months in clothing. 

Livi, adding you to our family has been easier than we would've imagined. There have been some challenges and will be more to come, but your easy going personality just balances out with our busy schedules and Jackson's high energy. We love seeing your pretty little smiling face each morning! We are sad that time is passing so quickly already; however, we also look forward to watching your personality grow, hearing more of your voice, seeing more or that smile, and watching you learn to play and interact with others. We have entered a fun stage for sure! We love you little princess!!

This is when she first started sucking her thumb!

Sweet girl :)

I can't resist a sleeping picture! 

He always wants to sit by his sissy!

Another thumb picture. 

Little play time in the bumbo

Love her expression here! 

Happy four months pretty girl! 

Jackson Turns 2!

J man turned two today! I cannot believe it....it still seems like he just entered the world. I vividly remember all of his birthday and our stressful stay in the hospital. Life was a whirlwind for a while, still is, and I don't think it's going to slow down anytime soon. If you had asked me two years ago what I thought Jackson would be like, what his likes are, his dislikes, his personality, etc I wouldn't have ever been able to imagine the little boy that he is. This guy is so full of life! He is truly all boy - he's a truck loving, sports playing, energetic little fella that goes and goes all day long. He is quite the talker and has started singing too. He is so much fun to interact with and we just love watching him grow and learn. Here  is a current update on him:

Jackson is no longer a baby, but a little kid. Tear...that means we have a periodical tantrum, a picky eater from time to time, a child who loves the word "no," and a strong-willed, independent little person. He is also a funny, happy, energetic, shy, tender-hearted, and loving little a guy. He always checks on mommy to make sure I'm okay. He tells all of us that he loves us. He uses his manners and is quick to say bless you to anyone that sneezes. He is rarely mean, and if he does something that is mean it seems to be unintentional. Hopefully we do not start a phase of pushing, hitting, biting or toy stealing - but if we do, we will deal with it when the time comes. Jackson is also very routine. He loves the schedule that he has down and if we are running behind on one task, he requests it. He continues to be a great sleeper at night and is always ready for his nap. And by a huge surprise (insert sarcasm), Jackson remains at the top of the charts in height and his weight is also moving back up on the growth chart. He is as tall as an average three year old!

I've said it a hundred times and I don't think it will change anytime soon, Jackson is ALL BOY! He is on the go all of the time, constantly running around the house, jumping across a room, climbing on the furniture - you name it, he does it. He is also OBSESSED with all vehicles, particularly construction trucks. He can sit and play with trucks all day and points out every truck we see when in the car. He has started playing with a bit more imagination and it is so much fun! He also loves any type of ball or sport and just running around outside. We do miss our boy being a little baby, but this stage is so much fun!

Jacks had a busy last few months with the arrival of his sister. We rejoined stroller strides, continue to attend gymboree classes, and he went to swim lessons during the summer. We've had a lot of company since Olivia was born and traveled a couple of times. I'd love to say that life is slowing down, but the little man is now starting preschool. He will go every Tuesday and Thursday for four hours. We are also trying to get into soccer lessons and maybe even take another round of swim lessons. We just love that this little boy loves being active and that he just goes with the flow!

Jackson sure loves playing in his new backyard! 

Swinging at the playground. 

Lunch date with mommy and daddy. 

Our little fishy took swim lessons this summer and does great in the water! 

This smile...

...and this one! haha this was after I took him to get his first hair cut not by grandma. He did great but that was the best smile I could get! 

And he looks like this most mornings when he wakes up. Crazy hair don't care! 

We just cant get enough of this handsome little man! 

Jackson, we love you to the moon and back. You bring so much joy to our lives. Even though you've just been with us for two years, we don't even remember what life was like without you! I love your energy and how much you truly enjoy waking up and making the most of each day. I try to learn from you and do the same. May that never change about you. We are excited to continue watching you grow - we look forward to seeing how your personality changes/progresses throughout the years. Just know that you will always be our little boy and we love you forever!