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Monthly Update

Colette: Nine Months

January 29, 2016

Nine months old. Three quarters of the way through her first year. How do they grow so quickly? Why is the time flying by?
Colette had he nine month well check earlier this week. She is 16 pounds, 15 ounces and 27.1 inches long: 28% for both! She is in 9 month and 6-12 month clothes. She is right on track for growth, which makes its easier to not worry so much about her progress with solid foods. She is still only eating the same foods as a month ago, and when she does eat, it’s only a couple of bites. Our philosophy is still as long as we keep offering, she will eat when she is ready.
She finally got her first tooth a few weeks ago. The second followed soon after but is still barely there. Now if she would just start using those chompers for eating.

At nine months exactly, Colette was still not crawling. Not even a week later, she is mobile. It’s a slow combination of scooting, turning in circles, and crawling, but she is moving. She is also pulling up on anything she can get her tiny hands on. Only up to her knees so far, but she is so proud every single time.

Her favorite activities include splashing in the tub, blowing raspberries, not sleeping, and playing with her brother’s toys. If it’s intended for an infant, it’s super boring. If it’s made for a three-year-old, she must play with it! She wants to do anything her big brother is doing, which spells trouble for us in a few months (if that long!)

 
She is growing so quickly, I’m trying to take note of little bits of her personality or quirks that I want to remember because I know they won’t last long. Like the way she looks down at her legs  with frustration and determination when she is trying to crawl but her knees are not following. And the way she screams when she gets mad; it’s very rarely a cry. She actually screams at us, and it would be super annoying if it wasn’t so cute to see such a tiny thing get so mad. I love the way she talks with her hands, just like her Daddy. Or the way she leans over and looks around you if you are blocking something she wants to see (the TV in particular.)
 
I just love seeing her little personality develop. She is going to be spunky and sassy and will make her opinions known, but I think she will also keep a smile on her face and love those close to her with a big heart.
 
 
Happy Nine Months, Colette! We love you so much!!!
Monthly Update

Colette: Eight Months

January 8, 2016

At eight months old, Colette is still a perfectly happy little baby. She just refuses to sleep at night. Or during the day. Someone has major fear of missing out! So I have been getting very little sleep as well, but at least she is happy when she is awake.

She is finally starting to eat solid foods. We figured out that she is just not a fan of purees. So I guess we are going more of the Baby Led Weaning route. Isn’t it funny how sometimes our little ones make decisions for us? I have learned that research and knowing your options is good, but don’t ever bet on sticking to your initial and very well thought out plan. They will change that in a heart beat. Flexibility is the key to parenting. (Your’re welcome!) So my baby feeding plan has gone out the window and we are just offering Colette anything she shows an interest in eating. As long as it is safe of course. So far she likes bananas, apple slices, sweet potatoes, pasta, green beans, and bread. She will not eat anything off a spoon unless we let her do it herself, and she would much rather have a whole banana than slices.

She is not quite mobile yet, but she is thisclose to crawling. She gets on her hands and one knee, gets frustrated and falls down, and then immediately rolls over. I am sure it will be any day now, but I don’t know that I am really ready to be chasing another one around just yet. 

Colette has started reaching for people she wants to hold her. She gives little hugs when I pick her up, and she loves to give open mouth kisses. I tell her all the time, and even Cullen has started telling her, that she is the sweetest little girl!

She also loves to be upside down and anything her big brother does. He will push her over and she just laughs and laughs. She is going to be a little dare devil who does anything her brother suggests. Again, so not ready for that!

At this age, I love the way she blows raspberries all the time and the way she kicks her feet when she gets super excited. I love the way she tries to suck her thumb and eat at the same time. I especially love that she is happy and eager to smile all the time. She was suffering through her first cold when we took these pictures, and you would never know by her joyful smile.

Monthly Update

Colette: Seven Months

November 25, 2015
This past month seems to have passed by even faster than most. Time is flying by, but we are loving every moment with this little girl. She is easily the happiest and sweetest baby ever. She almost never cries, just yells a little if she gets hungry. She smiles all the time and laughs out loud at everything! I love the smiles and hugs I get when I pick her up and the way she takes breaks from eating just to look at me and touch my face. I can already tell she has a big loving heart!
Colette is in that sweet spot right now where she can sit up and play on her own without needing an adult right beside her, but she is not mobile yet. She is happy playing on her own, and we don’t have to put up baby gates just yet or worry about what she can get into if I walk into another room for a minute. It would be okay with me if things stayed like this for a while; I’m not quite ready to chase two littles around!
I am still trying to get her to eat solids, with very little success. We have tried butternut squash, summer squash, carrots, bananas, and oatmeal. Oatmeal is the only thing that did not make her gag; the only thing she willingly took a second bite of. We are trying apples tonight, maybe something sweet will get her used to the new texture?
Sleep is a struggle as well. Once I can get her to sleep at night, sometime after ten, she sleeps until morning, sometime between 6:30 and 8:00. Naps are where the real struggle is though. She cat naps all day and rarely sleeps longer than twenty minutes at a time. Any suggestions on getting her to actually nap? We’ve tried the crib, the couch surrounded by pillows, her bouncer, he swing. Nothing works. 

Like with Cullen, every stage seems to be better than the last. I love snuggly little newborns, but I really love all the smiles, learning, and playing that comes with this age. She is exploring a whole new world of toys, both hers and Cullen’s, reaching for and grabbing what she wants, and putting everything in her mouth. She is easily entertained in her high chair with whisks and spatulas while I cook dinner. (We are all excited about this new found independence!) It is so much fun watching her as she learns new things and explores the world around her! 
Happy seven months, Colette! We love you!
Monthly Update

Colette: Six Months

October 29, 2015
Six months kind of snuk up on me. I kept telling people Colette was five months old thinking she still had several weeks before she reached the half year mark. Then all of a sudden, there it was. 

 I never thought we would see the day, or at least this soon, but Colette is in the “normal” range for weight and height! She weighs 14 lbs 8.5 oz and is 26 inches long. That puts her at 18% for weight and 50% for length. She still looks so much smaller than the other babies her age, but she has rolls for days. She has rolls on the back her neck, at her wrists, and all up and down her legs. I wish pictures would capture her true chubbiness, but its truly something you have to see in person. And I love every single roll!

We have kind of started solid foods. I am making her food like I did for Cullen, with a plan to use some combination of purees and BLW. I thought she would eat up anything I put in her mouth, since she is constantly trying to grab anything we are eating, and we have to make sure any plates are well out of her reach. But so far she just spits out anything I give her. So for now we will just keep offering. (Its not like she’s lacking in calories or nutrients, did I mention the rolls?!)

She seems to have skipped rolling from back to front and has gone straight to sitting up. She sits really well on her own, but still topples fairly easily. Thrilled with this new freedom, most of her playtime is spent sitting and playing with her and her brother’s toys. I can’t believe how quickly she has gone from just observing the world around her to being so active and playing with real toys. 

I say it all the time, but these two have the best little relationship, and the love between them grows every day. Cullen can make Colette smile and belly-laugh like no one else. And he is not ashamed to do anything for a smile; his most recent Ghost-Frog gets her every time! He is quick to tell me to pick her up if she is crying and loves to hold her. But he is not above big-brother shenanigans. Like trying to hold her upside down or prying her eyelids open to wake her up because he “wants to play with her!”

Happy Six Months Colette! I am so excited to see how you grow over the next month! 
Baby #2 Monthly Update

Colette: Five Months

September 26, 2015
Five months old, 12 pounds, 9 ounces, and the sweetest and happiest little girl ever! She loves sitting up (I’m ready for her to be able to do that on her own), watching Cullen, and eating. She is all smiles all the time; I’ve even seen her smiling while she is screaming at me for food.

She has started reaching for what she wants: my hair, my face, Cullen’s toys. It’s time to keep my jewelry minimal and make sure tiny toys are out of reach. The look of determination on her face is hilarious when she sets her sights something and works to get it.

The only thing I’m not so happy about at this age, is that I have to hold her A LOT. Not because she doesn’t want me to put her down, but because she wants to sit up all the time. If I lay her down she is doing these crunches (you should see her abs!) Don’t get me wrong, I love having her close, but I’m ready for her to be able to sit on her own so I can start using two hands again.
She is still a great sleeper, once we get her to sleep at night. I don’t know how we ended up with a whole family of night owls, but she fits right in. I am usually able to finally put her in bed around 10 and she sleeps very soundly for eight and a half hours or so. It might be time to put the mesh bumper around her crib, she has started moving all over the place in her sleep and quite often wakes up with her tiny feet sticking out of the crib.
 
For about a week, Colette was projectile vomiting at least once every evening. This seemed to come out of nowhere and she was still happy the rest of the day, so we took her to the doctor to see what was going on. Although a little strange that is just starting at five months and only in the evenings, it looks like she has reflux. They gave us a prescription for Zantac and she is no longer covering me and the couch with “spit-up” every night. I am so glad she is happy all the time again.
Cullen is still her favorite person. I would be a little jealous if it were anyone else, but it makes a Mommy’s heart happy to see so much love between her children. He face lights up with the biggest grin I’ve ever seen every time he walks into her line of sight. And he is so sweet with her. He gives her hugs and kisses, loves to hold her, and there is nothing sweeter than seeing him pick up a book and read to her, making sure to show her the pictures on every page. I know there are bound to be arguments and fights as they grow, but I hope they have this kind of loving relationship forever!
I am going to leave you with these leg rolls and tiny toes. We never thought we would see rolls like this and are thrilled to have such a happy and healthy little girl!
Baby #2 Monthly Update

Colette: Four Months

August 26, 2015

Since Colette was SO tiny at birth, I feel like we have been more concerned with her weight and growth than most parents (and certainly more concerned than we were with Cullen.) I am happy to report that she weighs 10 lb 13.5 oz (2%) and is 24.5 inches long (50%). She is finally wearing size 1 diapers and entirely in 0-3 month clothes. Her not-so-tiny feet are outgrowing some of her jammies, so we may be moving up a size in jammies in the very near future. It is really no surprise that she is growing so much, she loves to eat! About a month ago, she figured out how to nurse without the nipple shield (Woohoo!!!) and has been layering on the leg rolls ever since!

Colette may just be the happiest baby ever. Her cheeks must hurt all the time; if she is awake she has a smile on her face. Especially if Cullen is around. I should probably feel a little jealous that he is her favorite person, but it makes me so happy that they already love each other so much.

One of her favorite things is funny faces. She laughs at funny faces and likes to play endless games of sticking-our-tongues-out-at-each-other.

She is also quite the little talker these days. Quite often, her nursing sessions take forever because she wants to stop and talk to me every five minutes. And don’t get me wrong, I love the bonding time with her, but sometimes I’d like to be able to get some other things done.

 Most recently, Colette has mastered the art of rolling from front to back. She is so proud of herself every time she flops over and escapes the oh-so-hated tummy time! The funniest is when she rolls to her side, grins and coos, and then keeps moving onto her back. She is so pleased with herself, and wants everyone to know about it! I have a feeling she will be sitting, crawling, standing, and walking before we know it. If she is awake, she wants to be sitting or standing (with help of course).

She is still sleeping about six hours during her longest stretch at night and is finally in the crib in her room. For some reason it was a lot harder to move her out of our room than it was with Cullen. Probably because she is still so little it seemed like we were moving a newborn. But she has done well so far, and I have been able to sleep better than I expected without being able to just roll over and check on her.

 We are so blessed to have this little one a part of our family. We all fall more in love with her every day and have so much fun getting to know her sweet little personality!
Monthly Update

Colette: Three Months

July 30, 2015
Part of me feels like these three months have flown by. Another part of me feels like Colette has always been with us; I can’t imagine our family without her!
I am estimating that three-month-old Colette weighs about nine pounds now meaning she has finally caught up to where Cullen was at birth. She is almost exclusively in 0-3 month clothes. (Still wearing some newborn shorts; for some reason they all seem to run big.) Her not-so-little leg rolls and double chin make it hard to remember how fragile she seemed when she was born. But she is still eating ALL DAY LONG, so I’m not surprised!

Colette loves: being outside, staring at bold patterns, sitting and standing, eating, and Cullen. Seriously, these two love each other more than I could have ever imagined. I can’t get enough of seeing them together. Cullen can make her smile faster than anyone else; it is the sweetest and I can’t wait to see their relationship grow.

Colette hates: water (though she will tolerate a quick bath now), tummy time, and having anything in her diaper. I can’t really blame her for that last one, but holy cow can we go through some diapers. 
Other than these few things that she strongly dislikes, she is a very happy baby. She still sleeps about six hours at night (Woohoo!) and takes two longer naps and a few little cat naps during the day. On the somewhat rare occasion that she is awake and not eating, we like to kick and play on her baby gym, make funny faces (she especially loves winking), and people watch. She is happiest when we let her sit facing out so she can watch everything around her.

Happy Three Months, Colette! We love you, sweet girl!
Baby #2 Monthly Update

Colette: Two Months

June 24, 2015
Our Little Colette is now two months old and growing like a weed! She is now 7 lbs 6 oz and 20.75 inches long. That means she is actually on the growth chart for weight (over the 3rd percentile)! She is finally in newborn diapers and is filling out her newborn size clothes. I love the double chin and leg rolls she is sporting these days! 
Colette is still a great eater, those rolls are proof! She is still a really good sleeper too. She usually gives us at least a five hour stretch of sleep every night, which is greatly appreciated by everyone else in the house!
She still sleeps a lot, but it seems we are getting past the super sleepy newborn stage. We are getting to enjoy longer and longer stretches of time with an awake and alert Colette. She is also starting to interact with us a lot more. She loves watching Cullen and seems to really enjoy when he lays down really close to her face. Big smiles and silly noises almost always earn us a sweet smile from our little girl. She is also getting really good at controlling her head when she holds it up and is already flexing like she is trying to sit up. (I remember Cullen doing that a while before he could actually sit up too.)
 
I feel like I can officially say that she will have red hair and blue eyes like Cullen. It was hard to tell at first, but her hair seems to get more and more red every day. I am beyond excited to dress another red-headed little baby!
These first two months as a family of four have been a blast. I can’t wait to see what the next few months hold for us as Colette continues to grow and develop her own little personality!
Baby #2 Monthly Update

Colette: One Month

June 4, 2015
At one month old, Colette weighs 5 lbs 9 oz and is 19.75 inches long. That means she is still < 1% for weight and only in the fourth percentile for height. Tiny girl is not even on the growth chart. But, like in the womb she is growing at the appropriate rate, just on her own tiny growth curve.
Colette is just now really fitting into newborn clothes and is still wearing premie diapers. Sidenote: they really should sell premie diapers in packages larger than 27 or 30!  She was only able to wear premie clothes for a short while because she was longer than premie size, but newborn clothes have been huge on her. As she is chunking up a little bit (we are starting to see a double chin!) she is filling out her newborn clothes and looking less like they swallowed her whole.
She has really been a great sleeper from the start. She has no problem going to sleep on her own at night and only waking up every three to four hours to eat. Right now she is sleeping in a bassinet next to our bed. I think we will move her to the crib in her room when I go back to work. During the day, she is still in that sleepy newborn stage, but has longer and longer awake periods every day. Unlike at night, she really wants to be held all day long. She doesn’t really like to be put down and wakes up if she is (and when she is laying down, she wants to be on her side). I’m glad she is only like that during the day and not at night. And let’s face it, I would rather hold her than do housework anyway!
Like with Cullen in the early days, breastfeeding has been our struggle. Because of her size and being born a few weeks early, Colette has had some trouble with latching and nursing (I’m sure I’ll share more details in another post later.) Over the past month we have gone from pumping, bottle feeding, and supplementing with formula to nearly exclusively nursing. And she would probably eat all day long if I would let her. We are all really pleased (and surprised!) with how well she is doing!
It seems like Colette is going to be a pretty quiet and laid-back little one. At this point the only really sense of her personality we have other than her easy-going demeanor, are the faces she makes. She has some pretty expressive eyebrows that keep us laughing and really make me wonder what she is thinking. She can give the side-eye with the best of them! 

As proof that she is not always so angelic, here is an outtake from our mini photo shoot. Sorry little girl, you are going to have to get used to those bows!
It feels like Colette has been in our lives forever, but this month has flown by. I love this snuggly newborn stage and wish they didn’t grow up so fast, but I can’t wait for smiles and giggles, playtime, and learning everything about who this tiny girl will be!
Monthly Update

Twenty-two Months

December 2, 2014
Technically, Cullen is now closer to 23 months than 22 months, but a late update is better than no update right?
I cannot believe how much fun this little boy is these days. His imagination and sense of humor keep us laughing.
He loves playing with cars and talking on the phone. Almost anything can be turned into a phone; most recently a flashlight. He also loves puzzles and counting. I love the way he skips 4 every time. “1…2…3…5!” And he loves to start races with “Ready, Set, Go.”
Cullen is getting to be very bossy. He has on multiple occasions, grabbed both sides of Corey’s face, but instead of saying “I wuv you” he demands “Wook at me!” He is very adamendment when he wants you to play with him and demands that you go to where he is and sit right where he is pointing. And when we are in the car, he loudly insists “ready go” until the car starts to move again. This boy is clearly not a fan of rush-hour traffic and has not yet figured out that the world does not run on his schedule.
Despite his bossiness, he is one of the most polite toddlers I have ever seen. Almost every request is accompanied by a “please” and he is very quick to say “thank you” or even “thank you, thank you, thank you” when he is given something or helped. We must have done something right. 😉
He has recently started saying “I love you” without being prompted. He puts his hands on both sides of my face, gets as close as possible, and says “I wuv you!” My heart melts into a puddle every single time.