Beckett James | Three Months

Stats:  No appointment this month, but since we've been to the doctor's so often recently (more below), you are right around 12.5 lbs.  They don't take the other stats so we'll have to wait until your 4 month checkup for the rest.  

Likes:  You love laying on your changing table and looking at the pictures on the wall.  I thought this was an odd thing to like, but looking back at Zoe's 3/4 month posts, she liked doing the same thing!  Zoe can usually get you to smile with her craziness.  Swaddled, white noise, eating.  Having your neck and thighs tickled.  Listening to people talk to you and you talking/cooing back to us.  Me blowing raspberries at you. 

Dislikes:  Being sick/coughing (I can't blame you here).  Early evening is still a little hit or miss but no where near where we were before.  I just think there is so much going on trying to get everyone fed, Zoe ready for bed, etc. that you are just way over stimulated at this point.  Tummy time after a few minutes…although classic second child, I'm horrible at remembering to do it.

Biggest Achievement This Month:  You are SO content on your own now.  This is such a huge milestone for me.  I'm now able to get things done while you are awake.  I usually bring you with me in the bouncy and we chat with each other while I wash bottles, put dishes away, eat, etc.  As long as you can see me, you're usually good.  This really has been amazing!  Don't get me wrong, I love holding you and cuddling, but it was getting tough having to be attached to each other every waking minute.

Biggest Challenge This Month:  Three letters…RSV.  Oh it was horrible.  Zoe had a terrible cold so we kept her home from school on a Monday and Tuesday.  I figured you would get sick since it's near impossible to keep her completely away from you.  I noticed you had a slight fever on Wednesday so I called the doctor right before they closed.  They saw us since I was concerned since you were so little.  They ran a few tests and confirmed RSV.  Since it was the beginning of the illness, you weren't really showing any symptoms other than the fever.  Thursday you started coughing.  You were ok at night still but during the day you were just miserable.  You wouldn't eat which is SO SO unlike you.  You could hardly stay awake for more than 20-30 minutes at a time.  We went to the doctor Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and again on Monday.  Your fever spiked at 103.5, you had an ear infection, and other horrible cold symptoms.  You did ok most nights.  Saturday was by far the worst.  You also had to get a chest x-ray on Saturday to rule out pneumonia which was negative thankfully.  

I think that was enough sickness for one winter.  So let's try to stay healthy from now on little guy.  It took a long time for us to see those smiles and it was just too sad seeing you so miserable.

Secret Tricks:  You go down for your naps/bedtime without a fuss as long as we put you down after the magic length of awake time.  For a while, I was keeping you up for 1.5 hours, but it seems like that is hit or miss if you go down ok.  I started putting you down around 1 hr 10 minutes or 1 hr 20 minutes and it's made a huge difference.  You fall asleep on your own (I put you down awake) and the 45 minute nap intruder is less cruel. 

Sleep:  I'll try not to sound too negative here because I know it could be so much worse.  You are still getting up once at night to eat.  While you were sick, you started pushing into the 1am and 2am hours which started making me nervous, but I figured you were sick.  Then you continued even when you got better which was pretty close to 3 months so I hoped that it was just a growth spurt at that point.  Sure enough, you eventually started moving back towards 4am.  You even made it to 5:30 one day!  So we are making progress.  

Some nights you'll make it all the way without a fuss.  Other nights you spit up, which causes you to wake up and fuss more.  I've tried letting you cry and put yourself back to sleep, but it's hit or miss if it works.  If you fuss for longer than 10 minutes, I get up and put you in the rock n play which puts you right back to sleep.  Then you are usually up anywhere from 4-5:30 am to eat.  You've gotten better at going back down.  Some days I think your tummy is upset because you grunt and whine on and off.  

I know I'm probably creating a horrible habit, but if you get up before 7am, I then bring you in bed and prop you on daddy's pillow and you usually fall right back to sleep.  

Most days you are up 7:30-8am.  You go down around 8pm. You still take 4 naps most days.  Your first nap is usually always at 9am.  The other naps depend on how long your first nap is, but are generally within a half hour the same time every day.  Most naps are 1.5-2 hours.  Your third and fourth naps are shorter, but I can usually get two good naps which I'm happy about.  

You are still in the pack n play/rock n play in our room.  I really really am hoping you sleep through the night soon so we can move you to your crib.  I just am so awake after feeding you as it is, and I know that going up and down the stairs will just wake me up even more.  My fingers are crossed that we get there by the end of the fourth month! :)

Temperament/Personality:  We really turned the corner this month.  So many smiles.  The only real times that you are upset are when you are tired, hungry, or bored.  You don't really scream at all for no apparent reason like you used to.  I'm so glad we've made it past the fourth trimester.  

Eating:  You now take 6 bottles.  Your early morning bottle is 4 oz.  Then you take 5-6 oz the rest of the day.  5 is usually plenty, but every once in a while you scream for more and I give you that extra ounce.

I also ended pumping this month.  The freezer stash ran out, and I was only pumping enough for one or two bottles at the most and it just wasn't worth it.  You are up for such short amounts of time, that I didn't want to spend our entire time together pumping, and it was near impossible on the days Zoe is home.

Randoms:  You still fit in your 3 month clothes and size 1 diapers.  The three month clothes just fit now for the most part.  I really have to try hard to get your PJs zipped.  The size 1 diapers are still fitting pretty well.

You have horrible cradle cap this month.  I put baby oil on it and used a soft brush to get most of it out for now.  Zoe had it too, but I don't remember hers being this thick.  Although, she had more hair then you so maybe that's why I didn't notice it as much.

You also have eczema on your face.  Zoe had/has it on random spots on her body, but never on her face.  Some days it's worse for you than others.  I tried Euceren lotion which didn't work all that well so I've switched to Aquifer.  It's seeming to help a little more (although your face is super shiny for a while after I put it on).  Regardless, you're still the cutest :)

Milestones:  You rolled from your belly to your back!  It only happened twice in one day and you refuse to repeat it, but I know you can do it now at least :)  Poor Zoe works so hard to get you to do it (she hasn't seen it yet), but you are being stubborn.

It's so hard to believe that our time together is already half way done.  Let's make the most of these last three months that we have home with each other.  Seeing you turn into such a happy, content baby has been so fun.  Our daily "chats" are the highlight of my days.  I can't wait to see how much more of your personality shines through in month four.  Love you buddy!

Zoe Louise | 27 Months

I wasn't sure how long I'd keep these up for Zoe, but she really just does the funniest things that I need to capture…

I've mentioned before her love for reading.  She is getting better and better at "reading" to us (memorizing), but recently she's started growling "On the Night You Were Born" (aka Polar Bear Dancing).  She literally growls every word.  I can barely read it without laughing through the whole thing.  I ask her what she's doing and she says, "Growling!" while growling :)

Every night before bed, she has to look at both of my earrings when I read to her.  She requests the same when Aaron reads to her, but of course he has no earrings.  He also has a mole on his face that she claims is a sticker that she wants.

She's recently started to "swim" during bath time.  This entails her lying on her back and kicking her feet.

We've also entered a bit of a defiant stage.  Time outs have started to get sprinkled into our routine here and there.  She's been doing pretty well at not repeating the offense that got her into time out after she has to sit for two minutes and we tell her a few times why she's in time out.  It also works to withhold stickers.  She has a few things she does routinely that she gets a sticker for and if she's being naughty and doesn't listen, she doesn't get the sticker.  A meltdown generally ensues, but the next day she always remembers why she didn't get a sticker, tells us what she's not supposed to do, and then listens.  Very recently, she thinks that it's a game and as soon as I tell her not to do something (not even threatening time out) she automatically says, "I go to time out" and walks over there and smiles.  Ugh.  This girl is too smart.

She LOVES to yell instead of talk in a normal voice.  We have to constantly remind her to use her indoor voice.

She is OBSESSED with Beckett.  I've tried really hard to include her in on what I can and give her certain tasks.  She seems to really love them and reminds me of what she's supposed to do.  We do tummy time usually after I pick her up from school and she loves to help and watch and show Beckett how she can do tummy time to try and "help" him.  The other day she even put down the changing pad (I always put a burp cloth under him) and announced she was doing tummy time then proudly laid down and lifted her head nice and high.

It seems she's starting to play more with her friends at school and tells us about what she did.  There is one little girl in particular that she always talks about and always plays with.  It's so cute to see them together and hear her stories.  For now, they always ride the horsies - the green and the blue and they each have a specific color.  The other day they gave each other a hug when I picked Zoe up from school…so cute.

We've started potty training as well.  It's going pretty well.  Now that she is moving up to the OT room at school, I think it'll click a little faster.  Beeba and Papa were here one weekend and Beeba was helping her to the potty one morning ("Hold it hold it hold it!" as Zoe says).  I could clearly see while they were running that Zoe had a log in her diaper.  Well, my mom missed it and flung her diaper off launching the poop onto the floor which she still didn't see and proceeded to step in it with her bare foot :)  We all got a great laugh out of this one.  Zoe thought it was hilarious and couldn't stop telling us how "Beeba stepped in my poop!"

We definitely need to watch what we say…We sometimes tell her she's crazy jokingly.  Well, she started telling her teachers they are crazy.  Oops!  One night while I was making dinner, she said, "Mommy, you have a HUGE butt!"  Ummm…thanks?  I have no idea where this one came from.  I'm assuming at school but I have no idea where she would have heard it.  We're trying to teach her that it's not nice to say (although it's pretty funny when she says it).

For Christmas, Aunt Jodi and Uncle Mark got her an ABC Colorado book and she loves the John Denver page (a girl after my mom's heart) and when we get to the white water rafting page, she tells us that "I went in a boat in Colorado and Aunt Jodi hold me and water splashed my face."  This girl doesn't forget ANYTHING.  Because that's exactly what happened when we were out there this summer for their wedding.

I really could go on and on.  She is such a character and has a giant personality.  Watching her love for life is just the highlight of my day.  

Miss Zoe, I hope you keep your spunky attitude and confidence.  You bring so much laughter to our day!  Love you baby girl!