Charlotte: 10 Months

Charlotte's hit double digits! She's 10 months old today. At best guess, I'd say she's around 18-19 pounds.

The booty skooch is here to stay! Charlie is picking up speed and moving all through the house. We're trying to help strengthen those legs by helping her pull up and stand, spend some time in the walker and jumperoo. She tolerates my attempts, but would still rather be on the flooring skooching around on her own. She'll get there at her own pace, I guess.

Our verbal little girl is starting to show more of her personality. While she hasn't added any new words to her list, she isn't afraid to verbalize when she's annoyed, upset, mad, happy or whatever the mood is. When she starts talking, we're in serious trouble. I think the apple may not fall too far from the tree on that one.

Naptime has gotten more consistent and Charlie has showed her visible preference at being a tummy sleeper - she won't sleep any other way. And honestly, I don't even try. She's napping twice daily (most days) for about a hour, hour and a half at a time. She's flexible though. If we're on the go, she will go with the flow. Until bedtime. She still craves that nightly routine/schedule. She's getting better at sleeping through the night (most some nights) and usually only wakes up once when she does wake up. As usual, I'm hoping this continues to progress.

We've added a few more items to the list of food items over the past month: waffles, blueberries, cookies (baby ones, of course) and chicken nuggets. We're continuing to see that gravitation toward more independence and wanting to feed herself. I foresee baby food exiting her life here pretty soon.

As far as favorite toys are concerned, she loves babies and stuffed animals. She also loves musical instruments, remotes and phones. Plus, she too is in love with the animals. She loves Abby, Jack and Sam equally and they all three seem to be very tolerant of her.

This month's photo was...challenging at best. This is as good as it was going to get.

Charlotte: 9 Months

We've got a nine month old on our hands! Crazy how fast time is going. This month Charlie had a doctor's appointment, so we were able to get her height/weight. She's 17 pounds, 4 ounces and 26.5 inches tall. She's got a petite little build, but he's growing right along her course. She took her shots like a champ this time too!

Charlie isn't interested in crawling - AT ALL. But, she's found her own method of transportation. She is a master of the booty skooch. She literally sits up and skooches around on her booty. She's getting pretty fast too. She's mobile, just in her own way. I'm not sure she ever will crawl, maybe go straight into pulling up and walking from here. It's really funny.

While she's still not sleeping through the night consistently, we've experimented with her sleeping on her belly and she's starting to show that is her preference. We'll see if that was just a fluke, or if she continues to prefer sleeping on her belly. She has started napping more consistently during the day. She will take 1-2 naps a day, ranging from 1-2 hours each. She's still very schedule-oriented and gets very verbally tired and ready for bed every night around 7. That's when we usually start our bedtime routine and she's eating and trying to fall asleep around 7:30 every night.

We've added a few new items to the food list for this little one: peaches, carrots, beans, mac & cheese, yogurt, shredded chicken. She prefers to feed herself and frequently pushes the spoon away from me - unless it's something she really loves (like fruit or yogurt).

Charlie continues to be very verbal. She's starting to make more sounds, but hasn't said any additional new words at this point.

Her little personality is so positive. She's so happy, so mellow. She thinks everything is hilarious, especially her brother. But, she gets equally frustrated and annoyed with him sometimes. It's funny to watch their dynamic and interaction. I can't wait to see how this grows and changes as she can communicate more.

Charlotte: 8 Months

Our little 8 month old is weighing in around 15-16 pounds. That's our best guess until the next doctor's appointment. She continues to enjoy solid foods. New items she's tried in the last month include: avocado, sweet potatoes, refried beans, french fries and Ritz crackers. She loves the independence of being able to feed herself. Those little pinchers are always looking for something to pickup off that tray. When I feed her baby food, I have to distract her with a spoon of her own, otherwise she's going after mine.

Laying down is of absolute no interest to this child. Charlotte is always sitting up, busy, busy, busy. She could play for hours. She's starting to gravitate toward baby dolls and other stuffed animals. She also has an obvious love for animals, especially the cats. The weirdest thing is that Abby loves her too. Abby is usually scared of others, was very scared of Joey. She's always real close to Charlie though. I think these two are going to be buddies. She loves her rings, remote control toy and rattles. Really, anything. She will play with anything.

Her sleep schedule varies. Naps are still hit and miss and some weeks we have a great nighttime schedule, while other weeks she's up constantly. I don't really know what's going on. She cut two teeth earlier this month, but that seems to have slowed down. Who knows?

Charlie is quite the little talker. In addition to saying Dada, she's saying Mama and No no no no. Always in 4's :).

Charlie is becoming more aware of our little age chalkboard. This could start to get more and more interesting.

And Joey wanted to jump in for this month's photo as well. :)

Charlotte: 7 Months

7 months falls on Thanksgiving Day for sweet little Charlotte. This lucky little lady got to enjoy some super yummy food - mashed potatoes and gravy! She's also enjoyed apples and peas, in addition to the pears and squash she's been enjoying. So far, she's loved everything, except the peas. Those, she's not a big fan of.

Charlie was rocking the whole sleep thing, until about two weeks ago or so, when she got sick. Since then, she's been up a little bit every night. Hopefully we get over this hump soon and back to the routine this mama was enjoying. Naps are still pretty hit and miss.

Charlie tends to prefer being upright these days. She likes to sit up and play or sit in her Bumbo. She's getting pretty good at sitting up by herself. She'll sit there for a little while, then get distracted and fall backward. It's like when her attention is broken, she forgets she has to balance. Occasionally, she'll lay and play a little on her playmat, which is still one of her favorites. Get her on her belly and it's over! At this point though, no signs of crawling. She's not even showing an interest in getting up on her knees.

She's said her first word! Dada is the winner.

My best guess at a weight for her this month is right around 15 pounds. No well check appointment again for her until 9 months, so we'll see for sure then.

I could just eat this little girl up with the level of cuteness. I just can't help it!

Charlotte: 6 Months

Baby Charlie is half a year old! Where have the first six months gone? Luckily, this sweet little girl is feeling so much better than she was last month.

Her sleeping habits haven't waivered too much, she sleeps through the night (most nights), and continues to forego naps most of the time.

Charlotte is weighing in at 14 pounds, 9 ounces and is 25.5 inches long.

We've seen a few changes in the last month. Charlie has rolled over and is now eating solid foods. She started with bananas and is also eating Mum Mums, pears and squash. So far, she's loving solids.

Charlie continues to love playing on her playmat. Though she can roll over, she's still not a huge fan of being on her belly. She's started to love being in her jumperoo. She doesn't really jump around in it, more sits up and checks things out, while playing with the toys.

This month's photo just melts my heart, enjoy!

Charlotte: 5 Months

We have a 5 month old! I feel like the time is flying right on by. Despite having a cold, this little girl is such a happy little thing! She's constantly talking and smiling and is so, so sweet.

While she didn't have a doctor's appointment this month, she is right around 14 pounds. Charlotte continues to grow and it's easy to see she's getting bigger.

Charlie's sleeping patterns are more and more defined. She is sleeping through the night, consistently 10-12 hours at a time and she does this most nights. She really didn't waiver while having a cold either, which is better for everyone. She's not much of a napper during the day, but I'll take the night sleep over naps any day of the week! She's going more consistently 4 hours between feedings during the day and has been introduced to both rice and oatmeal cereal successfully.

She continues to love her playmat. She scoots around on it and rolls up onto her side while playing. She still hasn't rolled over yet, but she's ridiculously close. I'm on standby with my phone to get video! Tummy time has gotten much better. She still doesn't like to do it for long, but she lifts her head up about as far as she can without pushing up with her hands. She loves to sit in her Bumbo and in the highchair. She has also become more tolerant with her jumperoo and will sit there and play for more extended periods of time. 

You can see how congested she is in this month's photo, but she's smiling through it. Bless her little heart. 

Joey: 4 Years

Joey is four! And what a smart, kind, funny little boy he is. I've noticed a ton of growth in this guy in the past year's time. He is very inquisitive and very observant. It's awesome to watch him process thoughts and ask questions. He loves to laugh and be laughed at. He enjoys nothing more than doing goofy things and people laughing at him. He also loves to be tickled. Anything to just laugh.

Joey continues to love imagination play. He likes to cook food for us in his kitchen, loves to play with his cars and tractors and loves animal figurines. Not only does he walk them around and play with them, but he lines up little animal figures and dinosaurs by color, size, type. He continues to love to have books read to him. He will join in an d"help" me on some of the more familiar books, but enjoys hearing brand new books as well.

In the past six month, Joey transitioned from his toddler bed into a full-sized big boy bed. And boy did we notice a difference! He looks so small in that big bed, but he sleeps SO MUCH BETTER! I don't know if the toddler bed just wasn't big enough, or what the deal was. He truly feels like a big boy in his big bed.

He is really into imagination play - which really livens up playing with cars and dinosaurs. Joey continues to love books. He enjoys being read to. He really enjoys books that focus on specific letters and tell a story with items related to those letters. He loves them so much, he's started to memorize them.

Joey transitioned very well into his toddler bed (several months back) and is potty trained. He will have accidents here and there, but wears underwear daily and Pull-Ups at bedtime.

As far as eating habits are concerned, I think Joey prefers to snack over eating main meals. This is something we're working on. He is doing really well at eating what mama and daddy eat for dinner, although there are some things that he's just not really willing to try. Some of his favorite foods include: sausage, waffles, cookies, ice cream, noodles, strawberries, apples, granola bars.

Joey continues to be good sleeper (most of the time) getting around 11 hours of sleep every night. He is trying really hard to give up naps, but I just don't think we're there yet. He is too cranky if he misses a nap. Some days we can get him to take one (and it will be a 2-3 hour nap every time) and sometimes we can't. He is required to rest for at least one hour every afternoon though. 

Joey is continuing to enjoy preschool and is doing really well, He is learning to write his name, cut, count higher than 10, recognize his letters and much more. 

Here are Joey's four year stats:

Weight: 28 pounds (3rd percentile) 

Height: 38.5 inches tall (15th percentile). 

Charlotte: 4 Months

At 4 months, Charlotte weighs 13 pounds, 5 ounces and is 23.8 inches long. She continues to be a happy, talkative little girl. And she's oh so sweet.

Charlie is starting to sleep a little more at night. She's going consistently 10-12 hours between feedings at night (most nights) and is going 2 1/2 - 4 hours between feedings during the day. She is taking a bottle on a consistent basis during the day at daycare! She started daycare almost two weeks ago and is doing great!

She continues to love her playmat. She scoots around on it and rolls up onto her side while playing. I'm waiting for gravity to take over and for her to roll onto her tummy. She's trying to sit up a little. When she's lying down, she'll lift her head up like crazy, like she's trying to sit up. She loves to sit in her Bumbo and jumperoo and just loves to sit up and look around. Still not a fan of tummy time though.

This month's photo is a really good one. We're really starting to get the hang of this...for now.

Charlotte: 3 Months

Charlotte's personality is shining through more and more each day. Charlie is a mellow baby! She really doesn't cry at all. She talks when she wakes up at night to eat. It's actually pretty funny and very cute. She will really only cry if she's starving and you're not giving her what she wants, if she has a dirty diaper that you haven't noticed or if she gets hot in the car. That's really about it.

As far as eating is concerned, she continues to go 2 1/2 - 3 hours between feedings during the day and will range anywhere from 6 - 10 hours at night. She has been fairly consistent for the past week or so, so I think we may try moving her to her crib at night this coming week.

Charlie continues to love her playmat and is starting to scoot a little on it. All that kicking is getting her somewhere! She tolerates (at best) tummy time and is getting a little more tolerant of sitting in the Bumbo. She loves to sit up and look around though, so the strength and head control continues to progress.

No doctor's appointment this month, but the best guess we can calculate is that Charlotte is between 11 & 12 pounds.

This month's photo op was equally successful! I think she's starting to realize this photo thing is here to stay. :)

Charlotte: 2 Months

This past month has gone way too quickly! Charlie is already 2 months old! She's becoming more alert with each week. She loves to sit up and look around and has great head control. She continues to eat consistently every 3 hours and is starting to sustain a little at night. She's given me a four hour stretch and a six hour stretch, yet it's not consistent yet. She'll have a good night, then go back to eating every three hours the next night. I'm hoping she will start to sustain on a more consistent basis soon.

Charlie continues to enjoy the company of her giraffe, she also enjoys her swing and her playmat. She loves to snuggle and enjoys being bounced and looking around. She's definitely a sweet little baby.

This month, Charlie is weighing in at 10 pounds, 7 ounces and is 22.3 inches long. Unfortunately, she came down with a little virus and was unable to get her two month vaccinations on schedule. She will have to go back in a week or so, when she's feeling better. This month's photo was a lot more successful!

Charlotte: 1 Month

Our sweet little girl is one month old already! Time is flying by! We've enjoyed the company of family over baby's first month here and are trying to fine tune her schedule. Charlie eats consistently every 3 hours at night, closer to ever 2 hours during the day. She enjoys lying on a blanket and watching her giraffe and loves to snuggle.

Charlie is weighing in at 9 pounds even and is 21" long. Here is her one month photo - which she wasn't the happiest about.

Joey: 3 Years

Believe it or not, we have a three year old! Joey has turned three. What an amazing boy we have. We cherish every moment and have enjoyed watching him grow over the last 36 months.

Joey continues to wow us with his verbal skills. He puts together crazy long sentences and is quite the story teller. He will come up with some of the funniest stories, telling us how something happened, why it happened and so much more. We're seeing him understand consequences and cause and effect. It's truly an amazing thing to witness.

He is really into imagination play - which really livens up playing with cars and dinosaurs. Joey continues to love books. He enjoys being read to. He really enjoys books that focus on specific letters and tell a story with items related to those letters. He loves them so much, he's started to memorize them.

Joey transitioned very well into his toddler bed (several months back) and is potty trained. He will have accidents here and there, but wears underwear daily and Pull-Ups at bedtime.

We've noticed a change in Joey's food habits. He is starting to become more open to trying new things. He likes to eat what mommy and daddy are eating for dinner and doesn't demand the items he used to (chicken nuggets, mac & cheese, fish sticks, etc.). Some of his favorites include cheese, yogurt, noodles, waffles, apples, bananas, cereal, Nutri Grain bars and more.

Joey is a good sleeper (most of the time) getting around 11 hours of sleep every night and still has an afternoon nap (2-3 hours).

Joey has thrived in preschool. He not only potty trained in two weeks' time, he's socializing better (not that it was ever a problem) and is learning so much. From songs to ABCs to picking letters and so much more. It's an amazing thing to watch.

Our pip-squeak is growing! Weighing in at 26 pounds (3rd percentile) and 36 inches tall (18th percentile). 

Joey: 28 Months

28 months already! And a whopping 26 pounds. What can I say about this kiddo this month? He amazes me daily. There's nothing that compares to watching the wonder and amazement through the eyes of my almost 2 1/2 year old.

Joey knows what he wants and when he wants it. He will ask for a specific food when he wants it, after he announces that he's hungry, of course. He requests ranch, ketchup, chicken, fish stickies, corn dogs, pizza, french fries, mac & cheese, beenas (bananas), oranges, apples, strawbries (strawberries), pineapple, corn (although he won't eat it), popcorn, waffles, muffins, donuts, pancakes, juice, water, milk...and so much more.

He can distinguish animals (giraffe, elephant, dinosaur, etc.) and colors. He continues to count to ten. The cowboy boots we couldn't get him into four months ago, he constantly wants to wear. I'm seeing shorts and his boots in the very near future. :)

Joey takes his tablet very seriously. Feeding "Bubble Puppy" is hard work!

Joey: 27 Months

Where has the last month gone? At 27 months Joey is busier than ever! From the second he opens his eyes in the morning, until the moment his head crashes into his pillow at night, this kiddo is running at full speed and talking up a storm. Conversations are being much easier. He understands us more and we understand him. We still have frustrated moments when Joey tries to express his feelings or thoughts and can't get them out, so he has a little melt down. Most of the time we can work through them with minimal tears, but it's a work in progress.

Joey is weighing in right around the 25 pound mark, slow and steady wins the race. :)

Joey continues to love to play with dinosaurs, read books, play with cars, trains, trucks, balls, legos...the list goes on. He's all boy for sure! Joey loves movies. He's particularly fond of Rise of the Guardians, Finding Nemo, Toy Story and Happy Feet.

He's a complete joy and makes us laugh daily. Joey's still a bit of a picky eater, but has a serious sweet tooth - ice cream, cake, candy...the list goes on. He also has a special place for chips.

Check the photo of this little cutie this month!

Joey: 26 Months

Joey is weighing in right around 24 pounds and is busy as ever. His verbal skills continue to grow. He says countless words and is talking in at least 5-6 word sentences. It’s fun to watch his brain think through what we’re saying to him and come up with a response. He is definitely not afraid to speak his mind.

Joey continues to enjoy running, jumping, playing outside, reading books, playing with cars, trains, legos, blocks, balls and so much more. He’s starting to enjoy coloring and will ask to color whenever he sees a box of crayons.

For his 26 month photo, Joey’s sporting his dinosaur pjs and slippers. He likes to put on his “dinosaur feet.”

 

Joey: 25 Months

Joey continues to amaze me with his verbal skills. I feel like he's changing every day. He understands what we're saying to him and repeats so much. New words over the past month include: basketball, soccer ball, giraffe, elephant, gator, waffle, grapes. We've even taught him to say Happy Halloween and Trick or Treat, just in time for the upcoming holiday.

He's also started to pick out more family members in pictures and call them by name: Aunt Steph, Uncle Travis, Grandma, Grandpa, Nana, Papa, John. He also says Eli and Adley - he can say each of his aunts, uncles and cousins names. He will pick birds and planes out in the sky and is obsessed with the moon. He's constantly looking for it. We are trying to convey the message that he can only see the moon when it's dark.

Joey is a happy kiddo. He loves to dance! Any music that's on will do. He continues to do the Hot Dog Dance and will sing more words along with it. He has also started doing Ring Around the Rosy - usually on his own, unprompted.

Joey is inquisitive - always asking questions: What's that, Who's that, What are you doing, etc. He's very nosey. =)

Although I always seem to feel like this kid has gotten heavier in the last month, he's hovering at right around 23 pounds, so not much different than last time.

This month's photo is another from the trip to the pumpkin patch this morning. Enjoy!

Joey: 24 Months

Joey is 2! Our 24 month bundle of joy is weighing in at 22 pounds, 10 ounces and is 32.5 inches long. He's a little guy, but the doctor assures me he's growing right on track of his own curve and is healthy.

So a lot of the normal things haven't really changed in the past month (eating habits, sleeping habits, etc.), so I thought I'd talk about some of the other things this month.

Joey loves the animals! He's constantly looking for the cats or the dog, calling them over by saying "Come here!" or loving on them. He calls Sam by either "Doggy" or "Sam," Jackson by either "Kitty," "Boo" or "Jackson" and Abby by either "Kitty," "Abby" or "Zabba."

Our little talker loves to count - counting to ten. He loves to count trees with me each night on the way home from daycare.

Joey has started to say "Yes." When I ask him a question, he will answer yes and truly mean it. Like: "Do you want some water?" "Are you hungry?" "Did you go poo poo?" It may not seem like much, but I think it's a big deal. It easier to carry on a real conversation with him. I also feel like he understands what I'm saying to him a lot more. I can ask him a question or tell him what we're going to do and he seems to understand me a lot more.

Joey has started to say a lot more words like: Grandma, shovel, bucket, door, truck, snack, cookie, cracker, popcorn, TV, monkey, brush, phone, tree, flower, Mickey Mouse. He loves to talk! And when he doesn't know what something is, he asks and then will mimic what I say. He's stringing words together into sentences and is up to four or five words in a sentence.

Joey loves to dance and jump. He lives to play outside and enjoys going bye bye. He loves blankets. Whenever we sit on the couch, he has to have a blanket on (even if it's 110* outside), and he shares. He'll ask "Do you want blanket?" and will put the blanket on you regardless of whether you want it on you or not.

He's a complete boy. Anything that's trucks, balls, water guns or tools, he is a fan of. He's rough and loves to wrestle and roll around. If I'm lucky, I get a kiss every now and then - although it's mostly sticking his face on my mouth and then moving on.

So, here's this month's photo!

Joey: 23 Months

Joey is 23 months, standing strong at the 22 pound mark. Luckily next month he has a doctor's appointment, so we can see exactly how much he weighs and how tall he's gotten.

Joey's verbal skills have grown more conversational - "Mommy, come here." "Daddy, sit down." "Want to go outside?" "Daddy's at work." He's building 4-5 word sentences consistently. He really seems to understand more too. I will give him options to let him choose and he will select something (shirt, book, etc.)

We've still got a picky eater on our hands. He still won't touch veggies (although they are still offered twice daily). He is sticking to the same main items.

As far as sleep habits are concerned, we're still at the one solid daily nap and continue to struggle with waking in the middle of the night and getting him back to sleep in him own bed. I hope he outgrows this stage soon. =)

Joey's walking has improved greatly. He doesn't really walk anywhere anymore, he runs. He's becoming more independent and doesn't really want to hold our hand, he'd rather do it himself.

Pictures with the chalkboard are continuing to be a struggle. I will have to think of something different for the next twelve months. =)

Joey: 22 Months

At 22 months, Joey is weighing in at 22 pounds. If he continues at one pound per month, we might get somewhere sometime soon. =) At this point, he's barely heavy enough to turn his car seat forward facing. We are going to hold off for another month or two though.

I spoiled it, but for the past ten days, Joey has been walking. We have noticed a great progression - he's gone from walking to running. He's much more confident and walks very quickly. He has chosen walking as he main mode of transportation.

Verbally, we've noticed a huge growth as well. Joey can and will regularly count from one to seven. He is talking more in sentences as well - want to go outside, where's the kitty/dog, want to go bye-bye. It's really cool because I feel like we're carrying real conversations with him. He seems to understand when I tell him what we're going to do for the day (eat breakfast, change clothes, then go bye-bye). His common response to me is ok. =) He's also started to ask actions from others - sit down, come on, etc.

Not only does Joey ask for high-fives on a consistent basis, but he loves to ask for fist bumps too. He'll hold out his fist and say boom. Joey can point out his eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hands, fingers, feet, toes, belly, boobies and hair. We're working on more complex body parts, like elbows, knees, arms and legs.

As far as eating habits are concerned, Joey's been on a real fruit kick lately - strawberries, grapes, pineapple. He calls them all strawberries and will whine for them. He still has his favorites. He's really been into "dips" lately. Ketchup (which he asks for by name) and Ranch. He loves them both so much he'll eat them by the spoonful. Joey's getting better with using his utensils. Recently, we gave him his own bowl of ice cream and he spoon-fed the entire bowl to himself. We were quite impressed.

As far as sleeping habits are concerned, we've had a few struggles in the past month. Joey goes down great for bed, but wakes up inconsolable in the middle of the night. We've gotten a nightlight and that seems to be doing the trick. He's still down to one nap per day (1-3 hours) and normally sleeps around 11 hours at night.

When I mentioned in the past that he was difficult to wrangle for his monthly photo, I obviously had know idea what chasing down a walking toddler was like. Geesh! Very slim-pickins this month, but enjoy anyway.

Joey: 21 Months

Joey is 21 months old and a little over 21 pounds. I feel like he's grown quite a bit height-wise.

Joey's appointments with the occupational therapist continue and we're seeing some real progress. He's becoming more and more comfortable on his feet, still not ready to take those steps without holding onto us or something else. His ankles are strengthening and we're seeing increased mobility. We're hopeful that it will happen soon. =)

Vocabulary, on the other hand, continues to grow. Joey is continuing to ask for things - water, milk, snack, etc. He will ask us where the doggy or kitties are. He's also started to say "I love you" which completely melts my heart!

No real change in sleeping or eating habits with this little guy. His favorite parts of the day seem to be bath time and story time. Since we're in the height of the summer, we've been spending a lot of time outside in Joey's baby pool. He loves it! Most of the time, I'm ready to come back inside before he is. He loves to splash, play with his toys and is obsessed with the hose. I've started to put a nozzle on in a light mist mode so he can continue to play with it after the pool is filled.

I've realized how much Joey's starting to look like a "big boy." This month's photo confirms it.