2.27.2018

Leo - Two and a half


Nicknames: LeeLee and WeeWhoa, but we often call you Leo John as well.

Clothes: 24mth/2T, 6 shoe, 5 diapers
Sleep:  You're a great sleeper although you've been putting up some nap fights. You pretty much nap 3/4 times a week but regardless, you go into your crib from 1:30-3:30.

Schedule: 
7:30am: up - and if you're not, I wake up you (in order to help avoid some of our napping issues)
8:00am Breakfast-  we go right to breakfast now and you have your milk in your sippy cup.
9-12am play
11:30am/12pmish- lunch
1:30 pm nap
3:30pm up/play/snack
6:00pm dinner with a cup of milk
7:30 pm  bed

Health: You are a healthy boy and we are beyond thankful for that.

Crying: When you don't get your way or if something isn't the way it usually is (like a broken breakfast bar).
Feeding:  You are a bit picky but overall a good eater. You still don't love meat, but I sneak it in here and there and you get lots of protein from other places so I'm not too worried. You love breakfast bars, cheese sticks, pirates booty, oatmeal, raisins, quesadillas and guacamole!

Likes: Right now you are really into The Lion Guard and love playing with the busy box we bought you at Barnes and Noble. There is a big landscape mat and you love moving all of the "guys" around the pridelands.

You love puzzles, you love books, you love running, you love Roro, being chased, watching The Lion Guard or Chuggington, playing games and going to school.
Not Liking: See above.

Milestones: Well, you're like the smartest kid I know ;) You talk exceptionally well, we never have a problem communicating, and sometimes you pull together sentences that honestly blow me away. You know so much more than I even think you know. Your verbal skills are incredible.

You know all of your colors, can count to about 3, and then everything else is 5, love to sing songs (current favorites are The Itsy Bitsy Spider and The Wheels on the Bus). You are showing some interest in learning your ABCs. You have a great memory and have been enjoying playing memory and matching games these last few months.

You are also fantastic with art, coloring, fine motor skills like playing with stickers, and really enjoy painting and art projects. I'm always impressed with you at school because you seem to have a great attention span and happily listen to the teacher during short lessons and then proceed to follow the instructions.

Your next milestone that we will tackle soon is potty training. You are showing some readiness signs, but I need to have a handle on life a little more before we throw another curve ball my way.

You also became a BIG BROTHER! You are the sweetest, most gentle, and caring little guy. You have shown sweet interest in Drew and always like to know where she's at or what she is doing. Her loud screams don't seem to bother you too much and for the most part, you've taken to sharing the spotlight really well.
Places You’ve Gone: We've been homebound this season more than you or I would like but we are so thankful for our big basement and having lots of family nearby!

2.23.2018

Drew - 2 Months Old



1 month

Weight: 9lbs 13oz (14%), 22.5" (28%), and head is somewhere in the 30%
Clothes: You are pretty solidly in 0-3, and have some room to grow in them.
Sleep:  You are a GEM of a night sleeper. As you'll see below, you get your last feeding (a bottle of pumped breast milk) at 7:15am, and only get up once at night. Typically it's somewhere between 3-4:30am. I have a feeling you'll drop this feeding in the coming weeks, so it really doesn't bother me at all.  **update, the last two nights you've slept through the night. Once until 6:30am, and currently you're still sleeping at its 7am! Thank you sweet girl.

During the day, I still don't have a perfectly kept schedule for you, but I love to line up a morning and afternoon nap in the rock and play if we can....but some mornings you take naps on the road in the stroller or in the carrier and then often take a cat nap before bed as well.
Schedule: I loosely follow Mom's on Call and the EASY method to line up our day. No two days are the same, but if I were to a pull a pattern, this is what we are seeing:
4:00am- Feed
7:00/7:30am- Feed, up and I also pump after this feeding for 10 minutes
8:15am- fusses early and is ready for a cat nap. This is normally when we try to walk/get out and she can catch some snoozes on the road.
10am- Feed
10:30am-12:30pm - nap
12:40pm- Feed
1:40pm - nap
3:30pm - Feed
Up/Fussy/Ergo/Catnaps
7:15pm-Feed and bed by 7:35pm

Health:  We are SO thankful for your perfect health
Crying:  You are LOUD. You go from zero to sixty fast, but for the most part, are easy to please.
Feeding:You're doing great breastfeeding, and my production is better with you than it was with Leo which has been nice. I think that also helps you be as effecient as you are, since our nursing sessions are really only 10/12 minutes. 

You take a bottle everyday, most of the time with dad, and you are taking about 5.5oz but it takes you about 20/25 minutes and you need lots of burp breaks!
Likes: You really love your baths, being held, taking walks and you've really started to enjoy time playing on your activity mat this month which has been really fun.
Dislikes: Being tired or hungry.
Milestones:  You are SO alert. Everyone comments on how bright eyed you are. You seem to be getting stronger with your neck control each day and this month you started blowing raspberries, coo-ing here and there, tracking items, and swatting at some toys.
Places You’ve Gone:  Nothing crazy - we're still not out and about at full steam ahead just yet but we did go out on our first family outing in public! We took you and your brother to the brewery which was really fun. We stayed for about an hour and you were perfection!
Postpartum: As far as recovery, physically I feel 100%. I still have 15 pounds to lose of baby weight which doesn't seem to want to fall off itself like it did with Leo, so that sucks. I've tried to get in a few workouts on our new treadmill, and while it has been great for my mind, the scale isn't budging yet.

Leo: Ohhh how he loves you. He always wants to hug baby Drew, likes to know where she is at all times, and has been having fun "playing" with her on the activity mat. Current game = baby Drew kicking Leo, which he thinks is hilarious!

2.12.2018

Checking In

As I sit down to write this, I've got two protesting naps, so we'll see if I can get even more than a minute of thoughts down on paper.


Things have been good here, but I'm still getting used to the pace of two. Finding time to blog during the week almost feels laughable. I feel like I'm running from one place to the next, pretty much 24 hours a day, and when Joel walks in the door, I typically have a glass of wine and fight to keep my eyes open past 8pm.

Thankfully she has been giving us some nice stretches at night, so we are at least semi-functioning. 


We're hanging in there and even though the days are long, the weeks keep ticking by somehow! I'm eager for this weather to start getting above thirty degrees so we can at least get outside for a few walks. That's been the hardest thing this time around.....so many less walks. With Leo - in California - we walked three times a day. Any time he was fussy, we headed out, and it was sooooo good for both of us. With Drew being born in December in Chicago, we haven't had as many opportunities so I'm counting the hours here!

 

 
 
We've gotten creative with our indoor activities too - lots of arts and crafts, baking, water activities, baths.......and Leo's been watching a lot more TV too.

 

  
 

 

Leo has been missing his outside time and chances to burn some energy - but recently signed him up for a sports class that he has been loving. 


The class is actually for 3 year olds (and you can tell why around the 40 minute mark when Leo starts to fade), but he's having so much fun and it's been a great thing for the 3 of us to do. 

He also had a special treat last weekend to go to Disney on Ice with Coco and Papa. 


I wasn't sure how he would do, but they had prime seats on the ice and the show kept him entertained the entire time.  


In all of our home time - I've been chomping at the decorating bit a little. Adding some artwork to some bare walls, changing up our guest room bedding (having a very hard time!) - and possibly ours since my comforter just burned in the dryer (shit....), and making some upgrades to the basement. I'll hopefully share those before April!