Elise at 7 AND 8 months :-)

So, I am way, way, WAAAAY behind on these! For time's sake, I'm gonna combine two months and try to do a more condensed version (yeah right!). Poor third child :-)

This lovely lady weighed around 21 pounds for her 7 1/2 month check (we were there for a recheck on her head size, more later). She is wearing size 3 or 4 diapers, size 9-12 months clothes, and size 3 shoe.  

  She is all over the place, rocking, reaching, etc. (so these month-by-month shots are getting tricky :-) Love!

She regressed in the nightly sleep department. I was lucky in that she was sleeping through the night around 2 months old (whoa...like a 6-7 hours stretch, not 12 hours), but with two colds and teething pain, she wanted to wake up more. We got in the habit of her feeding around 5 and then going back to sleep. It really wasn't a big deal (since we both usually went right back to sleep), and I got some solo time with the youngest :-) She is no longer in the sleep sack, as she turns all over the place. She can self-sooth easily and has nothing to do with a pacifier!

She is napping still 2-3 times a day, and she can nap anywhere, quiet or loud, which comes in handy! By far, her fave place to nap is in the Ergo with me carrying her (and I don't mind it either :-)

We have been feeding E rice and oatmeal cereal since 5 1/2 months. I usually added pureed veggies or fruit in there. But she has started using her pincer grasp to get chunks of fruits (usually banana, avocado, pears, and veggies (usually green beans or sweet potatoes) and the always-popular puffs. We started her on berries this last month, with the introduction of raspberries and blueberries, which she loves! This girl LOVES her some carrots, which is hands-down, her fave so far! We also started her on water in a sippy, which has  not taken too well. I have not been consistent, and she just wants to gum it :-)

This girl is becoming more and more independent, and in feeding we see it as well! She reaches for the spoon, and likes to grab at the food on her tray. Also, she can feed herself her own bottle when she is not nursing!

Starting at 6&1/2 months or so, E became great at sitting on her bottom. And she started scooting a little on her tush at 7 months as well. 

She loves her jumperoo and starting going to town jumping, instead of peaking at the toys on it, at 7 months. She is strong on her feet as well, and often stands on her tip toes while holding our hands/fingers. E also rubs her feet together and kicks like a karate kid. Her teachers once thought her feet were itching, but it's just one of her "exercises" I guess

She LOVES bath-time, and now that she is sitting up on her own, she really likes to play in there! And she loves to pull with all of her might on the towel rack in there when we are brushing her teeth :-)

This gal loves books, any soft book, as she grabs to chew on it. She also likes the board/finger puppet books, and "In My Flower" seem to be her current fave.  She tries to turn the pages and chew on the corners of them...those top teeth have been trying to come in for forever it seems!

We celebrated Elise's first fall with lots of pumpkin patch pictures,

and trick or treating trips, with her dressed up as Wonder-baby :-)

 This picture will go with the paragraph on E's head size. So, she crossed percentiles at both her 4 and 6-month check ups, so the doctor was concerned about her head circumference (cases such as hydrocephalus). However, after comparing the growth chart to her brother Blake's, it was determined it is just genetic :-) This picture was from one of those warm October days...

Elise, like her brothers, loves the outdoors. Thank goodness, because we live by a creek, two large fields and four playgrounds. We did discover this month that she loves to swing...love!

She started separation anxiety already, which is earlier than the boys did. I will chalk it up to me having to wear her (in the Ergo mainly) most of the time when we are on the go or around the house when I am getting stuff done. I don't mind it one bit :-)

Other things I want to remember about E at this age: She is babbling (intonated) much more and includes mama, dada, baba and yaya. She can also do a chat, like her big brothers' Native American impressions, and is quite loud (she joke she makes her own soundtrack)! She loves when I clap and is trying oh-so hard to clap herself. She has darker hair than her brothers and it is slowing getting fuller. Maybe a clip bow is in our future :-) Not so fun things I need to document: she has inherited my dry and sensitive skin, can grab and scratch with the best of them, and had her first ear infection at 8 months. She has had three colds now :-( But she has the cutest nose-scrunch you have ever seen when she is congested! I cannot get over how much I love watching the two youngest interact. Since big bro is at Spanish School on Wednesdays, I get some one-on-one time with them in and see how sweet of a big brother Blake is (not that he isn't when Jameston is home, but he is usually following J around and playing with him more). It melts my heart and is just so so sweet!

    Sweet E,  We are so in love with you and thank God for you every day! You are the perfect puzzle piece to complete our little family (and your daddy and brothers just may be wrapped around your little finger already. You have definitely softened them up :-) We love you to the moon and back and moon and back again!

Jameston is 5!

Our first-born, Jamseton Wade, turned 5 years old at the end of September. It's so hard to believe our fun-loving, outgoing (most of the time), curious, silly, sweet (most of the time :-), strong-willed but sensitive, BUSY boy is five!! Where oh where has the time gone?! Seems like it was just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital and trying to figure out how to be his parents. What a fun five years it has been!

List of favorites in the above picture: color (blue), drink (sprite), meal (mac and cheese with hot dogs and broccoli. very detailed, that boy!), book (Marvel superheroes), song (VBS song, All Around the World), animal (lion), activities (coloring, reading books and telling stories), sport (soccer), movie (Despicable Me), TV show (TMNT). "I want to be an archer first and then a leader when I am bigger."

 We took in our long and lean boy to his pediatrician well-check. Below are his measurements:

Height 45.5 in. (93%)

Weight: 43 lbs 3 oz (70%)

He wears size 12.5-13 shoe

He passed his vision and hearing screenings and loved getting to draw for the nurses :-) We are taking him in to an ortho doc to check out his crazy long/curving second toes (talipes cavus) later this month! And we may be seeing an oral surgeon in the next year for his overbite :-) 

There is SO much I want to document about this fun and exciting (and trying) age! Things I don't want to forgot about our JW at age 5 are:

• He talks a lot! And asks tons of questions!! Never a dull or quiet moment with this fella :-)
• Most common statement he makes is, "I have a good idea." All the day long.
• JW loves to help me in the kitchen! If there is a simple recipe that isn't too messy, I always ask him if he wants to help, and he always wants to! And, when it comes to get ready for a special occasion (holiday, birthday party, etc.) he is on top of it! He will help with decorations, setting the table, etc. Love that he is so enthusiastic about it! 0
• He has been practicing math and counting to 100 since the summer. He can write his first name and we're working on middle and last names. He knows and can sound out all the uppercase/lower case letters. We are going to tackle reading at the start of the year! He thirst for books should make it FUN!

Quirky things about him that I have to document:

• He loves footed pajamas and is sad that he can only wear them about three months out of the year, when it is actually cool enough in TX to wear them :-) 
•  JW doesn't want to let on that he still really likes Mickey Mouse, since that is a "younger" show. So he asks if we can put it on for Blake or Elise.
•  He also still calls TV "td" and says "somefin" for something, even after correction.

He is now a SWIMMER! And he LOVES the water, any form! Baths, lakes, pools, etc.

He eats anything and everything. We swear he's always growing! But he LOVES love craisins, mac and cheese, cereal, and any kind of dessert (sweet tooth like his momma :-)

 

He could color/draw for hours, which often comes in handy when I need him to be preoccupied (long road trips, doctor appointments, etc.). I mean, the boy is obsessed!

 

And, like most boys, he really likes to build anything (puzzles, games, and LEGO's)! He has such a big imagination by the stories we tell together and can watch movies that hold his attention. He is into anything with superheroes, ninjas, ninja turtles, knights and dragons!

His absolute favorite thing to do is get into costumes and pretend...he can be a little dramatic, ha!

Like a lot of kids, he could be outside all the day long. So thankful for cooler temperatures so he can run off some of that energy :-) He likes to jump on the trampoline, swing, ride his scooter/new bike, play in the sandbox, kick the soccer ball...and just sit on the patio. So much fun (and tiring) keeping up with him!

Our oldest LOVES any kind of music (thinking about getting a (quiet) drum set for Christmas...maybe :-) but he especially loves the guitar and piano. 

He recently got a haircut but was sporting a serious curly Shag (see above pics)

We've had some behavior issues with this fella, mainly anger and self-control (vs. his little brother) and talking back and not listening (the first time) with me. It's been hard, but I feel and pray that we're getting there. I knew parenting was going to be difficult, but I mean....it's not for the faint-of-heart!

JW loves to lead (sometimes in a bossy way) and is a great big brother, most of the time, for that very reason. He has a similar personality that I did (before I became more laid-back because I'm now a mommy:-) in that he has a very type-A personality. He is a civil and social rule follower, for sure. He and Blake have their spats, but all in all, they are loyal brothers!

And he is suuuuper sweet with Sissy! At first, he wanted to just hold her the most/hug her the longest, but now he interacts with her not for competition's sake. He LOVES to make her smile and laugh, and he is quite the big helper for me with her (holding her, getting a diaper, helping entertain her if I have to tend to Blake :-)

  Love these three to pieces!

This boy, he has my heart. He made me a mommy. Hard to believe he's 5!

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Miss Elise is 6-months-old!

Our Elise Faye, or "Lisey" or "Sissy," as her brothers often call her, turned half-a-year-old! My goodness, time sure does seem to be flying with our third little blessing. She is such a sweetie pie and so easy-going, so I know that helps time to fly! 

These month-by-month pictures are getting much more difficult. So fun!

She is wearing size 3 dipes and size 2 shoes (little footsies), and can wear size 6-12 months on clothes. At her 6-month appt, the following were her measurements:
19 lb. 5 oz.  (92%)
27.8 in (97%)
They are worried about her head size, which we will check again in one month. Hopefully it's just normally big! Doc also thinks she has allergies, one thing this momma passed on to her kids :-( And the large head!

  New events this month are that little girl is a'talking! She is a babbling gal, and a LOUD one at that :-) She commands the attention of a room when she gets going and has a shrill/cackle of a cry! She will also babble "MaMa" when she is worked up (i.e., hangry :-)  

We also started cereal and some veggies and fruits this past month. She has tried banana, avocado, sweet potato, peas, and butternut squash. YUM! She prefers oatmeal to rice cereal, and her faves seem to be sweet potato and peas. Brothers like to get in on the action of feeding little sis. Messy but so sweet!

She is nursing or taking a bottle roughly 5 times a day and goes about 3 1/2 to 5 hours between feedings (longer in the mornings). She can hold her bottle now and is a temperature snob if the bottle isn't warmed enough

A sweet moment: Miss E napping with my sister's dog, Zep, when she was babysitting all three one day I was at work. Maggie said this was the only way she could get her to nap (poor gal was teething)

Speaking of sleep, this gal is continuing to wake during the night, usually only once though. Good thing is, she goes right back to sleep once she is fed the once.She is sleeping in a sleep sack and prefers her side or belly...

The main culprit, I believe, for this sleep regression: two little teefers (bottom centrals) making their way in all at once, poor thing!

 

Teething has caused our precious gal to make some hilarious, tongue-out faces, haha!

And to continue to chew on anything and everything she can get her hands on...

Regarding naps, she usually takes two good ones, usually around mid-to late morning and again in early afternoon. Sometimes she sneaks a third cat-nap in there around 5 or 6, depending on how long/short her prior naps were. We are on the baby-led schedule with two older siblings' schedule getting in the way :-) 

One thing is for sure, this little lady is full of activity. Whether it be her carseat rings or rattles,

to rolling all over creation (her hair is coming in more and more, and it is darker than the boys' is),    to trying to sit all on her own

or jumping in her jumperaoo or Johnny Jump-Up (hand-me-down from brothers)

Her awake hours are chalk-full! And, like her brothers, she LOVES loves loves the outdoors!

This past month, we traveled to west Texas for a seven-hour car trip. And she (and the boys) did GREAT! Thank goodness for good travelers!

She also started in the nursery on Sundays during class time (9:45 to 10:30) if she isn't napping. So CUTE! I'll be teaching in their next month, but here is a picture I snapped on her first day :-)

She also started showing signs of separation anxiety this month, which seems early to me (and surprising, since she's so laid-back)...she is definitely clingier with those teeth coming in. Breaks my heart! But as soon as she sees Brett or I, or her big brothers, she lights up! This girl loves for me to play Peekaboo, sing "He's got the Whole World in His Hands," and to play with her soft rings/books and any form of loud rattle!

A few things I want to remember about E at this age:

• She started doing this nose scrunch thing this past month (pictured to the right), she holds my finger/hand when nursing and moves her feet a lot when tired. And she loves when I make a fish face during her bathtime (our spout cover is a fish), looking at ceiling fans, mirrors and shadows, and she sometimes sings herself to sleep 

She loves her brothers and often tracks back and forth between them. 

 

Their loudness levels sometimes startle her, but, as I mentioned earlier, she can be loud right along with them!

She and Blake get to spend some QT with momma on Wednesdays when big bro is in Spanish school...he is just SO sweet with her (and calls her "my baby"), and she kinda likes him, too :-)

This girl will be Wonder Woman for Halloween (couldn't resist, with her superhero-loving brothers :-)  We are so IN LOVE with our little sis and can't wait to see what God has in store for her! Happy half-birthday, Elise!
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