5 Months Old!

Brody boy is five months old today. Where, oh where, has the time gone? He is getting so big and so strong. I weighed him today and he was sixteen pounds even which is exactly what Ella weighed at NINE months old haha! He is eating 5 bottles a day- most are 6 ounces and his bedtime bottle is 7-8 ounces! He has been eating rice cereal for about a month now and doing pretty good with it. Last night we started vegetables, giving him green beans for the first time. He wasn't sure about them at first and did a little shudder after his first swallow but then did pretty good, eating about a fourth of the container. As far as sleep goes, little man had a rough time from about four months until now but things seem to be improving. He is an early to bed guy, usually down by 7 if not 7:30 at the latest. He had been waking twice like clockwork every night but the past week has been down to one waking around 3 AM or none at all like last night. Hopefully we are on the trend to full night sleeping again! :)

As far as physical milestones, B is getting really good at his sitting. He was a tripod sitter for awhile, using his hands to support him. Now he has decided he's too cool for all that so he is not using his hands at all! This causes him to unexpectedly fall over sometimes when he makes a sudden movement but he is getting more steady every day. He is getting a bit frustrated these days on his tummy because he desperately wants to crawl. He will push up on his arms and flail and kick like crazy but can't figure out how to get anywhere! Poor little man! Hopefully he can figure it out soon although I am not sure I am ready for him to be mobile yet! :)

We are continuing to soak up the summer sun and just enjoy our sweet life. This past week was a bit hectic as I attended a conference for work all day Thursday and Friday. My mom watched the kiddos on Friday which was her first real taste of watching both of them all day. Things went great but I am sure she was exhausted that night! Jeff took the day off Friday and hung out with the kids and they had a great time. He left in the afternoon with Ella and Franklin for a quick trip to Sun Valley lake to see his parents. Apparently Ella just had a ball playing at the beach and riding on the boat. Jeff said she even swam by herself for a few minutes in her lifejacket! My little girl is growing up! She was SO excited to tell me all about it when she got home!

On Saturday I hosted a baby shower for a good friend so my parents offered to keep Brody overnight on Friday for the first time so I could get some cleaning and last minute preparations done. As any mommy knows, leaving your baby with someone else overnight for the first time is HARD! I thought it would be easier now that we have already gone through it with Ella but gosh leaving my sweet man was sad for me. He did SO good though and my parents really enjoyed having him. It was extremely strange to be home all by myself for the night but I was able to get everything done ten times faster than if my family were home and the shower turned out great! :)

Happy Father's Day!

Summer Lovin'

My top ten favorite things about summer so far:

1. Lazy mornings cuddling on the couch or in mommy's bed in no rush to go anywhere.
2. Making rainbows with sidewalk chalk with Ella.
3. Playing in the kiddie pool with both kiddos and seeing their huge smiles.
4. Girl time with Ella in the treehouse while Brody naps.
5. Long evening walks after dinner with the whole fam.
6. Seeing Ella change from a baby to a little girl in her swimming lessons and gymnastics classes.
7. Sweet baby giggles as Brody man and I have tummy time together while Ella naps.
8. Sitting in the driveway watching all the neighborhood kids play together.
9. Grilling yummy steaks and chicken.
10. Wine on the deck with my wonderful husband. :)

Sleep- Who needs it?

We all know Miss Ella was a notoriously horrible sleeper for the better part of the first two years of her life. She got us pretty used to not sleeping much at all and we spent many nights extremely frustrated, wondering if she was EVER going to sleep through the night. So of course when Brody came along, we were pleasantly surprised that he started sleeping long stretches at night around 8 weeks and first slept through the night at 10 weeks. So THIS was what most parents experienced in the sleep department! Well all that has come to a screeching halt the past two weeks. Starting with B's ear infection, he began waking at night presumably because he was in pain. Since then, sleep has been a nightmare. Now keep in mind, we also broke the swaddle habit around this same time because he began rolling in his crib and that made me nervous having his arms and legs constrained. So not only was he going through his ear infection but also the newfound freedom of being free of a swaddle in bed. Now when we put him to sleep he immediately flips to his belly, but once there he flails and squirms and has such a hard time getting comfortable. We try flipping him over to his back but he immediately goes to his tummy again. So the past few weeks he has been waking multiple times a night needing help getting back to sleep and occasionally a few more oz of milk to settle him down. It has been frustrating especially because he was doing SO good. Now I don't know if I will EVER get my good sleeper back. :(

In other news we had another fun week at home on summer vacation. We had a few playdates with friends which are always nice. I love watching Ella play with her friends now that she is getting older. It is so sweet listening to their little conversations and watching them entertain each other! This weekend we had a garage sale to get rid of some of Ella's baby clothes. We had a pretty good turnout and made about $300 but still have TONS of clothes left. Pretty sad that by 6 months Ella had a more extensive closet than her mommy! :)

This week we are looking forward to more fun in the sun! Ella starts swimming lessons which will be Monday-Thursday in the evening for the next two weeks. We picked up a new swim suit today so she is ready to go! I am sure she will have a blast! I am loving my days home with the kiddos and am cherishing every minute!

First Week of Summer

The kiddos and I had a fun first week of summer. It is SO GOOD to have this time to hang out with them and just be a family having fun. Poor Big B had kind of a rough week with his ear infection. He hasn't been sleeping or napping well and for a few days hardly ate anything and was vomiting up every bottle. It was hard to see sweet little man so unlike himself. Today was a bit better and he napped well so I am crossing my fingers that we are turning a corner.

Ella is just growing up before my very eyes and she is so very fun to be around! She had her first gymnastics class on Wednesday and did great! It was so cute. Her little friend Paige was there too and they hugged when they first saw each other. The kids did balance beam, uneven bars, trampoline, somersaults, cartwheels, dancing and more! Ella's favorite was the trampoline. Her face just lit up each time she jumped on it. I love watching her grow and learn!

We had a nice weekend with some great weather! Friday night Jeff and I took the kids to a wine tasting that my dad is a part of through Rotary Club. The grandparents showed off the kiddos to their friends while J and I sampled some yummy wines! Saturday we spent lots of time outside making chalk pictures and playing on the playset along with groceries and errands. Today we had a BBQ at my parents' house for my dad's 59th birthday. Ella called him this morning and sang happy birthday and I'm pretty sure that made his day. :) Looking forward to another fun summer week ahead!