Brooklyn is 5!!

Oh my sweet firstborn! How did you turn 5 today?

You have lost your baby/toddler look and are a full on big kid now! You've moved on to a real kid bike (with training wheels), you don't need our help to swing, and you've outgrown all of the toddler sized play structures in our backyard.

You are an amazing big sister - always showing Dylan and Griffin how to do things, helping them with zippers, or giving them a boost on to the couch or up the slide. I love that even when they come and mess up your work you use your words (even if they are piercingly loud words) and rarely ever push or hit out of frustration. I love that you are quick to forgive.

I love the way you are enjoying the competition of games but after winning will move my game piece to the finish line so that I can "win" too. When you include a friend from school or teacher who was out sick in your prayers it makes my heart full seeing the little ways you think of others.

I'm fascinated at the things you learn and the excitement that you have for learning and for reading. I hope that excitement stays with you your entire life. Seeing the joy on your face as you finished reading your 1st book all by yourself last week was one of my favorite memories.

I'm beginning to see you've inherited some of my anxiety and while a little nervousness is healthy I pray that your daddy and I can model well for you that with Jesus there is a courage and a peace that can overcome any fear or worry.

You have compassion for others, are a seeker of justice, have a thirst for knowledge,  a desire to inform others, an incredible memory, and a tender heart. We love you Beeks and pray blessings over your 5th year!

Dylan - 13 months

Height:29in

Weight:20 lbs

Milestones:

Teeth: 12

Eating: whatever we eat lol! The girl can chow down! We are off formula and she's taken to milk just fine. She'll have milk at breakfast and after dinner but before we brush teeth (omg, y'all she is obsessed with brushing her teeth!) and get ready for bed.

Sleeping: we moved her and griffin in together (and got rid of the glider and a changing table) in what used to be the playroom and they are a hoot together. She is at 1 nap a day when griff naps so noon-3, although they are usually in there squealing at each other until at least 12:30) then they go down at 7pm and sleep until 7am.

She's also learned to give the best hugs!! 

Dylan's 1st Birthday!

One whole year! What kind of warp speed planet are we living in? It doesn't help that I'm posting this like 2 weeks after her birthday either- HA!

Ok stats then fun stuff!

Height: 29 in

Weight: 20.2 lbs of spitfire

She's got 10 teeth, and she's standing on her own. (she's taken her 1st steps but that happened after her 1st bday so it'll be officially logged in her 13 month stats lol). She's dropped to 2 bottles a day -one before nap and one before bed. I give her milk in the morning and she likes it ok but never drinks more than an ounce or 2. I'll be slowly adding more milk to her formula so we will hopefully be done with the million dollar formula this month!

Homegirl can EAT. she eats nearly anything and everything you put in front of her and always seems to be up for eating. She generally sleeps 6:30-6:30 but has woken up a few nights here and there most likely because she's been cutting teeth like a madwoman. She is already down to 1 nap a day so I feed the kids lunch and put Griffin and Dylan down for their naps she'll sleep from noon-2 sometimes 3.

She gives hugs and kisses and does so with gusto. Hugs get a little loving grunt and pats on the shoulder and kisses get "MWAH!" and slobber! She can say Mama, Dada, Pool, No, and nod her head yes when asked if she wants something. She can moo and bark lol.

She loves upbeat music and will dance when it comes on. She's feisty and will stand her ground even with her older siblings. You can be building her a block tower and her siblings can be building their own and she will go out of her way to go knock theirs down, then laugh about it. She has this high pitched yell she does when she doesn't get her way. She is fearless and I always have to hold her with both arms as she's always trying to lunge for all the things. She is a go getter and very determined little girl who won't put up with anyone's crap.

That said, she's also pretty in tune with reading feelings and faces. Certain looks and tones from people will bring tears, while other tones get her giggle going. I remember finding out I was pregnant with her and crying, then crying harder because I already felt as if I'd failed her by not being excited about this surprise pregnancy. I 100% believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that God knew I wanted another baby and he also knew that my fear and anxiety had me thinking after Griffin that there was no way I'd have another kiddo out of my body.  This little surprise baby has fulfilled the desires of my heart. Her siblings and Daddy adore her and the feeling is mutual. Praying God's will is fulfilled in her life. We love you DeeDee!

Dylan is 11 months.

...and just like that, we are entering the last month of babyhood. She's still our feisty lil' nugget. She's our kiddo that growls and shrieks with joy when she's happy, and flails and screams when she's not. She's a go getter and doesn't let any obstacle stop her from getting what she wants- which often is whatever snack Griffin has- homegirl just snatches it. Then Griffin wails because he's our feelings kid.

Height: 29 in.

Weight: 19.5 lbs

Milestones:

Takes 4 bottles a day, water between and 3 meals and snacks. She's a human garbage disposal. She essentially eats whatever we or the kids eat now and I'm not having to worry as much about cutting stuff as small. 

Sleeps amazingly when she's not cutting teeth. She also is basically only napping once a day after lunch which works out better for us schedule wise.

Tooth count is at 8.

She is starting to cruise and can let go and stand on her own for a second before falling and is constantly practicing.

She's loving following Brooklyn and Griffin around the house and trying to do anything and everything they do.

Griffin turns 2!

Oh buddy!

This year went warp speed with Dylan being added to the mix. I sometimes feel a little sad that I maybe didn't get to cherish and savor some of Griffin's 2nd year milestones and moments like I would have wanted to, but seeing his adoration for his sisters reminds me that there are many more moments to come and I'm sure I've hung on to enough haha! 

Griffin ADORES his sisters! He lights up when one of them walks into the room or when we pull up to Brooklyn's school he starts yelling "Yay! Sissy's 'kool!!!" 

Griffin is our happy camper! He has a bounce (literally) in his step wherever he goes. He is down for anything as long as it involves being around people and being free to roam. He has such a sweet disposition (except when he's hungry then he literally lays on the floor and cries like you stole his dog.) and is my kid who stops to wave at every car that passes, or walks up to strangers and pats them to say hi. He's quick to apologize, hug it out, and be best buddies and he's so far been a go with the flow guy.

He still sleeps like a champ! He takes a 2-3 hour nap and sleeps from 7:30-7. He eats all the time and could eat his weight in fruit. Protein, eh, not so much but hey, he's a pretty diverse eater for 2 years old.

 He wakes up dry several mornings a week but is too focused on getting to the breakfast table to bother with trying to sit on the potty. He's still in his crib and I have no plans to move him anytime soon haha! 

He has taken off with his verbal development and is trying 4 word sentences. I can usually only understand half but hey he's trying! He can count to 6 and loves to dance. He loves puzzles and is finally willing to sit and read a book from start to finish. He could spend hours pushing a cart or stroller around- Practicing backing it up, maneuvering it around corners,turning it around Etc.

He has grown leaps and bounds just since his 18 month post! Praying this year that God would help us to always be pointing Griffin to Jesus! We love you Griff!!!!

Dylan is 10 months!

So I think it's finally setting in that I only have a few "baby" days left! She is such a fun little nugget!

Height: 28 in
Weight: 18 1/2 lbs

Milestones:

5 new teeth this month!! So we have a total of 7.

Still a solid night sleeper and really getting fairly flexible with naps probably because she has to be. We get 2 naps in a day - 1 is typically 20-45 min and the other is 1.5-2.5 hours.

Homegirl eats zero baby food. She just wants whatever we are having which really is easier.  She takes about 4 bottles a day 6 oz each and her last bottle is 8oz. She eats at meal time with us and has snacks when the kids have snack time (otherwise she crawls over and steals theirs).

She's pulling up to standing, not for more than 5-10 seconds but pulling up nonetheless. She waves and claps (it's a weird clap but it counts).

She babbles, squeals, growls and grins at everything her sibilings do.

 

Dylan - 9 months

This was a big month for the littlest Hare!

Height: 27 3/4 in.

Weight: 17.5 lbs 

Milestones:

We have a crawler! She started crawling a few weeks ago and is now all over the place. I am constantly vacuuming since our little explorer seems to find and eat every pebble, hair, piece of mulch etc. that sneaks it's way into our home.

She can wave  - although she doesn't do it often (and faces her palm towards herself ha ha!)but she can do it!

Says "Dada" and "NaNa" (although not in context most of the time)

Still at 2 teeth but seemingly always on the verge of getting her uppers.

Prefers table food to baby food and now frequently turns her nose up to baby food. She wants pieces of avocado, sweet potato, banana, steamed carrots, and cheerios. Really anything she can pick up and eat herself is fine by her.

Still napping 1 or 2 times a day for a total of 2-3 hours and sleeping through the night 5 nights out of the week. 

She's got a killer smile and wants to do whatever and be wherever her big brother and sister are.

She's recently become a rabid momma's girl. Like won't stay in the nursery at church, screaming her head off if someone else holds her even if mommy is right next to her, rabid. I mean, I'm flattered and all, but crikey. It's a good thing she's adorable. :)

Dylan is 8 months

We are 2/3 of the way to Dylan's 1st birthday. I've said it twice before and I'll say it again- this is by far my favorite baby stage. Here is what Dylan has been up to this past month:

Height:28 in

Weight: 18 lbs

No more pacing the floor with baby! Dylan now goes down happily for all naps and at bedtime and y'all it's GLORIOUS!! She usually takes 2 naps per day but the past week or so has had several days where she's taken a single but long (3+ hour) naps. Evenings this month have taken a hit in that she's been getting up in the middle of the night several days each week but we are literally up with her maybe 15 minutes- diaper change feed and we lay her down and she's back asleep by the time I get back to my bed.

She's loving solids and hasn't tried anything that she hasn't liked yet. I've given her puffs and she's loving those as well. She's still taking 5 bottles a day and then baby food at breakfast and dinner and she's. still. spitting. up. Not nearly as much, but without fail at least 5-7 times a day.

She's rocking on all fours and lunging at things but not crawling yet, although that doesn't stop her from getting where she needs to go. Between lunging and rolling, she is all over the place. She can also go from laying down to sitting up on her own. Once she's sitting she's pretty steady but still tips over frequently so we do our sitting on carpet only for now.

She has started to babble (and squeal). She's grasping at objects better but I still feel she's a little jerky and often seems to accidentally throw things.

Still holding on at 2 teeth.

Had her 1st ride in the shopping cart sitting up just the other day!

She's such a happy camper! I'll leave you with a little video of what my typical morning looks like with these three....

Dylan is 7 months

So much happening with nugget #3 this past month!

Height: 27 in

Weight: 18 lbs

• Sleep - 2 naps a day each an hour to 2 hours long and easily puts herself down, night is a solid 12 hours with an occasional waking for middle of the night feedings. Id' say we can lay her down and she'll put herslf to sleep 4 of 7 nights the other 3 we still have to walk her around until she falls asleep. This is all massive progress from 1-2 months ago
• Eat : Taking 6 oz per feeding and 8 before bed. We have introduced a few solids (sweet potato, avocado, banana, apples, squash.). So far she's loved all of it!
• Consistently rolling both ways and starting to try to get up on all fours. 
• 1st tooth! Followed days later by 2nd tooth!
• LOVING the jumperoo!
• Chewing chewing chewing

She smiles with her whole face, her left cheek is chubbier than her right and she loves anything and everything that her brother and sister do and I can't imagine our family without her!

Brooklyn turns 4!

Height: 41 inches

Weight: 35 lbs

4!!! It's like she's turned into a mini adult. The baby and toddler features are slowly disappearing and more and more "kid" is appearing. 3 was a whole new frontier in parenting as she learned to push every button and find and stretch every boundary imaginable. It was also super fun to watch her personality develop and see her learning to understand and communicate different emotions.

Here are just a few of the things she can now do that she couldn't one year ago:

• Hold her breath under water (for like 2 seconds)
• Ride and steer her tricycle alone (without crashing)
• Drive a powerwheels (only crashing minimally)
• Identify most sounds of the alphabet and is starting to sound out whole words (3 letter)
• Buckle herself in her carseat!
• Sleep without the bed rail
• Swing on the big swing without help
• Dress herself (minus zipping a jacket/hoodie)

Brooklyn is my firecracker. When she gets frustrated or mad it's, well, let's say a scene. She FEELS everything so strongly it's like she physically can't contain herself. The same when she's excited or happy. We are learning acceptable ways to express these big feelings without you know, throwing toys, or hugging a sibling to pieces. She wears her heart on her sleeve.

She's too smart for her own good. She's independent (well she desperately wants to be), she asks lots of questions and has learned to rephrase them if the answer isn't to her liking in hopes to hear what she wants.

She's such a helper. She gets upset if you take the trash or recycling out without her. She loves to help in the kitchen, rarely complains when it's time to clean up, and always is up for helping with feeding Dylan or helping Griffin with a puzzle. Lately she's been "cleaning" the bathroom mirror for me by smearing hand soap all over it and wiping it with a hand towel. I can't even be mad - she's so excited to show it off. 

Happy 4th birthday to our silly, kind, helpful, smart and beautiful Brooklyn!

Dylan is 6 months

Halfway to a year already! I'm pretty sure time goes faster with each kid (although some days feel like they might never end ha ha!).

Height: 26.25 in

Weight: 17 lbs

We have made some progress y'all! Here's what Dylan has been up to:

• She's been taking only 2 naps a day. The 1st nap can't be more than 2 hours though. If you try to do the "never wake a sleeping baby" thing and let that 1st nap go oh, say 3 hours....she will make you pay in spades when you try to put her down for nap #2.
• She puts herself down for naps most of the time now and we don't have to swaddle her anymore! She just gets her hand and rolls onto her tummy and passes out. Bedtime we still have to walk her around but hey I've gotten like 3 hours of my day back not having to walk her at nap so I'll take it!
• She's basically sleeping 10+ hours a night I'd say she's only getting up for a middle of the night feeding once sometimes twice a week.
• She rolled from tummy to back just the other day but has only done it a few times since so I'm not sure if that was intentional or an accident.
• Grabbing at and chewing on everything.
• Fits 6 month clothes snugly.
• If she's awake she's squealing (and drooling and spitting up)
• Definitely enjoys sitting up more and has really gotten decent balance in the last 2 weeks. 
• Obsessed with paper.

She's finally gotten to where she's happy pretty much all day and will let us know when she's hungry/tired. 

I love seeing the relationship grow between Dylan, Brooklyn, and Griffin. Below is a video of Griffin "waking up" Dylan. He adores her and is so sweet and gentle with his baby sister. 

Dylan is 5 months

Oh Miss Dylan! She is starting to get so much more happy. She's my "go for the gusto" kid for sure. Everything she does she does with intensity. If she's happy she's squealing with delight, if she's sad she's in hysterics.

Weight: 17 1/2 lbs.

Length: 26 inches 

Here are her 5 month stats:

• Rolling over from back to tummy non-stop and is spending more time on her tummy before freaking out.
• She's found her toes and she loves them!
• "Talking" all the time! Talking = high pitched squeals
• She's still taking 1 really long nap each afternoon (2 hours) and 1 sometimes 2 shorter naps (20-45 min) in the morning and evening. We still partially swaddle (halo sack) and she still needs to be walked (not swung, not rocked not bounced....walked) to fall asleep at nap and bedtime. I'm beginning to think I'm going to have to come to her college dorm to rock her to sleep in 18 years.
• As far as night sleeping goes, Dylan is all over the map. Some nights we will feed her at 8 and she will sleep until 6 or 7 am and sometimes she's up once or twice during the night. Sometimes she eats and goes right back to sleep and sometimes we are walking her around for 2 hours while she yells at us. Lately we've had  little more of the consistent sleeping through the night.
• She still spits up all the time. Like during feedings and even 1-2 hours after- still spitting up. I'm convinced I'll never be able to wear anything nice ever again. So. Much. Spit up. We have tried baby Zantac, dairy allergy formula etc. I've never looked more forward to feeding my kid solids in hopes the spit up will end.
• Loving the exersaucer.
• Taking 5 feedings of 5-6 oz.
• Drools all day so add that in with spit up and you have a lot of laundry