Aubrey 6 Months!

Wow, an entire half of the year has flown by!  I know I wouldn't say this every day, but as a whole I can't believe that Aubrey is already 6 months.  We have had our fair share of "survival mode" days since her arrival, having two kids under two, but I must say it gets easier and easier as time goes on...and loads more fun!  I feel like we have finally hit a sweet spot, getting into more of a routine (which is good for all of us!), and just having more fun with her.  So here's to a Happy Half Year little lady!

Happy 6 Months Aubrey Lynn!

Personality:

-Your personality truly started to shine this month. Words to describe you: HAPPY, easy going, turn angry elf on a dime when you are mad, tough, not a cuddler, and crazy active (like NON-STOP moving...all the time!). More about a few of these...

-You are such a happy, easy going baby! As long as you are fed and aren't tired you are so chill and will smile that big gummy smile just by me saying "Hi!" When you are tired, you still become angry elf, but Mama can do that too, so I understand : )

-Chill baby being said, you definitely make your presence known! You are SO SO vocal, and love to "shout babble." Nothing is done quietly with you! Half the time I have to look at your face to see if there is a smile or an Angry Elf face to see if all the squealing is happy or mad!

 -It is becoming more and more evident how NOT a cuddler or snuggler you are! Even before naps or bedtime you do not want to be held, lay your head on our shoulder, or rocked for that matter. Too bad...mama wants to rock you at least for 1 song : ) 

6 Month Highlights: 

-You are more and more interactive this month, and love playing. I love being able to have you sit up in the Bumbo or Boppy and just play.  You absolutely love the piano that makes music and lights up!

-You started sitting up for short periods of time (like 2 seconds) when you were 23 weeks, and just kept extending the time over the next month! Now, right at 6 months, you still don't sit for more than 3-4 seconds (unless you are in the Bumbo or Bobby) b/c you are flailing your body all over the place. I'm convinced if you just sat still for one minute, you'd probably be able to hold yourself up!  Also on the motor development front- you aren't crawling yet, but I give it another week and you will be off! Since just before 25 weeks you prop yourself up on all 4's and rock back and forth!

-You really loved being in the jumperoo this month! You may be too short to touch the ground, but with a little pillow or blanket propping, you are one happy jumper!  

                               

-It's been fun watching your relationship with Bella grow and change over the last few months. You pretty much stare at her whenever she's playing, singing, dancing, whatever.  When you are both on the ground, you try and scooch yourself as close to her as you can, mostly just to grab her hair or her face. She doesn't appreciate it, but you are smiling the whole time!  

Oh how I love this one...it clearly epitomizes their entire relationship right now!!!

Sleeping: Right as you turned 5 months, you weren't napping much past 3pm and were just miserable come 5pm, so the 6:30 or 7pm bedtime just wasn't happening.  We started putting you to bed around 5:15 or 5:30pm and that seemed to help a ton!  I initially thought it would be your third short nap to get you to a 7pm bedtime, but nope you were out like a light!  Since I have to feed you "dinner" so early (like 4:50 or 5 pm!), I still wake you up around 9:30pm for a dream feed. You then sleep through the night, waking up once in the early morning to eat (can be 3, 4, 5 or 6 am!). I then put you back to bed and you sleep until about 7:30 or 8 most mornings.  

You take a morning nap about an hour and a half after you wake up, lasting about an hour, sometimes 1.5 hours. You then take an early afternoon nap about 2 hours after you woke up, lasting about an hour.  Most days I try to get you back down in the afternoon around 2:30 or 3 for a quick power nap (usually about 30 minutes or so); some days it works, others not so much! And then of course there are still plenty of days where you don't love consolidated naps and take 30 minute naps at a time, about 4 per day.

Breastfeeding: You pretty consistently eat 6 times a day, with an occasional day where you eat 7 times. You have an early morning feed that can range anywhere from 4-6:30am, then 9 am, noon, 3ish, 5 pm, and 9:30pm.  We wake you up at 9:30 at night because when we stopped doing that, you'd wake up multiple times during the night and that just wasn't fun. You take about 10 minutes usually to eat, and for the most part take both sides now at all feeds. You are VERY easily distracted so I can't nurse with the tv on anymore or it takes forever. And let's not forget how long feeds take when Bella is around! Aubrey just soaks up every little thing she does!  Lots of pulling off, looking around, then going back on for a swallow or two!

Aubrey Loves:
-Playing on the play mat
-Watching Bella play in the playroom
-Musical toys
-Jumperoo
-Taking walks and being outside
 
Aubrey Hates:

-Being hungry or tired (yeah when that's the only "hates" list, you know you have an easy going baby!)

6 Month Stats:

 Weight: 15 lb 3 oz (approx 25th percentile)

Height: 26 in (approx 55th percentile)

Teeth: 2! Your two bottom center teeth came through at 25 weeks!

Wearing: 3 month, 3-6 month, and a few 6 month things. The 3 month things are getting too small for the most part, but the 6 month things are still too big.

Aubrey's Firsts this Month:

-First time sitting without assistance @23 weeks 
-First time propped on all 4's, rocking and getting ready to crawl @ 24 (almost 25 weeks) 
-First teeth popped through @ 25 weeks 

This Month in Pictures:

That little baby booty!

Those rolls...LOVE!

Enjoying some fresh air and afternoon reading on the deck

Happy baby in your jumperoo!

 You love going under blankets and squealing!

Bath time fun!

 So serious

 

 You love your Daddy!!

Isabella 23 Months!

Oh My Word! How oh how is my baby almost 2 years old!?!? I am seriously in disbelief that it has been almost 2 years ago since she entered our lives! I know I say it often, but our lives have been forever changed with her in it.  She is such a joy to be around and a complete blessing to us! She is literally growing up before our eyes and I feel like she is more than just a little bit older every single day!  Aghh! TIME.SLOW.DOWN!!!!

Happy 23 Months Isabella Rae!

And this is the face she uses to get whatever she wants from Daddy : )

23 Month Highlights:

-This month we had awesome summer like weather and played outside a lot! Most days we were too busy playing to take pictures, but we still got a few!  You love helping Mama with the garden, playing with "Shalkies" (chalk), and the bubble machine. 

You LOVE helping in the garden. You especially loved putting in the pinwheels which you call "Moovies" probably b/c I said the wind makes them move : )

-While you love your Mama, you are a Daddy's girl! You guys share a special little bond that I love watching! He loves spending time with you in the morning, feeding you breakfast, and then playing in the play room until he has to go to work (around 9). 

Enjoying a family dinner out!

 -Mimi got shingles (eek!) and was out of commission for about 2 weeks. We spent some extra time with Dani which was fun (if not a bit crazy having 3 under 2 in the house!).

I love when you guys crack each other up!

-You really started embracing your little sister this month, and for the first time actually asked to hold her! Sweet moment on a Saturday morning!  Then when I took her away to feed her you cried and said "More!?" Sweet girl! Since then you ask to hold her probably once a day.

-You are my little helper, and sometimes my little shadow! You LOVE helping me unload the dishwasher, you have to be sitting on the countertops when I am cooking, and when I work out, you want to be right beside me, imitating all my moves! You even love to stretch when I stretch after a run : )

Move over Mama, I'm trying to do this yoga pose! YUP, she essentially overtakes my entire mat!

Stretchin' it out after a 3 mile run : )

-We still go on runs with Tia and Dani at the Greenway every Tuesday and you love it! You love seeing Dani, you enjoy the ride in the stroller (probably b/c you eat cheerios the entire time), and you love getting out and pushing the stroller afterwards as well!

You LOVE giving hugs. Dani, not so much : )

Sleeping: You are still one great sleeper and we are SO grateful! You love your toddler bed, and have completely embraced sleeping in it with about 42 stuffed animals : ) OK, bit of an exaggeration, but for real you have 3 bears (all affectionately called by their color + Be = Pink Be, Brown Be, Teal Be), 2 "Ma's" (your bunny slippers!), and 2 moo's (one with your paci on it).

Bedtime is around 7 or 7:30 depending on what we are doing that evening (and I can forsee it getting pushed back with fun nights this summer!). You sleep great until about 6:30 or 7am, and then you stay in bed playing with your animals til we get you at 8am.  *YES, we are aware at how lucky we are she just loves being in bed!* There are some mornings we go in before 8, and you just shake your head "No" like, please get out of here...it's early and I'm not ready to get up yet!

You have also been an amazing napper this last month, sleeping 3 hours in the afternoon most days! Naps usually are from 1-4pm, or sometimes start earlier (around noon) if you are really tired. I think all the running around and time spent outside just wears you out, but there have been at least a couple days a week where I have to wake you up at 4 so you'll go to bed that night!

Eating: You are pretty picky these days and you know what you like. You started to like milk in the last month (maybe 6 weeks) and think it's the best treat ever since you've only ever had water to drink otherwise! That being said, sometimes you LOVE it and say "ohh" and "yum" the entire time you drink it, and other times you take one sip and decide you don't like it. So opinionated : )

Favorite foods this month: CHEESE (you would eat this 12 times a day if I let you!), cereal, "wahkies with boo boos" (waffles with blueberries), literally any fruit in the world, apple sauce, chicken nuggets, squeezies, crackers, PB sandwiches, black olives, fig bars, and you even request "moly moly" (guacamole) now!  

*Side story: I make guac in the same bowl pretty much every time and the other night Jon got it out to mix burgers/add-ins in, and she got so excited and said "Ohhhhh Dada....moly moly!? Yay!"  Ha...nope, burgers! That being said you ate your fair share of Mama's burger and "pie pies" (our homemade potato fries)* 

It's been really hard to get anything green (veggies) in you b/c you just won't eat them, unless they are in baby food pureed form. You will eat spinach in your eggs, but you aren't wanting those as often so there goes that.

 Isabella Loves:

-Singing and listening to music which you could do ALL day long!

-Playing outside, going down our slide, and "helping" mama do yardwork

-Snuggling and cuddling...you are our little cuddle bug!

-Going on walks at the Greenway

-Shopping! One morning we were running errands and on the last one I said it was time to go home in which you said, "No mama, More!?"

-Baths

-Playing in the hose or sprinkler

-Coloring

-Reading

-Eating good food!

Isabella Hates:

-Not being able to do something independently when you want to

-Having kids enter into her personal space (eg: Dani or Aubrey!)

23 Month Stats:

 -Height: 33.5 in (50th percentile)

-Weight: 26 lbs (almost 50th percentile)

Teeth: No new teeth this month so still 13 (4 center top, 4 center bottom, 1 canine bottom left, 1 molar on each side top and bottom)

*Wearing mostly 24 month clothes, although 18 month things still fit, but are finally getting small! We will be passing down all the 18 month jammies in the next week or so b/c they are finally getting too short.

 

Isabella's Firsts this Month:

 -You have expanded your vocab this month to about a gazillion words it seems! Wish I could keep track of all of them! Every day you say at least one word that I didn't know you knew! Things like saying "pockees" (pockets) out of the blue, naming almost all your body parts now as opposed to just showing where they are when I ask, and knowing opposites (wet vs dry, up vs down, on vs off) just show me how much older and wiser you are becoming : )

-You finally learned how to jump with both feet and get off the ground! You absolutely love doing it, and clap afterwards when you don't fall down!

-You are SO much better at going up and down stairs and if there is a railing your can walk (like a normal person) both ways, although I still prefer you to scooch down.

This Month in Pictures:

You both love baths...and despite your face not showing it, you love taking them together!

My BIG girl getting so tall!

Wow, this one takes me about 10 years into the future! I can see the preteen you playing beautifully for me!

2 smiles, matchy matchy outfits...I'll take it!

Aww, sweet lovins!

And this is how you eat your PB sandwiches!!

Sweet smiles! You look SO big in this one to me!

You LOVE wearing hats (no surprise since you constantly love accessorizing with bows, shoes, necklaces, etc!)

Playing with bubbles on the front porch and taking silly selfies!

I mean seriously...those faces!!!

Love this one- this is what I get when I ask for your pretty smile!

I love the rare occasion when we all get to snuggle for a few minutes on our big bed!