Rose-6 Months!

Date: August 20, 2020

Height: 25.6 inches (we measured her on 9/3/20 because they were off at the doctor lol)

Weight: (as of her doctor's appointment on 9/2/20) 16 lbs. 5.6 oz.

Sleeping Pattern: Things are finally settled into a nice pattern! Rose takes 1 long morning nap, a sort of medium length (about an hour) early afternoon nap, and then a short late afternoon catnap. (Of course I changed her schedule after writing this but we'll talk about that next month!) She goes down easy still, immediately into her sleepy pose of sucking her thumb and holding her hair while I put her in her sleepack. And she is officially consistently sleeping through the night! WOOOO! She usually sleeps 10.5-12 hours at night, depending on when her bedtime falls. She's the best girl.

Eating Habits: It's funny how ambivalent Rose is about nursing compared to James. She wants to eat and is happy about it but very quickly gets bored and wants to play and look around and smile at you and talk to her brother...etc. 

Development & Firsts: Rose's talking has been her biggest development of the month. First her babble started to sound more and more intentional and word-like. Then she definitively said "mama" and "bruhbah" (brother) on August 5th--and said "dada" on August 16. She usually says mama when crying/whining and usually calls out "bruhbah" to that whirlwind brother of hers (sometimes it's really funny like he'll walk away from her and it's BRUHBAHHH like "COME BACK HEEERE"). She also has really started twisting and rolling to her side more from her back, but no full rolls yet. I think she probably could but isn't super motivated lol.

Mischief: She's soooo grabby. Wants to grab at everything and everyone. She especially likes to try to take your food...or really anything you're holding. And she's always grabbing and holding (or pulling) my hair. She also still seems fully amused when she surprises me with poops, her little "hehehe" grin is honestly adorable. 

Cuteness: Oh gosh I mean she's just the sweetest sweetie. Rose still makes you feel like the most loved person in the whole world. She somehow manages to make all 3 of us feel equally special. She gives huge INSANELY excited grins to James and he makes her laugh like no one else (she'll even laugh at the memory of him being funny: any time she's on the side of the pack n play or if she sees him climb on the high chair-even if she isn't in it-she'll start giggling because of all the times he's made her laugh). He is clearly the most fun and funny person on this planet. She always gives Michael this slow sweet grin when she sees him like she is ever so pleased he's here and looking at her. And she always wants her "mama", if I leave her she is displeased and she is always just holding me and kissing me. She reaches allll the time now and that is especially true for all of us-little arms are usually being held out for any of us who are near her. And then those open arms turn into sweet sweet hugs (her hugging James is like omg the most adorable but I also love when she's sitting next to me and just opens her arms and puts them around me like "nooope want to be held please"). She's just so affectionate and smiley. She loves kisses SO much that she even is happy to receive them from stuffed animals. There's no such thing as too many kisses for Miss Rosie. Her demanding kiss cough has evolved into a cough of excitement and/or for attention lol. Her hair just keeps getting longer, it doesn't stick up in the back anymore (kinda sad, still so cute though), and I'm seriously starting to debate getting her some hair ties. It's so hard to sum up the cuteness of the cutest little girl. She's so chubby and has the tiniest little nose and the softest hair and such pretty eyes with long eyelashes and happy lips that are almost ALWAYS smiling (and don't even get me started on her many different and perfect smiles) and cute little grabby hands and tiny feets and I just love her.

Nicknames: Rosie, Rosie Rose, Rosie Posy, Baby Rose, Baby girl, Pretty girl, Coy fish, Lady, Ladybug, Chunk/Chunk-a-munk, "Little Chub/Chubby" (James calls her that), Scoots (Michael calls her that), Sweetling, Sweetie-girl, Cutie-girl, Honey girl, Honey bun, Little miss, Missy, Ma'am, Sweetness, Love, combinations of all of the above...

Talking: Constant sound from this one. She's a loud lady. Lots of high pitched squeals and squeaks, she'll straight up yell if she's angry or frustrated (or sometimes just super excited haha) and lots of little bits of babble. And like I said earlier she can now say mama (usually "muhmuhmuhmuhhhh"), bruhbah (brother), and dada! 

Favorites: James, mommy, and daddy. Playing with James (especially in the high chair or pack n play). Being higher up than James (she thinks it's funny to feel bigger than him lol). Anything with a face. Smiling and being smiled at/attention in general. Kisses. Being held and snuggled. Tickles/raspberries. Eating. Sleeping. Toys. Mirrors. Tags (Like the kind on clothes and stuff...it's weird but true.) Sitting up. Being naked and being dressed up. Getting dirty diapers taken off.

Dislikes: Teething, not getting enough sleep, and not being paid attention to/not having attention from any 1 of us for any length of time. She's become super clingy lol. 

Concerns: Still just the lack of socialization and missing everyone because COVID sucks.

A Day in the Life: She wakes up around 7 (usually I get James then we both get her), nurses, we play for a bit, and then down for a nap after being awake for an hour and a half or so. She usually wakes up again 9:30-10:30ish and I nurse her, play with her, then she and James both go down for naps around the same time (after she's been up like an hour 50). Then she wakes up around 1:30ish usually and I nurse her, we play some more. After she's been up like 2-2.5 hours she has a little catnap and then is usually up around 4:30ish. She hangs out in the high chair while we all eat dinner around 5:30 and then her bedtime is around 7pm, give or take. Honestly the times are pretty variable depending on how her naps are going. For her bedtime routine we read her a book then say goodnight to things on the main floor (including brother) and then one of us takes her upstairs and reads superhero rules to her and then changes her diaper and gets her in her sleeper and sleepsack. I then nurse her (while singing the song "Rosie" by Passenger) and lay her down (sometimes asleep, sometimes awake) in her crib when she's done. Every day with Rosie is a good day <3

Rose-5 Months!

Date: July 20, 2020

Sleeping Pattern: Finally got a good consistent schedule! She has 3 naps (or on random bad nap days I'll add in a 4th catnap). Usually 2 of the naps are nice and long (1-2 hours-ish) and then the 3rd is shorter, around 30-45 minutes. Then she goes to bed about 3 hours after she wakes up from her last nap (I aim for 7ish). Putting her down to sleep is so freaking easy. Naps I literally just put her in her sleep sack, where she usually starts sucking her thumb and holding her hair, and transfer her (keeping her horizontal) to her crib where she just goes to sleep. Bedtime I nurse her and then she sometimes falls asleep or when I lay her in her crib she falls asleep soon after. Then she either sleeps all night or, sometimes, wakes once close to morning time.

Eating Habits: Rose eats 5 times a day (or 6 if she wakes in the early morning) and usually only nurses for like 10 minutes, give or take. The little lady is still very easily distracted but I try to force her to eat, lol. She always seems so eager but then pops off and looks everywhere *sigh*

Development & Firsts: I can't believe it but Rose is sitting up completely unassisted, and actually for a decent amount of time. I'm partially attributing this to her solid foundation (aka the booty). It's really fun to just sit her down and put toys in front of her or have her and James read together. Her sense of humor is definitely developing and she thinks James is hilaaaaarious. He makes her laugh and grin all the time. Also: oh hi separation anxiety, not so nice to see you. She used to be so chill with just being put down and hanging out while I deal with a million and ten things buuuut she's less chill with it now. She'll still sometimes be cool for a bit but she is definitely not a fan of not being paid attention to. She also will cling to me (which is actually very sweet) or get upset because she can't see Michael or James. Pretty much she'd like all 3 of us giving her all the attention all the time. She also gets upset when she knows sleep time is coming, sometimes, because she doesn't want us to leave her (I know, heartbreaking). In other news: the teeth are still on their way. She grabs at things now (oh man is she grabby. Rose sees that toy? Wants it? Grabs it-cue James yelling that it's his. Rose sees mommy's hair. Wants it. Grabs it-ouch.) And the cutie has started holding on to her feet and rolling to her side from her back, so maybe fully rolling will be soon? 

Mischief: Honestly her sass is the main part, she's just super demanding and will yell at you a lot and man is she loud lol. Then she's also grabbing at everything so I have to police what she's trying to grab (Nooo Rose you can't have that piece of cheese yet) and my hair gets pulled quite a bit. I'd say Rose is more coy than mischievous-she loves to like grin at Michael from the side then bury her face in my neck and then repeat the process lol. 

Cuteness: As always...untold cuteness. She's just the sweetest, smiley-est, cuddliest, most loving little cutie girl. Rose's face just lights up when she sees any of us, she's so genuinely happy to see us, James is like WITHOUT QUESTION her favorite, though. She gets the hugest grin on her face when he interacts with her and he can make her giggle like no one else. She had her first full laugh fit from playing with him and just watching him be silly. She finds him hilarious and clearly thinks he's the greatest thing ever. She even has started putting her arms out to hug him and gives him kisses (which he enjoys but always wipes off after lol). She likes to put her arms out to us too-she especially loves to put her hands on Michael's face and I frequently am the recipient of many many many large drooly kisses and lots of things on my face being grabbed by sweet little hands. She's SO affectionate. And very assertive about making sure she gets the attention and affection she knows she is due haha. She just very adorably wants to be a part of things. We've started putting her in the highchair when we're eating (currently we just give her toys to play with, we're not starting solids until next month) which she really enjoys I think at least partly because then she's up on our level and more a part of the whole mealtime thing. And if we're all talking she simply must join in...which is cute but also very loud. Playing dress up with her is super fun: she makes every outfit the cutest and I love how just adding a bow to an old outfit of James and putting it on her makes it a whole new thing. She really is enjoying toys more and more-the excitement that takes her over when she's given a doll (or really anything with a face) is so sweet. She does this excited inhale (which James used to do too) and just like squeal (or...usually...straight up yell) in delight. All of her talking is adorable. She yells and squeals and oh the sweet coos. Her eyes will smile and her mouth makes a cute little turtle-y shape as she just sort of goes "oooh" and looks at you like you're her entire world. Oh! She also loves books now! She's so intent and wiggly with happiness when we read to her and omigosh when James "reads" to her....honestly there are few things more adorable. And...yeah. I mean there's so much. Everything. Everything Rose does is cute. 

Nicknames: Rosie, Rosie Rose, Rosie Posy, Baby Rose, Baby girl, Pretty girl, Lady, Ladybug, Chunk/Chunk-a-munk, "Little Chub/Chubby" (James calls her that), "Missus" (also a James name), You, Fuzzy Head, Sweetling, Sweetie-girl, Cutie-girl, Honey girl, Honey bun, Little miss, Missy, Ma'am, Sweetness, Love, combinations of all of the above...

Talking: Well...she's loud. She just talks all the time and is very demanding and loud about it lol. She especially likes to join in when everyone else is talking (such a little sister, wants to belong.) She also still makes just the sweetest coos. 

Favorites: JAMES (can not emphasize this enough, James is her absolute favorite thing. He makes her lose her mind with excitement), mommy, and daddy. Anything with a face (baby doll, stuffed animals, caterpillar on her activity gym, her grandparents on Facetime.) Smiling and being smiled at/attention in general. Mirrors. Books. Kisses and snuggles. Holding her feet. Being held and snuggled. Eating. Sleeping. The activity gym. Toys. Being played with. Anything she finds amusing in the moment (almost always James). Being naked and being dressed up. Getting dirty diapers taken off.

Dislikes:  Teething, not getting enough sleep, brother being too rough with her, not having attention/being put down if attention is not being paid to her, getting bored (must have entertaining toys/entertaining people at all times lol). 

Concerns: Same as always: just concerned about COVID and the lack of ability to see anyone or go anywhere.

A Day in the Life: If I'm lucky Rose wakes up close to 7, but if it's at least 6am I count it as the start of her day. I get her and feed her, then I usually get James after and we go get him fed and dealt with and I try to play with both of them. About an hour and a half after waking she goes down for her 1st nap. This is usually her longest one and, on a good day, lasts anywhere from 1.5-2 hours. She's usually up around 10am-ish and then I feed her and play, give James lunch, etc. She goes down for her nap about an hour and 40 minutes after waking, and if I'm lucky this means I get some nice chill time during her and James' naps (he goes to sleep around 12:30). This is usually her other long-ish nap, but not always. Worst case, she usually naps at least 45 minutes. 90 minutes is preferred. I feed her (hopefully around 1-1:30) and then she's usually awake for about 2 hours before her 3rd nap (unless she's had poor naps, then I may do closer to an hour and 40 minutes to foster a longer 3rd nap). My hope is that she then is up and eating as close to 4 (or no later than 5) as possible to get her to where I want her to be for bedtime. If it's earlier than 3 when she wakes up then she gets a catnap between then and bed. Either way, she has about 3 hours of time before bedtime. There's dinner and lots of playing. Then before bedtime I read a book to her (and usually James since he's there lol) and we go around saying goodnight to different things around the house (James thinks this is funny). Then Michael or I takes her upstairs, reads superhero rules, changes her diaper, and puts her in her pjs and sleeper (while singing a song). I then nurse her, sing Rosie by Passenger, and lay her down in her crib after she's done. Hopefully she sleeps until morning, but sometimes she wakes between 4 and 6am and won't go back down without me feeding her. 

Rose-4 Months!

Eeep! This one is super late. I've been really busy + we didn't have her appointment until the 29th.

Date: June 20, 2020

Height: 24.29 inches (as of her appointment Monday)

Weight: 14 lbs. 14.5 oz. (^as of Monday)

Sleeping Pattern: So a bunch of stuff kind of hit and changed right around when she turned 4 months and I barely remember what she was doing before. I think she had approximately hour long waketimes during the day, with 4 naps and sometimes a 5th catnap. And then some nights she sleeps through the night and some she doesn't! It's sort of variable. If she wakes up it's usually between 4 and 5:30am. But, schedule change ups aside, her routine is pretty solid. She gets put in her sleepsack and swaddled with her arms out while singing to her, then we usually just transfer her right to her crib for naps (she usually has already assumed her sleepy-time stance at this point: sucking her right thumb while her left hand holds onto/plays with her hair). Bedtime is a diaper change, getting dressed, sleepsack, then I sing while I nurse her also. Sometimes she falls asleep while nursing and sometimes she doesn't, but she always goes right to sleep after I put her in her crib. She's such a sweet girl.

Eating Habits: Typical of her age, Rose started struggling more with eating. Getting distracted, unlatching a lot, stuff like that. Some of that has been solved recently when I changed her schedule and eliminated a feeding so she's hungrier. But she's still a nice quick eater: usually she wants to stop after 5-10 minutes, but I try to make her eat for at least 10 or more. I always worry that she hasn't eaten enough (even though she's such a cute chunk). 

Development & Firsts: The big one is that little lady had her first laugh! On May 29 we were coming down the stairs and James was stomping and going "STOMP! STOMP!" and she just started giggling like crazy. Oh man it was sweet. She responds to her name. Object permanence has happened which means she has had some occasions where she gets upset that you're not paying attention to her or have left her (like for nap time). We've been playing peek-a-boo to work on it, and I think it's getting better! She's started sleeping in her own room all night and has her arms free of the swaddle. Other than that, she's gotten into toys and can grab them and pick them up and hold them aaaand most of all chew on them. Teething has really ramped up, too. And she still occasionally rolls from front to back. Sometimes she'll roll to her side while on her back but that's about it so far.  She's big on scooting, she frequently rotates herself 90 degrees to get to the items I put next to her on tummy time (in my attempts to encourage rolling).

Mischief: Honestly the most mischievous thing she does is when she won't eat because she's too busy smiling and cooing at you hahaha, it's the sweetest kind of mischief! She also usually thinks my reaction to finding a poop in her diaper is pretty funny, but in all fairness...it is lol. Oh and she does the talk-yell arguing with me and chews on everything. The best is she also likes to give BIIIIG kisses but also sort of try to chew on my face in a semi-attacking manner lol.

Cuteness: It's pretty  much all the same as last month-she's gosh darned adorable and sweet and happy almost all the time. I love her cute chunky cheeks and kissy mouth and tiny boop of a nose and big eyes and AHHH the hair (which has begun getting long enough that it's not really sticking up anymore-at least not naturally. Now it sticks up because she grabs at it in her sleep). Rose's sleep pose is so cute: right thumb goes right to her mouth and left hand grabs her hair. A sure sign she's feeling sleepy and she stays pretty much frozen in that position while I'm getting her in her sleepsack and then transferring her to her crib. I love it. And the fact that she just has to stop eating to smile and coo at me like...what. What did I do to deserve this pure and precious being?? Her eyes smile so sweetly, like, even if you can't see her mouth (or if its ya know, eating) you can tell she is smiling. Her big gummy happy grins are everything. She just loves to be in mine, Michael's, and James' presence. Rose has in fact gotten a bit clingy-she'll really hold on to you when you're holding her (usually a shirt but in my case it's usually my hair and OUCH-it's cute, but painful). She'll even sort of put her hands out to you to tell you she wants to be held or that she wants to grab you face (for kisses, of course. She still coughs for her kiss demands). Rosie discovered James' baby doll the other day and she immediately just cradled it like she was holding a baby and kissed it's head (admittedly in a much more drooly fashion than one normally kisses a baby's head) but I was blown away by this baby holding a baby. She also enjoys when I play with her feet or tickle her or make her dance or talk in silly voices or rub my head on her belly or when she's naked or gets dressed up or sees a toy or stuffed animal she likes or.....yeah. She's happy a lot of the time. Her talking is so funny because she has like two modes: sweetly and gently cooing at you (goooo, ahhhh, blowing little bubbles, etc.) or loud and assertive lol. It's either an enthusiastic "GAHHH!" or her talk-yelling where she is just making sure we are aware of her thoughts and feelings. It's good, she'll need that strength when dealing with her brother. OH MY GOD SPEAKING OF HER BROTHER. Rose and James...I can't handle it. They're too sweet. Too cute. She gets stoked AF over him-like she sees him and flips out she grins SO HUGE. He'll hold her hand when we walk downstairs after getting her from a nap and she's in heaven. He gave her her 1st laugh by stomping behind her on the stairs. He's frequently coming over to talk to her or cuddle her and she just loves it. He's her absolute favorite, she's always watching him and trying to coo and smile at him to get his attention. It's the most amazing thing and makes my heart swell. One day we had like a family dance session with each of us holding one of the kids and I swear she said "iiii" (like hi, ya know) to James and also was like "sing" cooing. She's perfect. 

Nicknames: Rosie, Rosie Rose, Rosie Posy, Baby Rose, Baby girl, Pretty girl, Lady, Ladybug, Chunk/Chunk-a-munk, "Little Chub/Chubby" (James calls her that), Scoots (Michael calls her that), Fuzzy Head, Sweetling, Sweetie-girl, Cutie-girl, Honey girl, Honey bun, Little miss, Missy, Ma'am, Sweetness, Love, combinations of all of the above...

Talking: Lots of sweet cooing still (especially when trying to get the attention of her beloved big brother) but she's really found her voice and sass this month. She'll put you in your place and make sure you know how she feels about things lol. It very much feels like she is talking to you in an assertive fashion. Her cough requests for kisses are still going strong too. 

Favorites: JAMES, mommy, and daddy. Anything with a face (baby doll, stuffed animals, caterpillar on her activity gym, her grandparents on Facetime.) Smiling and being smiled at/attention in general. Mirrors. Kisses. Her feet being clapped together/played with. Being held and snuggled. Eating. Sleeping. The activity gym. Toys (I think her favorite might be this one but she likes having a variety). Being naked and being dressed up. Getting dirty diapers taken off.

Dislikes:  Teething, shots (obviously), not getting enough sleep, and being left for too long? Maybe getting bored with doing too much of one thing (or when her brother gets too rough with her but she has a pretty high tolerance for his shenanigans)....other than that yeah she's still pretty happy generally.

Concerns: Same as last month-nothing really just constant concern over COVID and hating that she doesn't get to socialize or be loved on by our friends and family.

A Day in the Life: Her schedule has been all over the place this last month thanks to leap 4 and just getting older and stuff but it's the same gist as last month. And next month's schedule will probably be more accurate for where she is now. Essentially she wakes up, eats, we play, then sleep again. A cycle of that + taking care of her brother. Then she sleeps (in her crib, in her room) from 7:30/8 until morning or wakes up usually 4-5:30am. 

Rose-3 Months!

Man this feels late, so much has already changed since this little lady turned 3 months but better late than never! Here's all about our 3 month sweetie pie:

Date: May 20, 2020

Sleeping Pattern: Schedule has gotten pretty steady-I did play around with cutting a feed and nap but I don't think she was quite ready so we went back. She eats every 2-3ish hours and her wake times start at 50 minutes, getting longer throughout the day (she's usually awake about an hour and a half before bedtime) and SHE STARTED SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT! Woo! It's not all the time, she'll spoil me with like 4 days in a row and then like a week where she can't quite make it. But it's frequent and earlier than it happened with James so I can't complain! Her routine has become so easy, too, since she started sucking her thumb. I sing to her while I get her in her sleepsack, and I leave her arms out now and she usually starts sucking her thumb and closes her eyes. I then just put her in her crib and either leave or if she hasn't started sucking her thumb or has her eyes open I might kind of stroke her arm and keep singing for a tiny bit. And that has been working-although every day is a new adventure. Some days she naps amazing, others less so. Nighttime sleep is great, though! (Edit: after writing this, of course, naps went to crap. So I changed her schedule up! But more on that next month.)

Eating Habits: She's a good eater, quick! She just eats for about 10ish minutes then usually just starts trying to smile at me and I try to have her eat more just in case she stopped because she was distracted lol. She has 7 feedings during the day and then maybe 1 in the night.

Development & Firsts: Rose slept through the night for the first time on April 30 (8-6:30) and has sporadically been doing it since. The little cutie has started occasionally grabbing/holding on to toys. Although she's much more likely to grab and hold my hair, face, or shirt. She's started really focusing on things and people. She'll stare so intently at her grandparents, etc. on facetime and she discovered her feet and is always looking down at them. She very clearly knows Michael, James, and I and greets each of us with giant grins when she locks in on our faces. And then if we don't look at her for like a few seconds then look back she does it again as if we've just returned. She's noticing patterns in her life (mostly this is evidenced by her protesting/crying/griping when I start putting her in her sleepsack now that she realizes it means sleep time is imminent). She's super strong and holds her head up great and her upper body up on her arms. She's ALWAYS scooting, like she really wants to crawl. A lot of times she ends up rotated like almost 90 degrees. She also tries to stand when we hold her upright and crunches in like she's trying to sit up sometimes. But yeah that's mostly it! Not many firsts due to current circumstances being what they are-she only leaves the house for doctor appointments :(

Mischief: Ummm....I got nothing. Mischief is the purview of her brother.

Cuteness: I don't know how we got so lucky. Rose is the happiest just most pleasant and adorable baby. And, because she's our child, she's getting super expressive and her faces are just so good. I can't get over how often she smiles and grins. Like she just rewards you with pure joy about the fact that you exist and are looking at her. She'll straight up scrunch her shoulders up and giant open mouth grins at you, interspersed with coos frequently, just because you are paying her any attention. Me, James, Michael-she loves us and gifts us with her sweetness and it's just the most wonderful thing (seriously I can't get over Rose and James together. He's always trying to hug her or cuddle her and saying sweet things to her and she just staaares at him and gives him so many smiles). She also straight up POSES. If she sees me lift my phone up she 90% of the time all of a sudden turns it on and starts grinning and posing or blue-steeling it. She's insanely photogenic and it's so funny. Like the other day she was fussing then when she saw I was about to take a picture-BAM serious face then smiles and poses! And she's so laid back and lets us cart her around or lay her down and is honestly pretty cool with whatever, she rarely gets upset, but then she'll get SO INTENSE when she wants something. She will cough at you and/or grab at you for kisses and love. She'll also talk at you in a loud disgruntled manner if she's been left in tummy time too long or is too sleepy. Rose has recently discovered she has feet and she loves to stare at them, she also thinks its super funny when I pretend to eat them or if we clap her feet together. The lady is drooly (woooo probably teething...) and usually has drool hanging from her cute little lip. She'll also blow little bubbes (I was going to say when she's happy but I've seen her do it even if she's starting to fuss) and sometimes BIG bubbles with aforementioned drool combined with her cooing. She really latches on to little animal characters and toys with faces and if she's doing tummy time and sees them she tries to scoot to them. Her favorite is probably the caterpillar on the mat of her activity gym, her face lights up and she grins at it so happily. Something else that makes her happy, which surprised me, is getting dressed and undressed. James HATED that (and diaper changes) and she just gets like excited and smiles huge as you're changing her. A pleasantly weird thing lol. I think she both enjoys being naked and enjoys playing dress up, haha. I think getting her diaper off always feels like a relief, too. She doesn't protest being wet but I can tell she prefers it when she isn't. And I mean...she just always is looking around with wide eyes and awe (her eyebrows are always rising up like "oooh what is that?!", she's such a happy sweetie pie, and even her sucking her thumb is pure cute. Love love love this lady.

Nicknames: Rosie, Rosie Posy, Baby Rose, Baby girl, Lady, Ladybug, Chunk/Chunk-a-munk, "Little Chub/Chubby" (James calls her that), Scoots (Michael calls her that), Fuzzy Head, Sweetling, Sweetie-girl, Cutie-girl, Honey girl, Honey bun, Little miss, Missy, Ma'am, Sweetness, Love, combinations of all of the above...

Talking: She still coos a bunch and sooo sweetly. And it's sounding more and more like she's trying to talk to you. She's also started serving some sass. I swear sometimes you're like "ok clearly you're telling me something, you are protesting your current situation." she just like gripes at you with little talk yells. She'll also cough at you with an open mouth to demand that you give her kisses. So the lady knows what she wants and isn't afraid to tell you.

Favorites: Mommy, daddy, and big brother. Smiling and being smiled at/attention in general. She hasn't had much exposure to other people but I think she just likes people. She stares so intently and sometimes smiles on video calls and is obsessed with "the baby in the mirror" (aka her). So yeah, mirrors. Kisses. Her feet. Being held and snuggled. Eating. Sleeping. The activity gym-especially the caterpillar and butterflies she sees during tummy time. Being naked and being dressed up (she is smiley either way). Getting dirty diapers taken off.

Dislikes:  Teething (I assume), not getting enough sleep, and being left for too long? Honestly she doesn't have many dislikes. She's happy 99% of the time.

Concerns: Nothing in particular, just always making sure she's sleeping and eating and feeling ok and then just COVID stuff. I hate that she doesn't get to see anybody and meet them and gain more people in her tiny world.

A Day in the Life: Rose wakes up between 6 and 7 (I always hope for the 6:30-7 range). She eats and I get James from his room (either before or after Rose eats, depending on time). We play for a  bit, change her diaper and then she has a nap after about 50 minutes of being awake. She usually sleeps until about 9:30-10am. Feed her, play, diaper change, down for nap. Then she wakes around 12pmish (generally right after I've put James down for his nap, sometimes before though) feed, play (without crazy brother distracting me), diaper change, down for nap again. Then wake up around 2-2:30, I get James from his nap, feed Rose, play, diaper change, nap again. Wake and eat at 4:30ish then play, diaper change, and one more nap. 6-6:30 she's up and eating then we play until about 7:30ish (James is in the midst of his bedtime routine at this point) and it's Rose's bedtime. If it works with James' routine we'll all read a bedtime story together. Then I put Rose in her sleepsack, nurse her again, and then lay her down in her crib (usually falls asleep around 8ish). She's still sleeping in the cradle in our room at night and Michael stays up later than I do, so he brings her to our room before he's going to bed and then she either sleeps until morning or maybe wakes up and eats once in the 3-5am zone.

Rose's Birth Story

It's taken me awhile to share it but I am so excited to talk about Rose's birth story. It is honestly so different from my first labor and birth experience (which you can read about here) and I am so happy with how it went. To the point where I couldn't sleep that first night after she was born, I was just happily reflecting on how it had all gone and I had to write up my experience. I have no regrets, it went practically perfectly. So I'm so happy to share it with all of you!

(Disclaimer-there's legit labor and birthing talk here. If you're uncomfortable with that kind of stuff I'd probably skip this lol). 

For about a week or so before I went into labor I'd been feeling like it was going to happen any minute (we'd been pretty sure most of my pregnancy that I'd go a little early). I was starting to feel more and more uncomfortable and at an appointment with my midwife a couple weeks prior I'd been told I was already a couple inches dilated and 80% effaced. So every day that came and went with no labor was starting to be frustrating, just waiting around wondering when it would start.

Then I woke up Thursday, February 20, 2020 and while I was getting James breakfast I started noticing that I may be having some mild contractions. I, luckily, had an appointment that Michael and James were coming to so I figured I'd find out more information when we were there. At the appointment I had borderline high blood pressure and this was the 2nd week in a row so when my midwife came in she said they would have to induce me. But, after she checked me, she said I was already in active labor (4-5 cm dilated and 90% effaced) so she just approved them to break my waters and told us we could go home, get everything sorted out, then head to the hospital. So we went home, called Michael's mom to come stay with James, and got everything together (while also giving our sweet boy lots of kisses and I tried not to cry about the fact that these were our last moments with him as an only child).

We got to the hospital around 11am, checked in, and got put into our birthing room (I requested one of the ones with birthing tubs and oh my lord it was epic-ly large). We met out nurse, Lauren, who was so sweet and right from the get-go so conscientious about checking in with me about my preferences and needs and just really supportive in general. She also added some mood lighting to my tub and picked pink because we were having a girl-which we found super adorable and hilarious. My blood pressure was good, my contractions were there but not bad AT ALL (like period cramps). We met with my midwife that was on call that day, whom I hadn't met before. Her name was Laura and she was absolutely incredible. She sat and chatted with us for awhile and got to know us and our situation. She was totally cool with my request to avoid breaking my water and said she'd just wait until my next dose of penicillin (Group B Strep, super fun) to check me and then worse case scenario maybe she'd just strip my membranes if I needed it. She also totally encouraged me snacking on the sly (hospital policy=no eating during labor but I brought snacks to eat secretly and she actually lightly suggested it and I was like "I brought stuff!" Ha! Considering I couldn't even drink water when in labor with James it was so different).

So yeah...then Michael and I watched a little Netflix on his phone, chatted with some people, and I felt weirdly ok for the next few hours. Around 5ish Laura came in and checked me and I was pretty much the same as I'd been at my appointment that morning so she stripped my membranes (she said they were paper thin) and Michael and I went for a little walk around the hallways. Around 5:30pm my water broke in the hallway and things got real. Contractions got much worse. After about an hour I asked if Laura would come check me again to see if I'd progressed enough for me to try laboring in the tub and I was 7-8cm so they started filling that puppy up. The tub felt so great but oh man the contractions hurt (still so much better than back labor-what I had with James-but intense in a different way since I was in transition which was the part I'd had an epidural during with him so it was all just very different and definitely not fun). One thing that was the same as my last labor was my need for poor Michael to provide counter pressure on my back. He was the best. And Laura stayed there and supported me the entire time, she spoke soothingly to me and reminded me all those contractions were moving Rose down, and to just push whenever I felt like I needed to. When I felt the need to push they started getting prepared but then it became clear I wasn't leaving the water (there was no way I was going to be able to climb out of there and I had no desire to leave the delightful water). I had some primal yells come out of me that frankly I never expected and it was all super intense but at the same time I had some nice breaks between the contractions. After a couple pushes Rose's head was like halfway out but then I just had a long rest with no contractions. It was actually nice but super weird to just have her head halfway out. Everyone kept talking about how much hair she had and I could feel it and see it floating in the water (!!!) Then, after a few more pushes, her head was out. I had some trouble with the rest of her so they had me stand and put a foot on a seat of the tub and then one good push and I saw her come out, looking around wildly(so technically she was fully born just over the water, not in it). I immediately recognized she had Michael's eyes. Pushing took about 20-30 minutes and Rose Selene was born at 7:59pm. They placed her on me and she and I just cuddled in the water for awhile (she was screaming pretty intensely the entire time...in retrospect I suspect she was chilly) before they eventually cut the cord and we moved to the bed for all the afterbirth, etc.  And I got to nurse and stare at my brand new baby girl.

She weighed 8 lbs. 2 oz. and was 19.5 inches long-frankly much more of a chunk than I anticipated! A head full of hair that is still the 1st thing everyone comments on (followed by her cheeks, and then how much she resembles her brother). She took to breastfeeding brilliantly and is the perfect addition to our family. We all absolutely adore her.

This birth experience was amazing. I felt heard and supported and empowered and everyone kept saying how amazing it was to watch.  I’m so grateful for how different it was than how it went last time and how fantastic every single person was. Michael was applying counter pressure to my back the whole time, the nurses I had were so incredibly sweet, and there aren’t words for what a positive force Laura was for me in this labor. And I did it...I got to have an entirely natural labor where almost everything went the way I wanted and hoped. I’m so happy and so relieved and it really was redemptive.

And our hearts are so full. ❤️

Rose-2 Months!

Date: April 20, 2020

Height: 23 inches (as of her appointment today)

Weight: 12 lbs. 14 oz. (^as of today)

Sleeping Pattern: We've gotten on a good schedule (eats every 2-3 hours and is awake for about 50 minutes before naps) and the little lady has started giving me some super good night sleep! The night of her 2 month birthday she slept 9 hours (8pm-5am) and it was glorious. I usually just sing to her while I get her in her sleepsack, then we just sit until she starts to doze off and then I put her in her crib. Naps are hit or miss, she frequently wakes up and needs soothed and put back down, but then for bedtime (which I nurse before putting her down) she sleeps really well. I'll get into more specifics in the schedule, but overall she's a good little sleeper.

Eating Habits: Still a really good eater! During the day she eats every 2-3 hours still. She enjoys eating but isn't nearly as intense about it as James, haha. She's taken 3 bottles so far and has done well with those too (and doesn't even care if I'm near her so that's good).

Development & Firsts: As mentioned above, Rose had her first bottle. She's also rolled over from her front to her back 5 times so far (WHAT?) and frequently scoots herself forward during tummy time too. She is crazy strong. Really holds herself up well, and she's so alert and attentive now. First walk in the stroller (going outside helps combat going stir crazy during this quarantine business). First Easter (very low key, due to aforementioned quarantine). She is starting to show interest in toys, she loves the things that hang above the activity gym. And...I don't know she mostly just chills and smiles at us when we look at her. Not much going on developmentally to report on-oh except that she may have started teething? She's gotten quite drooly and gets fussy sometimes and chews on her hand or your finger like craaazy. Which-ugh. SO early.

Mischief: Still not big on the mischief, aside from getting her little hand out of her sleepsack to suck on lol. Or getting her hands in the way when nursing.

Cuteness: SHE IS SO CUTE. Her tiny button nose and pretty little lips. Her big old chubby cheeks (which might have a dimple in the right one but they're so chubby it's super faint lol). Her big pretty eyes of a yet to be determined color. ALL OF HER HAIR! Her chunky baby thighs and belly and delicate little fingers and toes. *sigh* She's also ticklish and is so close to laughing. I can feel it. She'll do what we call a "proto-laugh" which for her sounds like a little hiccup (James' sounded like a loud inhale lol). Rose is just so sweet and happy, honestly. She is rarely cranky and even when she is she is obviously trying her best to be calm. She's such a good sport while that crazy brother of her gets all in her face and climbs all over her she just stares at him and somehow still lights up when she sees him and gives him smiles. There is nothing like the feeling when she locks eyes on you and immediately bursts into so many HAPPY happy sweet grins. Her eyes immediately crinkle and a giant smile takes over her face-sometimes her little shoulders and hands will even come up for maximum glee. It's irresistibly adorable. And then she starts talking and cooing, especially if you give her kisses, which makes the cute smiles somehow even cuter. She's started doing this thing where I'll hold her by my head and she just starts aggressively giving me kisses and grinning and loudly exclaiming between kisses (I translate that she's saying "more! more!" when she goes "GAH! GAHHHHH!") Somehow this baby also likes tummy time (I mean...until she gets fed up about how long it's been since she was held/cuddled/kissed). She'll just sit there, pushing herself up, looking around, totally content and then she'll straight up smile! I'm so pleasantly surprised (James despised tummy time). When she's on her back on the gym she gets so excited to see the elephant and lion that hang above her and she gets very playful as she swats at them and swings her head around with a smirking open mouth. She still acts like "Oh what a treat!" when she gets to eat and has recently decided she quite likes being naked so is now pretty darn pleased about diaper changes. I also think she enjoys it when I dress her up in outfits (which she usually wears for like 5 minutes so I can take pictures and then she's back in a sleeper *sigh*) because she'll just smile and act so excited as I put the clothes on her-and she never does that for sleepers. I'm pretty stoked about it. She's so pure and wonderful and made of cute.

Nicknames: Rosie, Cozy Rosie, Rosie Posy, Baby Rose, Baby girl, Lady, Ladybug, Fuzzy Head, Chunk/Chunk-a-munk, "Little Chub/Chubby" (James calls her that), Sweetling, Sweetie-girl, Cutie-girl, Honey girl, Honey bun, Little miss, Missy, Ma'am, Sweetness, Love, combinations of all of the above...

Talking: She's a little baby chatterbox already. Rose loves to just stare at you and smile and coo, especially if you kiss her. It's like *kiss* "Goooo" *kiss* "Ah goo gahhhh" *kiss* "Ooooohahhhhh *gurgle*"

Favorites: Mommy, daddy, and big brother. Smiling and being smiled at/attention in general. Kisses! Being held and snuggled. Eating. Sleeping. Tummy time and the activity gym. Flowers, particularly the painting of them above the couch. Being dressed up (seriously, she smiles as I'm putting outfits on her...it's so weird and cute.)

Dislikes:  Being left alone or away from mommy for too long and coldness. Being overly sleepy. And...that's like it.

Concerns: Just worrying that she may be teething and then the COVID-19 general worry but I feel like that's unlikely so....yeah mostly not much to be concerned about!

A Day in the Life: Rose usually wakes up around 6:30, give or take a half hour. Depending on the time, I may go get James before nursing Rose, or I'll wait until after. We play for a tiny bit, change her diaper and then she has a nap after about 45-50 minutes of being awake. The morning nap is usually the longest one and she typically sleeps until about 9:30-10am. Feed her, play, diaper change, down for nap. Then she wakes between 12 and 12:30 (generally right after I've put James down for his nap) feed, play (without crazy brother distracting me!), diaper change, down for nap again. Then wake up around 2:30, I get James from his nap, feed Rose, play, diaper change, nap again. Wake and eat at 4:30 then play, diaper change, and one more nap. Around 6:30 she's up and eating then we play until about 7:30ish (James is in the midst of his bedtime routine at this point) and it's Rose's bedtime. I nurse her to sleep and then lay her down in her crib (usually falls asleep around 8ish). Since she's currently sleeping in the cradle in our room at night time and Michael stays up later than I do, he'll bring her to our room either if she wakes up or when he's going to bed and then I feed her whenever she wakes up in the night.

Rose's Newborn Photos

My amazing friend Amanda (who also did James' 6 month and 1 year sessions) of Amanda Ellis Photography completely blew me away with all the gorgeous pictures she took of Rose and our family when my little sweetie was only 11 days old. I mean...seriously...can you handle it??!

Rose-1 Month!

Date: March 20, 2020

Height: 21.26 inches (as of her appointment on Monday)

Weight: 10 lbs. 8 oz. (^as of Monday)

Sleeping Pattern: We're doing a loose Babywise schedule again. She eats (hopefully) every 2-3 hours during the day, could go longer at night (rarely does) and then has very little awake time. She mostly sleeps lol. We've been working on napping in her crib but she also will happily nap when held or put in the rock 'n play (only under close supervision does she do that). Night's are somewhat variable, she usually gives me one stretch where it's 3-4 hours between a feed, maybe another 2.5-3 hours then until the next one. Sometimes she has trouble after that before morning.

Eating Habits: Rose is a super good eater! And, luckily, much better at not overeating than her brother was. She usually nurses on just 1 side for approximately 10 minutes (with the occasional exception of like 20-30 minutes) every 2-3 hours, longer if I'm lucky during the night. She's got a great latch and is always delighted when it's feeding time (really, her face lights up with delight lol).

Development & Firsts: She held her head up for the first time within her first day of life (my babies have good head control, probably because they have tiny heads haha) and can push up onto her arms sometimes. When she's awake she just stares and will track with her eyes (she's started becoming more alert recently!). She also has figured out that her hands affect change-namely by grabbing at me and my hair and hitting the elephant on the activity gym. She also has tears :(. And of course everything is a first when you're a month old. She slept in her crib for the first time when she was a couple weeks old. She had her first smile, her first tummy time, first bath in her infant tub...lots of firsts! First pandemic too, ha ha....ha. Ugh.

Mischief: She's not terribly mischievous yet, just getting her little hands out of her swaddle is the biggest thing!

Cuteness: She is just so sweet and cute. Rose sleeps most of the time and I adore the way her little mouth will hang open (just like James did when he was a newborn). And almost every time she falls asleep she smiles. But then when she's awake her eyes are so wide open and pretty (and might go blue. Still too early to say) and she makes the cutest faces. She has a ton of hair (it's everyone's first thing they comment on...literally starting with the midwife when she was crowning lol) and it's so soft! After she's had a bath it's especially fuzzy and adorable. Rose LOOOVES kisses. Like...she smiles when you kiss her. She will literally move her head and press it into your mouth (or move it so if you just kissed her cheek now you're kissing her mouth). Her favorite kisses are from daddy, I'm saying it's because his beard must be tickly but he also just might be the favorite *harumph* She loves to stare at him, and James, and me, and outside, and the elephant on her activity gym...And she gets a cute little coy expression that is almost flirty, it's insanely cute. Unsurprisingly she also loves cuddles and if you've been holding her and then put her down her arms will be reaching up like she's hugging the air and just waiting for you to fill in the space. And the way she reacts to getting to eat is so funny, she gets all lit up and excited and her sweet little hands will come up almost like "oh my oh gosh little old me gets to eat??!" I can't take her. She's just the sweetest cutest little cutie girl.

Nicknames: Rosie, Cozy Rosie, Rosie Posy, Baby Rose, Baby girl, Lady, Ladybug, Squeaks (Michael calls her this), Fuzzy Head, Sweetling, Sweetie-girl, Cutie-girl, Honey girl, Little miss, Sweetness, Love, combinations of all of the above...

Talking: Just an occasional coo/gurgle (which are SO CUTE), some Abu (from Aladdin)-like sounds, crying, and gassy grunting lol.

Favorites: Sleeping, being warm and cozy, being held, being kissed, eating, activity gym and tummy time, her brother, daddy (like-a lot), and mommy.

Dislikes: Being cold (especially if it's a cold wet thing touching her...so baths must be quite warm or she is displeased), being taken from daddy (seriously she usually frowns or gives me an angry look), diaper changes, and generally having her coziness messed up in any way.

Concerns: Honestly...not much. My biggest concern is that I'm not able to give her as much attention and focus as I'd like since I'm not also dealing with her very demanding toddler brother. I also feel bad that she has that painful newborn gassy-ness but I know it should hopefully pass soon. Having done this before helps with all the worry, I feel much more calm about stuff than when James was new. I'm concerned about the COVID-19 stuff but honestly more in a big picture way and how it will affect the world.

A Day in the Life: 6:30 is the preferable wake up time for Rose, anywhere from 6-7 is possible, though. I nurse her, change her diaper, say hi to James (who wakes up around 7) and daddy, then I put her down for her 1st nap. Then somewhere around 9:30 she nurses again, has a bit of awake time and back down for a nap. Eats again around 12:30 (after big brother has been put down for his nap, hopefully), then I usually keep her downstairs with me/Michael to avoid messing up James' nap and she sleeps while held or in the rock 'n' play. Eats again at like 2:30/3ish, has awake time (usually some tummy time with an enthusiastic James) then nap again. Nurses at like 5:30/5:45ish (hopefully after I've eaten dinner) then she's awake for a little bit before we do her short bedtime routine (mostly just putting her in her sleepsack and then singing a song while I nurse her again). I then hold her for a bit to make sure she burps/is really asleep and then I put her in her crib. She then hopefully sleeps until about 9:30-10 and I change her into her overnight diaper then nurse her in our bedroom and put her down to sleep in the cradle next to our bed and I go to sleep too. She usually wakes up twice in the night to nurse and then right back to the cradle after being held for a bit to help with her tummy (12:30ish and 3:30ish). Sometimes after the 2nd night waking she has trouble and is up a lot until her wake time but every day is a little different!

Presenting...

Amanda Ellis Photography

Rose Selene

The cuddliest little lady was born February 20, 2020 (2/20/20!) at 7:59 PM. She weighed 8 lbs. and 2 oz. and was 19.5 inches long. I had a completely natural (and redemptive! Can't wait to share the birth story later) labor and Rosie ended up being an accidental water birth! She is the absolute sweetest, sleepiest, prettiest thing and we all love her so. 

Baby #2 Update- 36/37 Weeks

Wellll I'm guessing this is my last update. EEP.

How far along:  36-37  weeks

Due Date: (officially) March 1, 2020 (But I consistently measure for around Feb 24th)

Baby's Size: Like a papaya?

Total weight gain/loss: 35ish lbs.

Maternity clothes: YEPP except for pj's and large sweaters, etc.

Stretch marks: Still seems like I've avoided new ones! Woo!

Sleep: Not too terrible-just annoying when I have to get up to pee, and my hips sometimes hurt so it takes me a bit to find a good position, and I need to be going to sleep earlier probably lol.

Best moment of this week: My appointment this week they said she's head down and really engaged in my pelvis and I'm like 70% effaced and 2cm dilated so all in all things are moving along and this baby is gonna be coming soon! It made it feel very real.

Miss anything: I miss not having the soreness (in my hips and back especially, plus that pelvic pressure) and not getting winded so quickly. I also can't wait to not have the acid reflux and Braxton Hicks messing with me.

Movement: She's still so chill compared to James but since she's gotten so big I feel like all of her tiny little movements in there.

Food cravings: Still nothing I would call a craving. I do like always want sweets, though, lol. But that's not really unusual.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nopes.

Have you started to show yet: I'm super large lol. People are nice and say I look good though.

Gender: Girl!

Labor signs: Not yet! Just lots of those Braxton Hicks.

Belly button in or out: Sometimes the center pushes out a bit depending on where she's positioned in there.

Wedding rings on or off: On, barely.

Happy or moody most of the time: Mostly happy, just overwhelmed and also I get a little emotional thinking about leaving James to go to the hospital and just having to share myself with someone else is a little sad.

Looking forward to: Michael and I are having a brunch date this weekend and I'm pretty stoked about that. And just soaking up as much time with James as possible. And then finally meeting this sweet new human, seeing what she looks like, acts like, etc. And watching James as a big brother (pleeeeease let him not flip out lol).

Here's my 36 week update from James (which was my last one with him, since he arrived around 39 weeks).

Baby #2 Update- 32 Weeks

How far along:  32-33 weeks (I measure 6 days ahead of my due date, etc)

Due Date: (officially) March 1, 2020

Baby's Size: According to my apps a squash or a honeydew. At my ultrasound in December she weighed about 3 lbs 6 oz!

Total weight gain/loss: Like 30 lbs?

Maternity clothes: Pretty much exclusively except for pj's and large sweaters, etc.

Stretch marks: I don't thiiink any new ones.

Sleep: Meh there are good nights and bad nights, I'm usually so exhausted though that when I'm able to sleep I do.

Best moment of this week: It wasn't this week but my favorite moment from the last month was getting to see the ultrasound with my brother and sister-in-law and watch her just pursing and pouting her lips and stretching and being so so cute. This week's best moment is starting to see her nursery come together!

Miss anything: Being able to eat normally-started getting the acid reflux/heartburn if I'm not careful about eating too much in one sitting. And my hips not hurting.

Movement: I love feeling and watching her stretch and nudge and push against my hand. One of my favorite parts of pregnancy for sure!

Food cravings: Meh, still not a cravings person.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Have you started to show yet: I am very big lol.

Gender: Girl!

Labor signs: No-hopefully at least not for another month or so!

Belly button in or out: Technically still somewhat in.

Wedding rings on or off: On.

Happy or moody most of the time: Still really overwhelmed but mostly happy.

Looking forward to: Hopefully getting everything ready so I can just chill and wait for her to get here lol. Also seeing her nursery completely done!

Here is my 32 Week update with James!

Baby #2 Update- 28 Weeks

How far along:  28-29 weeks (I measure 6 days ahead of my due date, blah blah blah)

Due Date: (officially) March 1, 2020

Baby's Size: According to my apps an eggplant or winter squash (or a puppy...)

Total weight gain/loss: Mmmm not 100% sure....20-25 lbs?

Maternity clothes: Mostly with some larger or flowier non maternity clothes.

Stretch marks: No new ones yet.

Sleep: Not good but it's not pregnancy related lol-I've been going to bed too late because we've been crazy busy after James goes to bed and he's still getting up early (not as bad as he was though).

Best moment of this week: James birthday stuff and also there have been a couple times where Michael sang to her and she always very visibly moves to the side of my stomach he's on. It's super cute. Oh! And we bought our first little girl clothes so I'm excited to get those.

Miss anything: Not being sore and out of breath probably lol.

Movement: She's really started moving more lately! I'd say she's still fairly chill compared to James but I can see her movements and feel her pretty frequently now.

Food cravings: Yeah I just don't really have cravings I feel like.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Have you started to show yet: I'm large lol.

Gender: Girlyyyy

Labor signs: No!

Belly button in or out: In mostly but there's a little bit of trying to poke out in the middle

Wedding rings on or off: On.

Happy or moody most of the time: I'm overwhelmed by how much there is to do but I wouldn't say I'm moody! Still mostly happy.

Looking forward to: Christmas! Then getting more stuff for her and hopefully getting all prepared so it doesn't stress me out ha.

Here is my 28 Week update with James!

Baby #2 Update-24/25 Weeks

How far along:  Well now 25-26 weeks (complicated because I measure 6 days ahead of my due date and they only move the due date if I'm 7 days or more off)-I meant to post this last week but, ha!

Due Date: (officially) March 1, 2020

Baby's Size: According to my apps a cauliflower or papaya (or a bunny or a chocolate cake...)

Total weight gain/loss: Around 20ish lbs gained (which kind of blew me away because my weight gain has like doubled in the last month--I'm trying to remember, though, that I started out like 15-20 lbs. heavier when I was pregnant with James so it's ok if I gain a bit more).

Maternity clothes: Mostly with some larger or flowier non maternity clothes.

Stretch marks: No new ones yet.

Sleep: I had one rough night where I had a bunch of round ligament pain that kept me up from 2:30am and James has been going through some sleep stuff but otherwise mostly ok. I did just have to switch from sleeping on my belly though which is always a bummer for me.

Best moment of this week: Generally feeling her move, she's moving a lot more lately, and I had a great 30th birthday on Wednesday!

Miss anything: Hmm...honestly pregnancy wise things have been good lately. Not really?

Movement: Yepp! She is still definitely less active than her brother but she gives me some good kicks and nudges occasionally-especially if daddy puts his hand on my belly or if she hears James being loud.

Food cravings: If anything sweets but honestly that's kind of just me lol.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Have you started to show yet: Oh yes. Got my pregnancy referenced by a stranger in public for the first time this pregnancy which is always an indicator that the bigness has hit.

Gender: Girl <3

Labor signs: No!

Belly button in or out: In.

Wedding rings on or off: On.

Happy or moody most of the time: Mostly happy! Honestly just so distracted and overwhelmed by all there is to do.

Looking forward to: Getting some stuff for her nursery and her and starting to really rev up for her arrival-probably after the holidays that will kick into high gear!

James' pregnancy update from 25 weeks!

Baby #2 Update-20 Weeks

How far along: 20-21 weeks (complicated because I measure 6 days ahead of my due date and they only move the due date if I'm 7 days or more off lol)

Due Date: (officially) March 1, 2020

Baby's Size: According to my apps a banana or eggplant (one app has my official due date and the other one my more accurate one)

Total weight gain/loss: Around 10ish lbs gained.

Maternity clothes: Mostly with some larger or flowier non maternity clothes.

Stretch marks: No new ones yet.

Sleep: Mostly ok, starting to get a little more uncomfortable and changing positions through the night.

Best moment of this week: Getting much more definite movement and Michael got to feel it kick!

Miss anything: Not being achy? Mostly I'm ok!

Movement: Yes! Starting to get more and more kick-y lol.

Food cravings: Meh.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Have you started to show yet: My bump is definitively popped, lol. My friend Amanda commented on how it's like I hit the halfway point and just went BUMP.

Gender: GIRL!!!! We're so excited! She was so cute during the ultrasound, just chill and stretching her hands up by her head.

Labor signs: Nooo.

Belly button in or out: In.

Wedding rings on or off: On.

Happy or moody most of the time: Pretty happy still! And also still overwhelmed and stressed lol.

Looking forward to: Just getting things ready for her and feeling her grow <3

James' pregnancy update from 20/21 weeks!

Baby #2 Update-16 Weeks

How far along: 16-17 weeks (complicated because I measure 6 days ahead of my due date and they only move the due date if I'm 7 days or more off lol)

Due Date: (officially) March 1, 2020

Baby's Size: According to my apps an avocado/pomegranate

Total weight gain/loss: Not completely sure, approximately 10 lbs gained.

Maternity clothes: Some but I can still wear most of my non maternity clothes too

Stretch marks: Not yet

Sleep: Depends on the day, lol. Overall it's fine.

Best moment of this week: I felt the baby move a couple weeks ago and anytime I feel it is exciting.

Miss anything: Being not constantly starving lol.

Movement: Tiny bit every now and then.

Food cravings: Not really.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not in general, anymore.

Have you started to show yet: There is definitely a bump! Still very easy to hide but it's there lol.

Gender: Don't know yet!

Labor signs: Eep nope.

Belly button in or out: In.

Wedding rings on or off: On.

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy usually, sometimes I get a little more overwhelmed and emotional.

Looking forward to: Anatomy ultrasound in a few weeks and feeling baby move more!


(I think it's fun to compare to when I was pregnant with James so here was my 17 week pregnancy update with him)

James-18 Months!

Date: June 10, 2019

Height:  33 inches (as of his doctor's appointment on the 13th)

Weight: 23 lbs. 1.7 oz (^ditto)

Sleeping Pattern: Pretty much the same as my last update, just with a smidgen less overall sleep time. James usually sleeps from about 12-2 (sometimes he naps a little shorter, sometimes a little longer). We start bedtime around 7pm by cleaning up toys and then I lotion him. Michael then has him say goodnight to things and then they read his superhero rules. We floss him and help him brush his teeth, and then change his diaper, put him in his pj's and sleepsack, and read a story. Then we say goodnight to his stuffed dinosaur and tuck it in with his pooh bear lovey on top of his bookshelf. Michael and I then take turns on which of us stays with James and sings to him before laying him in his crib (usually around 7:30). He then falls asleep around 7:45-8ish and (hopefully) sleeps until about 7. It's a well oiled machine and I LOVE that lol. (ha ha ha since I wrote this we seem to have hit the 18 month sleep regression...I don't want to talk about it, ugh).

Eating Habits: Every day is a new adventure. Overall, James still eats well BUT he is definitively more picky and is constantly changing up what things he'll eat on what day (although some constants he always will eat: yogurt, bread, berries...obviously if ice cream or chocolate is presented as an option he's all about that.) But I know this is all a part of him asserting his independence and figuring stuff out so I just keep trying to offer him things and he eats what he eats. There have been some meals where he didn't eat anything but it's always fine. He eats breakfast sometime between when he wakes up and 8am, generally. It's usually yogurt and bread with peanut butter (he's come to expect it as his routine, but sometimes it's different and he's usually cool with that). Sometimes we do a snack around 9ish, sometimes we don't. Lunch time is about 10:30. He then has a snack sometime after his nap, around 2:30/3. Then sometimes he has another snack around 4ish to tide him over until dinner. Dinner is usually at 5:30 (6 at the latest) and then that's it--unless he didn't eat dinner. Then he'll usually ask for a snack right before bedtime and I'll give him a little something. He's a good eater, though. He doesn't fight it or throw fits. He usually happily digs in or just plays if he doesn't want to eat it. The other day he actually ate a little slider burger like a big boy and it was maybe my proudest moment. He's a cute little hungry hippo.

Development & Firsts:  I mean he just keeps getting smarter and talking more and more clearly. James honestly blows my mind with how quickly he picks things up. He quickly learned body parts (knees, elbows, "beebo" aka belly button, etc.) We started working on colors one day and like a week later he knew all the colors (and is a complete pro now)-I also love how he says orange. He says "oonge". He got a toy to put different shapes into for Easter and less than 2 weeks later he had it completely down and knows all the names of the shapes. Now he's been working on identifying letters (he has little books with animals and letters so some letters he identifies as the animal-if he sees a T he'll say "turtle", for example.) He knows "M for mama! D for dada!" His mind makes awesome connections: if I say something about "my mom" he immediately says "Grandma!" and knows who I'm talking about. If the freezer is mentioned he goes "ice cream!" (HE ONE TIME HAD ICE CREAM FROM THE FREEZER AND NOW IT'S JUST WHERE IT LIVES TO HIM). One that really shocked me was there was a big box we'd had delivered and he walked to the kitchen, asked for the keys, then took them to the box and put the keys on the seam while saying "box!" BECAUSE HE WANTED TO OPEN IT. He had seen us use keys to open boxes and put that together. Insanity. Anyway I'm sure there's been other developmental stuff I haven't even thought of but let's move on. There have been a lot of new teeth. February 9th James got his 9th tooth (his bottom right molar), March 2nd his 10th tooth (his top right molar), April 7th his 11th tooth (bottom left molar), April 27th his 12th tooth (top left molar), May 3rd his 13th tooth (bottom right canine), and May 30th his 14th tooth (bottom left canine). On February 23rd he got his 1st haircut (it was just a tiny trim by mine and Michael's hairdresser, Patrick). He did not like it and cried but even through his tears the sweet boy thanked Patrick.  There was a sad first on March 15th when he got his first stomach bug (which I then caught...then Michael...then Michael's mom). It was not a fun one. April 17th was an auspicious occasion with his first ice cream. He had a baby vanilla cone but mostly went to town on mine and Michael's chocolate peanut butter cones. HE LOVES ICE CREAM. It's maybe his favorite food now. He had a blast and asks for ice cream all the time. And then on May 16th he went to the zoo for the first time which was so much fun. He loved it and is still talking about it. I can't wait to go again but to the bigger Cleveland zoo next time!

Mischief: James still enjoys exercising his ability to yell, scream, cry, and just call "MAMA MAMAMAMA  MAMAAAAA!" He definitely understands the concept of mischief and revels in it (that's Michael's boy). He'll pucker his lips and go "mmm" for a kiss and then when you're close he'll run away giggling (or turn his head with a smirk saying "no.") . If I ask him who his favorite is he gets this glint in his eye then says "grandpa" BECAUSE HE KNOWS I WANT HIM TO SAY MAMA AND THE LITTLE STINKER LIKES TO MESS WITH ME. He knows exactly what he's not supposed to play with or where he's supposed to go and he loves to have fun with that. He'll giggle as I chase him into the bathroom and he slams the door shut in my face. If I come into a room and he's grabbed the DVD's off the shelf (he knows that's a no no, and will frequently wave his hand in the direction of them or other things he shouldn't mess with and say "nooo" in a somewhat mocking manner) he'll throw the evidence away and run. (Which makes me laugh internally). He does say no a fair amount, usually very matter of factly lol (just a short dismissive "no.)  He's a big fan of throwing things in the trash cans and in the bathroom he likes to rip pieces of the toilet paper off so he can throw them away. Diaper changes are still a struggle that usually result in distraught crying and running away/attempts to run away mid-change. When he's not upset, though, he has figured out how to purposefully pee whilst not covered and finds it sooo funny. I find the bladder control a good sign (you can see/feel him purposefully forcing it) but don't love the results. Sometimes he stills throws food which is frustrating but it is what it is. Ah and if it wasn't clear he can open doors so the world is pretty much his oyster at this point-we did childproof the basement door so he doesn't tumble down the stairs and the doors to the outside are locked but otherwise it isn't a huge deal. 

Cuteness: Look I mean have you seen his cheeks and eyes and hair and just overall cuteness? It's undeniable. The sound of his voice is also adorableness personified. This section is always so hard because I frankly think everything James does is cute. All of the talking that's in the below talking section is amazing. He's so friendly and outgoing (he loves to wave and say "hii" to people) and such a little ham! He learned how to do "cheeeese" and frequently makes that cheesy grinning face (which is like looking in a mirror, let me tell you). He still furrows his brow when thinking or concentrating, and then he is so his daddy (also when he gets his mischievous face on). He's so funny, I love his sense of humor. He likes to go hide places and say "shh shh" (like if he and I are hiding from Michael or vice versa). He has a little spot that he fits perfectly into between 2 bookshelves that he likes to hide in, also. And it's hilarious to watch him back into it slowly. If you tickle him he'll eventually exclaim "Nooo!" but then when you stop: "More..." I also taught him to fist bump and make it explode. If you put your fist up and say pound it he'll bump it with his fist then either say "boom" or make an exploding sound. James will also imitate the way I say "Hm hm hmmm..." when I'm considering something-he now always does that when deciding on a book, what to eat, etc. He's gotten really into being a "big boy" and sitting on the couch or in a chair (if he's telling you that's what he wants he'll tell you by saying "big boy").  James also loooves to be a "helper". He'll see laundry or grab the broom and go "Helper!" It's very sweet and I try to encourage it, although it's not actually all that helpful usually. He is also so cute and will take his arms and hold them out wide and say "BIIIG" for anything, well....big. Particularly dogs or other animals. If he sees a "Biiiig dog dog" he is likely to talk about it for some time. He loves animals in general, but especially dogs. He gets very excited anytime he sees one. He still thinks smelling feet and saying "stinky" or "peee ewwww" is funny. In the car James likes to give me approval or rejections on song choices. There was a pretty large "Greatest Show" phase where James was constantly requesting the song by saying "Ohhhhh" (and not just in the car, pretty much anywhere anytime. It was our Baby Shark. Much preferred, no complaints). He sometimes kind of pulls on his eyelashes when he's tired or upset, I'm really not sure why and I'm always worried he'll pull them out but I have to admit there's something sweet about it.  He is so cute with his grandparents and aunts and uncles, he loves to see them, even just over facetime! Or in pictures. He loves to look at photo albums and identify people (including baby him, he'll point to the picture: "James", then himself: "James!") But most of all he likes to see pictures of his grandpa. That's usually how he requests a photo album he'll just point and yell "Andpa!" There was a lovely phase where we were cuddling quite a bit but that has been less frequent lately, maybe because of the warm weather? BUT there have been lots of kisses, usually anytime you go to him saying "mmmm" with pursed lips, then you get a kiss and say "uahh!" (so "muah") He'll do it too and anytime we see/hear it we come running for kisses (and hoping it's not a fakeout one). Sometimes we'll have little family kissing moments where Michael and I will smooch then James will want a smooch from each of us. Sometimes he'll literally shove Michael's face to my face for a kiss (IT'S SO CUTE). The other day he baited Michael for a kiss and then last minute redirected him to me hahaha. He also says I love you back when we say it to him most of the time which you know warms my heart and is the sweetest. I'll ask him how much he loves us or how much we love him and he holds his arms wide and says "soooo much!"  James also still loves to play with my hair and frequently smells it/nuzzles it and says "Mmmm!" He also says "Mmmm" and/or just nods emphatically anytime he eats something particularly delicious, like ice cream or a macaron. He's a smart, cute, sweet little nugget.

Nicknames: James-y, Jamesy-pie, Nugget (or Nug or Nuggy or Nuggy Nug or Nuggety or Nougat),  Noodle/Noodle-bug/Noodle boy, Hey you, Goofy or Goof-Nugget, Silly, Cutie McCuterson, Cuddle Bug, Snuggle Bunny, Mister, Sir, Bud/Buddy, Friend, Sweet Boy, Baby, Love (My love, little love, sweet love, lovey), Cutie patootie/pie, My Sweetie/Sweetie-pie, Little/Sweet/Baby Boy (or any combo with any of the other nicknames listed-particularly Sir Baby and Mister Boy).

Talking: HE IS SO TALKATIVE. This is my baby. James talks constantly pretty much. I love it. He still repeats almost anything you say to him but conversations are fairly legit. He really understands you and actually can recall a lot of things. If I bring up the zoo he'll talk about all the stuff he saw there "BIIIG turtle! walk walk, *penguin sound* *sleeping sound* otter!" Or he'll talk about something he saw his aunt do on facetime the day before and then proceed to list their 3 chihuahuas names (Pua aka Poo Poo, Kiki, and Pepper). He says more all the time, it's one of his favorite words (usually for food or something fun or funny you just did or said that he would like to continue). He asks for foods by name. Says please and thank you (usually when prompted but occasionally on his own). He can say like everyone's name. Mama and Dada, obviously. "Andpa" for Michael's dad, "Pop pop" for mine. All his grandmas are "Andma" but he also calls Jeanne "Nini" and my mom (whose name is Sandi) "Di Di". His Aunt Shannan is "Stinky" (they play a game and that's just become her name now hahahaa). He says his own version of Joshy and "Djilly" for my brother and sister-in-law. He usually calls his Uncle Kevin dada in pictures (they resemble each other) but always knows his Aunt "Em". He also knows his own name and points to himself and says "James!" He actually frequently does this when meeting people to introduce himself and it's the sweetest. He knows and can say the colors (red, blue, purple, green, orange, yellow, black, and pink). Shapes (circle, oval, square, rectangle, hexagon, star, heart, triangle...probably others). Body parts (head, ears, eyes, nose, mouth, lips, tongue, teeth, hair, neck, elbow, arm, hand, fingers, chest, belly, bebo, butt, leg, knee, foot, toes). So many animals and animal sounds (he started actually saying "elephant" in addition to being able to do its noise and it's adorable). He's getting pretty good at knowing his letters, he's got B, M, D, S, U, I, L, and O completely down and usually also gets (or calls by animal name that starts with it) H, P, R, E, J, N, T. The rest he gets sometimes. I taught him how to hold his finger up and yell "One!" So when I say "How old is James?" that's how he responds. He also counts to 2, ("One, two, one, two....") sometimes 3 but his "Night Night Little Pookie" had a part where they count "One, two, three-It's Me!" So he usually just points to himself and exclaims "Me!" instead of saying 3--and I find it charming as hell. Speaking of books-he has most of his favorites pretty much memorized and can tell you what happens on each page. In his Little Pookie books (by Sandra Boyton) he frequently will do the Little Pookie response parts (like aforementioned "It's me!") James went through a phase where his response to everything was "yeah" (I called him my "anti-toddler") and then one day it switched to frequent no's. Now he usually nods when asked something, but about 40% of the time he'll say no, depending on if it's very objectionable (ie "Can we change your diaper" has like a 99% chance of getting a "no!) But, yeah. He's just chatty. I'm constantly just listening to him babble on and on, sometimes after he wakes up in his crib he just like recaps the previous day essentially (or talks about the zoo, it made quite an impression). He's always going on just long enthusiastic chatty fits. It's so cute and so fun and I'm pretty proud of how good of a talker he is. And he makes me laugh. So it's wins all around.

Favorites: Me and Michael. His grandparents and aunts and uncles. People/friends in general. Dogs (he gets so stoked to see the neighbors dogs or dogs on walks or pictures of dogs...he just really likes dogs). Babies/other kids. Socializing, in general. Going on walks and playing outside. The zoo. Dancing/singing/music (less than he used to, though, which makes me sad). Reading. Playing. . Running and hiding/chasing or being chased. His dinosaurs (especially the mobile above his bed and his stuffed one). His baby doll and all his stuffed animals and toys. Making silly faces/sounds-especially if it's an imitation of us. Making animal sounds. Cuddling up with pillows and/or blankets or whatever he's decided is cuddly. Hair. Feet (particularly smelling them and saying "stinky!".) ATTENTION. Baths. Yogurt, cheese, fruit. Ice cream and chocolate. Batman.

Dislikes: Having his diaper changed (he doesn't mind having his clothes changed anymore! Yay! But diaper oh boy he hates it.) Being held or forced to stay still if he wants to go do things. Being taken from something he wants or somewhere he wants to go. Getting hurt. Not being paid attention to. Being in the car for too long. Most green vegetables, peppers, spicy food, eggs, tomatoes, and whatever he's decided he doesn't like that day *eye roll*. The exam table at the doctor's office.

Concerns: Same as last time-nothing really. Just normal parenting worries about if we're doing a good job and teaching him well and such. 

A Day in the Life: James wakes up around 7 and I go in and get him. He likes to play around a bit before letting me take him out of the crib and sit with him in the rocking chair to take his sleepsack off. He then wants to just sit and play and read books in his room and I eventually have to mention food to get him to go downstairs so I can get him breakfast. He immediately asks for water once he sees his cup and then I make myself toast while making him peanut butter bread (he calls it toast but I don't usually bother toasting it. Also I frequently give him plain bread while I'm getting everything else ready if he's impatient and asking for some) and then putting his yogurt in a bowl with a spoon for him. We eat breakfast, change his diaper (if I haven't already prior to that) and then usually say bye to Michael if it's a week day. James and I play, sometimes we run an errand or go on a walk or to the park or something. If we're not too busy/if he asks for one he may have another snack around 9. Then lunch is at 10:30ish. After lunch I usually change his diaper and we play for the little bit of time there is before nap-where I change his diaper again and put him in his pj's and lay him down around 12. He then will hopefully sleep for about 2 hours while I eat and enjoy my midday time of watching TV/Netflix and doing not much else. After he's up (as long as it's been at least 2 hours--if he wakes up before I leave him in his crib until it's the 2 hour mark) I got and get him and we repeat the reluctant to leave room dance of the morning. I eventually will give him a snack when he is ready, and change his diaper. We play. I probably make dinner. Michael gets home and then we eat around 5:30. Afterwards we play for a little bit and then start our bedtime routine. It's honestly great. I love every day with him.