5 months

Dear Joseph and Kenzie,

You are 5 months old! So many big things happened this month! First of all, the day after you turned 4 months your buddy Archer started coming every day for mommy to watch. You are all getting along swimmingly, and he is helping you enjoy tummy time a little more. He's so strong at 3.5 months older than you, and you like watching what he does and copying him. It's ok if you don't copy him when he crawls. Take your time please! :)

 

Your relationship continues to grow, and I love how you empathize with one another, and just like to be close to one another. 

Your first Halloween happened this month. The jury's still out whether we will "do Halloween", but for this year you wore your Thing 1 and Thing 2 hats from your newborn photos. Definitely the last time those will fit! We walked around with Aunt Bethie and her family while the bigs trick or treated for the first time. 

You are both loving the bath and I always get big smiles. Kenzie, when we left you one night the only thing that calmed you was a bath and the swing. Joseph, you're growing out of the swing. You're a mighty big boy and it's hard on the motor. 

 

One thing Mommy really wants to remember are Joseph's sweet newborn curls. Due to a raging case of cradle cap, you lost all your hair. Buddy, you are looking like a bald old man these days. They say when infants lose their hair it can come back completely different so we'll just have to see!

Joseph, your sleep position makes me laugh. Blankie on the face or not, those arms are thrown up over your head. You are such a good napper too!! Starting the day after 4 months you are both able to go to sleep on your own for naps. Mommy just puts you in bed and walks away. It's nice! Archer helped us get on a good schedule, and you've been champs adjusting to 2 long naps a day rather than sleeping all the time. 

 

Kenzie, you really began trying to sit up this month. You're still pretty unsteady, but we're working on it! You like your new view. Joseph, you're making attempts but aren't very good at it. 

 

Mommy's car died this month, so we got a new car. Before we traded in the Blazer we all took a 

picture together. That car took your Aunt Bethie to college and to med school, drove Aunt Bethie and Uncle Nick away from their wedding, took Ellison home from the hospital, drove mommy and daddy away from their wedding, and took you both home from the hospital. We are grateful for the Blazer and the history it saw. 

One morning mommy went for a walk with a friend. It was actually cool out, so you got dressed in your fall gear with your football hats. You both loved the walk and looking at people, but 3 miles is a long way and you both fell asleep. 

 

Another big thing this month was sitting in a high chair for the first time. Mommy met a friend for lunch at Chickfila and you tried to be big in the high chairs. You're still pretty young and not sitting quite well enough, but you enjoyed the view for a little while. 

 

Joseph, you showed some love to 2 very important people. You and daddy had some good chats and time together. And you supported your Papa's football team one Saturday. They lost, but he still liked it. 

 

Kenzie, you too love your duckie blankie. Joseph prefers it over his head, but you like to snuggle it. Mommy and daddy are grateful, because you'll sleep on your side and snuggle it and your flat part on your right side is getting better. Good job, little girl!

Here are some of Mommy's favorite pictures from the month. 

"How you doin'?"

 

Cute new outfits. 

Sweet boy. And THAT DIMPLE. STOP IT NOW. 

Truer words have never been spoken. 

Here are your stats:

J:

Height- We didn't measure. 

Weight- 17 pounds 6 ounces

Sleep- Still eating every 3-4 hours. What?!

Eat- Still eating like a champ. 

Likes- Pretty much everything. You're a happy boy. 

Dislikes- Being up past bedtime. Tummy time still. 

K:

Height- We didn't measure. 

Weight- 12 pounds 6 ounces

Sleep- You are a muuuuch better napper. Archer is our anchor and you've adjusted to his schedule well. Yay for naps- and in your crib!

Eat- You pretty much just nurse now. You still prefer a bottle because it's faster, but you rarely need extra. 

Likes- The exersaucer, Archer, your duckie. 

Dislikes- Tummy time. Thankfully, over all, you are a much happier baby this month. 

I used to have an early bird and a night owl, but thanks to daylight savings I have 2 early birds. Oh well, you rarely get up before Archer comes.

I love you sweet babies! Thank you for a great month!

Love,

Mommy

4 months

Dear Joseph and Kenzie,

You are 4 months old today! This has been a great month. We've been working on tummy time because you both still hate it. Generally what happens is that Joseph will scream and Kenzie will roll for a few times (rolled back by mama) and then give up and go to sleep. 

It felt a little like fall one day this month, so we wore our most fun fall clothes. Unfortunately, Joseph, you're growing so fast that you won't get much wear out of this one! And Kenzie, all those cute 6-12 month winter clothes I have probably won't get much wear because you are so small. 

You both are loving your blankies, so when you get tired you'll use anything you can to cover up. We got home late after bible study one night, and Kenzie, you went to sleep with mommy scarf while she changed brother into his pjs. 

Mommy went for a run with her new jogging stroller. Kenzie, you loooove being outside. Joseph feels a bit different about the outdoors...

We took your 3 month photos about a week late. It was a busy, rainy day and we didn't know until the last minute if we would even be able to take them because of the weather. We were rushed getting out the door and mommy asked daddy to dress Joseph. Daddy didn't know the onesie should snap on the inside of the pants! 

Despite our rushed day and 2 fussy babies, the pictures came out great! These are a few of my favs. Joseph, you have been obsessed with your tongue one day of your life, and it happened to be this one. 

We laughed as we saw your personalities develop more this month. This photo shows how you wake up. Joseph, you are so happy to greet a new day. Kenzie, you need your needs met immediately and are not happy to be awake.  

Tummy time improved a bit when you used pillows and could look at each other. You love each other so much. I adore that bond you have. 

We watched the Aggies beat Arkansas. You were both really into the game. ;) And it was a real nail biter!

We noticed a little flattening of Kenzie's head, so we started using new fun toys to stay up off of backs. Joseph, you love the jumper. Kenzie, not so much, but you sure love the exersaucer. 

This one of my favorite pictures of the two of you. Mommy wanted you to get one more wear put of these cute coordinating outfits before Joseph is too big. 

About halfway through the month you stopped sleeping long stretches at night. Mommy is not happy to be up every 3 hours again! Kenzie, you also threw your first back-arching tantrum. You didn't want to be strapped in to the Bumbo. I have a feeling we'll be seeing many more of these tantrums in the years to come. 

You both gave real laughs this month. That's about the best sound ever! And while Joseph had been chattering for a little while, Kenzie you started in your own way- you sort of spit/growl to communicate. It's hilarious and you love it when we do it back to you. 

Our monthly photo shoot was opposite the usual. Kenzie, you were happy and smiley and Joseph, you wanted nothing to do with it. I suppose it doesn't help when sister clocks you in the face right before the picture, but I have a feeling she will continue to be the scrappy/feisty one so you'd better get ready! 

Here are your stats (weights differ from pic bc our scale is a bit off from the docs):

J:

Height- 25" (40%ile)

Weight- 15 pounds 6 ounces (50%ile)

Sleep- You're both eating every 3-4 hours again. :-/

Eat- We decided to wait till 6 months for solids, but you nurse like a champ. 

Likes- Mommy, the jumper, people. 

Dislikes- You still pretty much like anything, but you CANNOT handle being tired. Oh and tummy time. 

K:

Height- 24" (30%ile)

Weight- 11 pounds 5 ounces (5%ile)

Sleep- You still aren't a great napper. Most days you get moved to Mommy's bed to finish your nap. 

Eat- Same, same. Still nursing and taking a bottle when you're still hungry. 

Likes- Daddy dancing with you, sleeping in the big bed, the exersaucer. 

Dislikes- Tummy time, napping more than 45 minutes. 

Happy 4 months, sweet babies!

Love,

Mommy 

Three months

Dear Joseph and Kenzie,

I can hardly believe you're three months old!! What I read tells me you are no longer newborns, you've officially graduated to the infant stage! Mommy is sad and happy at the same time. I feel like I say this every month, but this was a big month! One thing doesn't change though, and that is how much you love each other.  

Kenzie, you fell asleep on big brother. 

You held hands while you were nursing. You guys do this a lot. 

And Kenzie, when you cried on one of your nursing strikes, Joseph reached out his hand to comfort you. 

This month you have begun to discover the joy of playing. You guys use your play gym multiple times a day during your 30-45 minutes of post eating awake time. You both love mirrors and batting at toys. There is a big mirror on your bedroom door, and you love to look at "that baby" and smile. 

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Who's the fairest one of all?"

We discovered that Kenzie, you love to go for walks outside. Joseph, you cried every time we hit a bump (and we live in Houston so that's quite often). I think this is my favorite picture of you so far, Kenzie. And your face structure looks like Mommy's when she was a little girl. Finally one of you kind of looks like me!

Since you two are water babies, we got a little pool for the backyard. We tried it a little too close to bed time, but I think it's something you'll really enjoy.

You still like to go to church. You haven't gone to the nursery yet, because Mommy's not ready! You are both awake a bit more and seem to enjoy the music (though Kenzie gets crazy eyes when it first starts). 

You like it when mommy reads books to you, as long as you aren't too tired. You both look at the pictures and smile. Apparently the colors are becoming easier for you to see. You seem to like looking. You aren't so sure about the Bumbos though, because they're just SOOOOO much work. Your little necks are getting stronger though, so it's getting easier. However, Joseph, your thighs may not fit in yours too much longer!

You guys weren't too sure about a few things this month. You got your first round of shots. The shots were the easiest part of the appointment. Daddy came to help mommy, and she is so glad because you cried the whole time we were there. You both did not like being naked to get weighed, measured, and checked.

Joseph, you got a raging case of cradle cap. Mommy put coconut oil on your head to try to help it, and you sat in the high chair for the first time. You weren't so sure, but you sure are cute!

You also weren't so sure about the paci your Mimi gave you. Mommy thinks you look like an Egyptian taxi driver. 

You both weren't so sure about tummy time. Ok, "not sure" is not the proper description. You hate it! We haven't done much other than on Mommy's chest, but now that you're so big we're trying to do more. Kenzie, you roll over and mommy turns you back. You roll over again and mommy turns you back. Then you put your head down and go to sleep. Joseph, you tolerate it for a minute or two and then cry. 

There are a few things you love:

Your duckies from Auntie Catha,

 

Mommy putting her hand on your face to help you sleep,

And Joseph's new sleep sack (no more swaddle!). 

"Touchdown, Aggies!"

Our biggest milestone of the month is with your sleep. You both sleep in your cribs, in your room. You sleep from about 9-2, eat and sleep till 5 or 6, eat and sleep again till 8:30 or so. It's wonderful! Naps are a different story. You rarely sleep in your cribs. Most naps are in the swing or on Mommy's bed. Joseph, you're a great napper. You sleep for 2-3 hours in the morning, 1.5-2 in the early afternoon, 1.5 in the late afternoon, then probably an hour or so while waiting for your last meal before bed. Kenzie, you do the same, but for your 2 afternoon naps, only an hour or so can be in the swing/bed/crib. The rest has to be on mommy. You're sleeping on me right now actually. 

Kenzie, this is right before your first night in the crib. It's like you knew what was going to happen!

We went on our first road trip this month. Since daddy works so much the last week of each month we decided or head to China Spring to see one of our favorite families, the Thompsons. You did great! We didn't stop and you slept the whole way there, even though you were supposed to eat. You were thoroughly loved by all. I asked Jhett if he was holding his future wife, and he said yes. I'm not above an arranged marriage to get you a good one, baby girl!

The drive home took a bit longer because mommy had to stop in College Station to get you your first Aggie gear. 

Our little quarterback, practicing his passing game. 

 Mommy is really enjoying all the smiles. We have a fun morning routine. Kenzie, you wake up around 6:30 and won't sleep in your crib anymore. You come sleep on your side, chest to chest with mommy. You love to sleep on your side like she does. Joseph, you wake up happy and talking in your crib around 8:30. Daddy brings you to the big bed and we talk together. As we talk, your sister will slowly wake up, cry a little, and then join the smiling and talking (except Kenzie doesn't coo, she talks via spit gurgling). 

You guys are just getting so fun!

Mommy took this, but she thinks it looks like babies first selfie!

There you have it, three months!

Here are your stats:

J:

Height- ?

Weight- 14 pounds!

Sleep- 5.5 hours, 3 hours, 3 hours is your overnight

Eat- Still a lot. When you start solids next month I think you'll be super pumped. 

Likes- Mommy, talking and smiling, people (you're a social little guy!), your sister

Dislikes- You're a pretty content little guy, but if you're sleepy mommy is the only one who will do. You bury your face in Mommy's armpit and go right to sleep.  

K:

Height- ?

Weight- 10 pounds, 9 ounces 

Sleep- Same as your brother, though you are not a good napper. 

Eat- You are doing such a good job! Much fewer nursing strikes. There are times that you are super hungry! You will nurse and then take a bottle after. You can use all the weight you can get, so you can eat whatever you want!

Likes- Daddy dancing with you, sleeping with mommy, mirrors, batting at toys

Dislikes- Naps if not being held, being tired- you go from happy to screaming tired in about 10 seconds. 

Happy 3 months, my growing babies! Mommy loves you so much!

Love,

Mommy