#biggywigs | 9 months

#biggywigs | 9 MONTHS

nicknames | monkey, love monkey, a play on your name, nugget

weight | I over estimated on your chalkboard.  You 9 month well check was this morning (4 days after your month-iversary) and you are 24 lbs 10 oz and 30 inches tall!!

size |  size 5 diapers and 24 month.  You are getting longer, but not putting on weight as quickly (yay!) so I'm hoping you stay in size 5 quite a bit longer.

sleep | HAHAHAHAHA.  You are NOT a good sleeper.  Please help me.  You go down without a fight at 7PM but you are up every 2 to 3 hours after that.  Never really awake, just crying/cranky/whining.  Sometimes you'll nurse back to sleep, other times we have to rock you.  You've been sick and/or congested for the past two months so that hasn't helped.  Sleep training this week.  Pray for us.

eats | Everything.  You nurse at 7AM, 11AM, 500/530 PM 7PM, and various times at night.  You are on table food and you eat everything.  You especially love chicken, peas, grean beans, black beans, and peanut butter sandwich's.

loves |  Food, nursing, clapping, your big brother, baths, and your jellyfish toy.

dislikes | dirty diapers, waiting to be fed, and being over tired

firsts |  5 teeth!!  Your 6th is just now poking through.  So that's been fun.  You are a clapping machine, you are crawling (backwards) every where.  Though this morning you went forward!  You have started pulling yourself up, but you can't get you feet under you to stand yet.

Momma |  Even though you have rough nights, you are the HAPPIEST baby when you wake up in the morning.  I love that you love me so fiercely.  Your hugs and kisses are as big as you can make them and you have the very best laugh.

I love our one on one time at school each day.  I love our snuggles.  You are growing so quickly.  Please, pretty please, slow down?  I'm not ready for you to be walking and talking and chasing after your big brother.

Daddy | You are our Big Boy!  I love seeing your smiling happy face every morning regardless of how you slept J  You are growing every day.  Mom shared with me your height and weight from your 9 Month appt and you are getting so big!  You learned how to clap this month and you love it!  and I love clapping with you and seeing your big smile.  I love you so much.  You are getting so close to crawling…forward.  You love crawling backwards and are so close to crawling forward…very soon.    You are an incredible eater and will eat almost anything Momma puts in front of you.   You sleep a lot like dad so we are hoping that with time, you grow out of that, but we love you so much anyways J

Baby Gear We Don't Want to Live Without

Two kids in and four years later, I have a list of baby/kid items I absolutely love.

These aren't the basic items everyone recommends:
Jumper
Rock N Play
Boppy
Etc, etc, etc.
(P.S. Lucie's List is a GREAT resource)

These are the items that I didn't know I needed.  Now that I have them, I never want to be without them.

First up

A Rocker/Glider

Sure, everyone says one is necessary.  No one talks about how you LIVE in this thing the first few weeks, or how you may fall asleep in it in the middle of the night.  No one mentions that this rocker/glider will be a staple in your life for the next 6 plus YEARS (per kid!).

So...get yourself a really good one.

I love my PB Kids Comfort Swivel Glider.  Why?

The arms are wide enough to hold a plate of food.

The lap is wide enough for the boppy to lie flat across your lap.

I can hold both boys in my lap while reading a book and everyone is comfortable.

The back is high enough I can fall asleep and not get a kink in my neck.

Washable SLIPCOVERS!

This rocker/glider will be in our home for at least the next 10 years.   Once it's out of the boys rooms I'll order a new slip cover and move it to a new home (either our room, living room, or TV room)

Next on my short list

Nightlight

I wish I had found this years ago.

The Vava Night Light is perfect for those middle of night diaper changes, breastfeeding (or bottle feeding) adjustments, and it's portable!  PORTABLE!
Yes, the egg light can be removed from it's charger base and carried around.

I used it a lot for middle of the night snacks after nursing.  What can I say, I was hungry. :)

It has two light features - amber and bright white.  It's dims from a bright light to a night light with one touch and never gets hot to the touch.

We have an Ok to Wake clock in #wiggydiggy's room, so he doesn't need two nightlights.  However he asks to carry this one to bed every night and he loves turning it on and off for us.

My last 'Can't Live Without' product:
Stroller Fan

We have two.  I may get a third.  Haha.

I carry a portable charger in my purse, and the fan gets first dibs in the summer.

It's perfect to clip on car seats/head rests in the summer.  It clips on strollers to face the baby on walks (or you).  I aim it on myself when I'm sitting and nursing.  When the stroller is in double mode, both kids get a fan to blow on them.  We've even put in on the hiking backpack.

Bonus - it creates a white noise effect that helps keep the baby napping longer.

It's also great to take to the gym and clip on your bike or elliptical. 

🙃

What are the baby/kid items you can't live without?

#biggywigs - 8 Months

#biggywigs  | 8 MONTHS

 nicknames | monkey, baby, a rhyme of your name ;)

weight |  Just under 25 pounds and 28 " (I know the blackboard says 29.  My mistake)  You were at the Dr early January and you were 24 lbs 10 oz and 28".  

loves | Your jellyfish toy, sitting up right, your jumperoo, being held by mama, watching big brother play, baths, and ESPECIALLY eating real food.

dislikes | Being tired or hungry

size | You are wearing size 5 diapers and 18-24 month clothes.   

sleep |  You had RSV early January and sleep went from OK to Bad.  You had the worst cough :(  This week you've been sleeping better and in longer stretches too.  You only nurse once at night - between 2 and 3 AM.

eats | You LOVE to eat.  You have homemade puree's at school - Squash/Spinach, Pumpkin/Spinach, Pumpkin/Apple, Peas, Apple, etc.  I also send whole peas and shredded chicken for snack time.  
At dinner time you eat tiny pieces of whatever we're eating and a puree or two.
Your nursing schedule is 7AM, 11AM, 7PM, 2AM (you have been boycotting your 3PM bottle at school)

firsts |  Christmas!  New Years!  Two more teeth!  Crawling (sort of.  You go backwards.)  You roll/scootch everywhere now and you sit up unsupported.

Also, your first virus - RSV.  You actually enjoyed the breathing treatments.

Momma | My Chunky Monkey, man how I love you.  I love you SO MUCH.  You are still in Momma's boy stage and I don't ever want it to end.  You are starting to nurse less, but you want to snuggle in my arms as much as possible.  You love to babble and talk to us all the time.  You are drawn to any toy that makes noise.  I'm so sorry that you are teething - two more are coming in!  That will put you at 6 teeth!!  Considering how much you love to eat, I'm honestly not surprised.  I wish time would slow down so I could snuggle you at this stage just a little bit longer.  I love you so much baby.

Daddy | You are starting to chat Dadadada and it makes my heart so happy.  I still love coming home from work and seeing your face light up when you see me.  Some days you are in your crib napping when I get home.  You have had a little sickness these past couple of weeks, but I think you are doing better.  You have handled sickness very well.  You are so close to crawling and you can motor in circles and “dive” for things within reach.  You are still very interested in all things that #wiggydiggy is doing when he is within eye sight of you.  You are starting to really bounce in your bouncer and your laugh is absolutely awesome.  I love you so much son!

#biggywigs - 3 Months

#biggywigs | 3 MONTHS

 

nicknames | chunky monkey, monkey, baby

weight | I'm guessing you are close to 20 pounds now.  Probably about 26 inches tall.
Just so you know - your brother was 30 inches and 20 pounds AT ONE YEAR.

size |  size 3 diapers and 12 month.  We are making the last box of size 3's stretch until they are gone then it's all about the size 4. 

How is it possible that you are so big?  Stop growing!

sleep | Just like your big brother, you're a great sleeper.  But ONLY IF SWADDLED.  You go down around 8 PM, want to nurse about 330, and I wake you around 630 to nurse before I leave for work.  You take a LONG morning nap and a few shorter afternoon naps.

eats | All breast milk all the time
Nurse at 3:30AM and then you wake to nurse around 630/675
Bottle around 1000/1030
Nurse around 1230
Bottle around 330
Nurse around 530 and then again at bedtime (around 7:30/8)

loves |  Your hands (especially in your mouth), the ceiling fan, baths, your blanket to sleep, and being held upright

dislikes | dirty diapers, waiting to be fed, and being over tired

firsts |  You laughed!  And then just kept giggling.  Having Momma back at work.  You stay home with a nanny (and Memaw soon) until you start 'school' in September.  You found your hands and you love pulling toys to your mouth.  You visited three new states this month!  Wyoming, Nebraska, and Colorado.  You are a road trip champ (unless it's the witching hour).

Momma |  I love you monkey!  You are such a fun baby and give the best snuggles.  I love our time before bed where it's just you and me cuddling before we fall asleep.  

I am SO SAD that I am back at work.  America really needs to get it's act together and give moms at least 6 months home with their babes.  If we could have, I would have taken a longer leave, but I really do love my job.  Keep up your great sleeping babe ;)   I haven't 'bounced back' as quick as I did after your brother, but I'm happy to say I'm back at my pre-pregnancy weight.  Now I just need to start working out again.  I still can't believe that my belly grew my two boys.  Pregnancy is amazing.

Daddy | You are daddy’s big, little boy.  You are very pensive and analyze most things before deciding if it warrants a smile or a frown.  I love you very much! You are getting stronger and stronger each day and have already shown great strides in your tummy time.  You have an amazing laugh.  I can’t wait to see you continue to grow and develop each day!  I love you.

#biggywigs Newborn Photos

Gorgeous Photos from Jenn Lord Photography

#biggywigs - 2 Months

#biggywigs | 2 MONTHS

nicknames | Big Boy, Monkey, Baby

weight | 17 pounds and 24 1/2 inches.

size |  The day you turned one month old we moved you to size 2 diapers.  We are just about out and you are randomly getting put into size 3 (already?!).
You are mostly in 6-9 month clothes.  Depending on the brand you can go up to 12 month.  You have that long torso that mommy and #wiggydiggy are blessed with.

sleep | You don't do anything gradually.  One day you slept every 4 hours starting at 8 PM.  The next night - 6 hours!  Right now you go down at 8 and sleep until about 2 or 3.  You 'dream nurse' and sleep until 530.  Eat again and you're down until 730.  During the day your naps are about an hour long expect for one two hour nap around lunch time.

eats | You LOVE nursing.  You eat about every two hours until 'dinner time',  which is 430.  Then it's hourly until 730,

loves |  Being held, stroller walks, the minute a dry diaper is one and a full belly

dislikes | waiting to nurse, being overtired.  And most of all - your car seat.  BOO.  If you're awake, it's the last place you want to be.

firsts |  being babysat by Nana (you slept the whole hour while Mom got a pedicure ), bath, real smile, and holding/squeezing toys

hahaha.  This face kills me.

Momma | I was all gung ho about getting you on a schedule, and then I just said screw it and let you dictate the flow.  We'll have time when we get back from vacation :)
Still shower everyday and brush my teeth  - I have no clue why these are "A BIG DEAL" to other moms, but hey, you must like your mom clean!  Haha.  Recovery from baby #2 was physically harder the first two weeks and now that I'm two months post partum, I realize my body just won't bounce back.  I'm about 5 pounds away from my starting weight and I have a lovely tummy pouch that needs work.  I've been doing 8 minute arm workouts everyday so I think it's time to focus on my abs.

Daddy | Daddy has been focused on #wiggydiggy so that we can have that special time I had the first three months with him.  Your brother LOVES you to the moon and back and adjusted to being a big brother without a bump.  Your dad loves to lay with you before bed and give you a kiss every time he walks by.  

#biggywigs - 1 month

#biggywigs | 1 MONTHS

nicknames | chunky monkey, monkey, baby boy, bear

weight |  a wild guess using the 'at home method' put you at 12 pounds and 23".  So I rounded down :) 
6 week Update - 15 lbs 7 oz and 24 inches long!  

size | You wore newborn in the hospital, 0-3 for the first two weeks, and now you're in 3-6 and some 6 month clothing.  You have a long torso - just like me and #wiggydiggy so some clothes are still a bit long in the arms and legs, but you need the extra room.

sleep |  You blessed me with a 7 hour stretch two nights ago!  Woo hoo!  Right now you usually give me a 4-5 hour stretch when you first go down at night and then you wake about every 2 1/2 hours after that to eat.  Naps during the day are all over the place.  We'll work on a schedule this month :)

eats | Milk, milk, and more milk.  All Breast milk all the time.  You are a furious and efficient eater.  You've been cluster feeding from about 4/5 until bedtime (around 8) every night.  During the day we nurse on demand.  Sometimes 45 minutes, sometimes 3 hours.

loves | Mom.  You want to be held by me over anyone else (not that I mind ;) )  Eating!  Ha.  Only time you really cry is when your hungry. 

dislikes | Being hungry.  Being cold.  Being in your carseat and NOT moving.

firsts |  This whole month is firsts!  First sponge bath, first car ride, first show and tell (seriously, the CUTEST thing ever)

Momma | This first month has flown by.  I waited so long to meet you that I'm taking this time to soak up all of your wonderfulness.  I love you so much.

Brothers

I knew that I wanted #wiggydiggy to be the first to meet the baby.
He was so excited for his sibling to be born and I was so excited for him to be a big brother.

So we kept the baby's sex and name quiet until #wiggydiggy was able to come to the hospital.
That afternoon, Justin picked up #wiggydiggy after his nap from school and brought him to meet his new sibling.

I was a tiny bit nervous because #wiggydiggy had been asking for a baby sister for months.  Justin was too, so they talked about the new baby brother on the drive up.
I think #wiggydiggy was so excited to see his mom and dad, that he didn't care if it was a brother or sister!

He has been obsessed with his baby brother ever since.
Every day he asks to hold him 100 times.
He gives him 100 kisses and calls him 'My Sweetheart'.