{Luke} Four Months

Our Luke boy is four months old now! I can't believe how fast his infancy is flying by. Almost every night, when I am dressing him for bed, I find myself talking to myself. "Don't blink! It's going too fast! Don't miss a moment! Look him in the eyes and talk to him!"

I missed Luke's three month update so I will try to fill in the gaps.

Luke's schedule is he is:

6 am- Up for the day, feeds.
7:15- Nap
9:30- Wakes up, Feeds
10:30- Sometimes naps but most days we run errands in this time and he cat naps in the car
12:30- Feeds
1:00 pm- Nap
3:30- Wakes up, Feeds
5:00- Naps
5:45- Wakes up
7:00- Bed time!
10:30- Dream feed

And that's it! His days are very routine. Occasionally he wakes up in the middle of the night for a feed but that is usually in growth spurts or when my milk is low. He has much longer awake times then the girls ever did! Both Grace and Sophia were ready for sleep at the 55 minute mark but he can often reach 80-90 minutes.

He's a super fast and efficient nurser.

He has started drooling like crazy!

He loves sucking on his hands or his thumb and pointer fingers.

He loves diaper free time.

Luke loves eye contact and smiling.

When sleepy, he likes to burrow his head in mt stomach/crook of my arm and falls swiftly asleep.

He is unswaddled now and just sleeps in a sleep sack.

He found his voice around fifteen weeks.

Luke wears size 3-6 months clothes and size 2 diapers.

He can roll onto his left side but that is all he does unassisted.

We love you, Luke!

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{Luke} Four Months

{Luke} Two Months

Happy Two Months, Luke James!

This past month has been slow and quiet for our little man. Would you believe I actually had to look through my phone pictures to figure out what happened? It was a great month, just not superbly memorable. The girls started back to school and we just were finding our routine as a family of five.

Around five weeks he turned a corner and just started sleeping better and his own schedule fell into place. He feeds every three hours from 6:30 am until 9:30/10:30 pm and then once during the night between 1:30 and 3:30. He is usually up for one hour and then napping for two.

For most of this month he hated being in the car and had a "witching hour," between 3-7 pm. Grace can still settle him with his Wubanub in the car, which is nice.

Luke smiled for the first time on April 2nd, Grace's birthday.

Luke went to the waterpark for the first time (and got sunburn on one side of his face!)

He celebrated Grace's birthday party by sleeping through the entire thing.

He celebrated his first Easter, was a third wheel on a disastrous date with Ian and I, got his passport pictures made, and had his first trip to the US embassy for passport and documents.

I guess there were some memorable things thrown in there after all!

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{Luke} Two Months

Haircuts

I had been meaning to take the girls to get their hair cut for months but I had a little issue. You see, Grace had her first haircut at Disney. DISNEY.

And Sophia? Well, she hadn't had a haircut and the only thing that I could come up with was to take her to a kiosk in the mall here and have a man trim her hair. Sure, she wouldn't know the difference but it seemed way less amazing as Grace's Disney experience.

You know, the one with pixie dust, making a wish, and a Cinderella bun.

Instead, Sophia would just have a foreign man who would pinch her cheeks and spray on a horrid cologne afterwards.

Kind of lame, if you ask me.

So, when my parents were here I asked my mom to cut the girls' hair. My mom cut my hair most of my childhood and I knew it would be more special than the mall. And also, Sophia is prone to being afraid of just about everything. So at least she wouldn't be terrified of my mom. Just the scissors, right?

Grace went first and had her long blonde locks trimmed up. It took approximately 3 minutes and she was done.

Sophia was next and it was possibly even easier. She did lean forward in the seat a bit and had a very uncomfortable look on her face, but then it was over. Ha.

It was also good for me to see my mom cut the girls' hair because now I feel like I can give it a try- and hopefully save a bundle over their childhoods!

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Haircuts

Grace's First Haircut...Pixie Dust Style

Grace's hair didn't really start growing until after her second birthday. With our impending trip to the States and knowing that we would have season passes to Disney, I really wanted Grace to be able to have her first haircut done at Disney, so I held out for months!

Finally, after unsuccessfully scheduling an appointment (they were booked for two months!) I asked my father in law to pop in and see if they had any room for a walk in. We were on the monorail on our way to the Magic Kingdom and when my father in law texted, saying there was room, I was so excited!

Grace wasn't nervous but was a little uneasy about everyone looking at her and taking pictures! The nice ladies in the barbershop were so sweet to Grace, gave her a light up toy to play with, and sat her in a chair. She wet her her a little, trimmed it, and saved a little curl lock (what am I supposed to do with that? It kind of grosses me out.)

She got a pair of Mickey Ears that say First Haircut, we snapped a picture, and then she asked Grace if she wanted "Princess hair."

A bun on top of her head, some hairspray, and some cute sparkles/confetti later and we had one happy toddler with Princess Hair!

We were so excited that Ian's parents got to share in this special "First" moment with us and loved how big our Grace looked with her hair pulled up!

I loved our experience here and would recommend it to anyone thinking about getting their child's first haircut done at Harmony Barber Shop on Main Street in Magic Kingdom!

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Grace's First Haircut...Pixie Dust Style

Grace's First Day

Grace started preschool two weeks ago, on August 15th, 2013!

As soon as we arrived in Nashville we got in contact with our local church to see if there was any room for Grace to join in their weekday preschool program. Unfortunately, the class was full and they wouldn't know if anyone wasn't coming until the first day of school was done.

So her Tuesday and Thursday class began on August 13th, but she was not there. We got the phone call that there was room for her and she started on that Thursday!

I had been hoping that she would get in for several reasons:

1. I knew she would love it- she is incredibly social and loves to be busy around other people.
2. She would be bored out of her mind if she stayed home with us, since we have about three toys here and no real (safe) outdoor space.
3. And if she was bored out of my mind, I would be losing my mind on a daily basis.
4. I also wanted her to have as many normal American experiences as possible. I don't know if we will ever be able to afford preschool overseas but at least she will have gotten to go to preschool for the six weeks that we are in Nashville!

Sure enough, Grace LOVES going. There has never been any trouble dropping her off. Most of the time she doesn't even say "Bye!" She just runs off into the classroom and settles in! She looks forward to us packing her lunchbox (hello, kitty, duh,) and is usually hopping around the classroom when we pick her up.

Today, on day 5 of class, she finally fell asleep and took a nap while her class napped. The teachers were all proud and all I could think was "But now she won't take a three hour nap when we get home!"

I'll have to have a little chat with Grace about that one.

I am so grateful for this opportunity for Grace!

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Grace's First Day

This and That

Did This:

A DIY project that didn't turn out quite like I wanted it to, but is good enough for now. I wanted to paint it all black. I read on pinterest an article on how to paint laminate furniture and then headed out confidently to the hardware store. All hopes were shattered when the man behind the counter would NOT sell me black paint once I told him what I was doing. He insisted that I would have to sand, stain, and seal the project.

Well, jokes on him because it looks awful. Ha.

No, it looks okay, as long as the full sun doesn't hit it, and then you can still see straight though the black stain. And also, that black stain looks mighty green.

But with the curtains drawn it looks wonderful!

Before:

Free table and chairs but are very colorful and very banged up.

After:

Table and chairs that fit in better with an adult space

And underneath, a felt board!

Would you like me a little less if I told you that I "Tom Sawyer"ed up this project by having the neighborhood kids sand it down for me? The first time I brought it out they all oohed and ahhed over me sanding it so I passed out some paper and they went to town! I had to sand it on 3 other occasions and they would all come running out of their houses to help.

Cooked That:

Source: stellabskitchen.blogspot.ca viaBrittney on Pinterest

Source: keyingredient.com viaBrittney on Pinterest

Snapped This:

 

Left to Right, Row 1: Love the Dubai skyline! Grace in her bear "hat." Playing hide-and-go-seek with Daddy, he's under the rug! Row 2: Boots! Potty Training in style. Sophia asleep in my arms- so rare! Row 3: Trike and Daddy's hat. Smiles from Sophia. Dancing with Momma (and yes, my pants are literally falling off of me.) Row 4: Grace's first Tea Party with Momma. Sophia practicing rolling. Grace going test driving with Daddy.

Watched This:

I've been running through Bones episodes like they are going out of style. So much so that when I went to wipe the counter and sprayed some cleaner on it, and a bright red spot appeared, my first thought was "blood! A crime most have been committed here!" instead of the logical conclusion that some kool aid powder was on the counter.

Maybe I should step away from the crime dramas for a little bit.

Bought That:

Okay, it might not really count as me buying it, but my birthday package from my parents arrived a couple of weeks ago. Inside were the final two Harry Potter movies that we had not seen!

Loving This:

Productivity and schedules. I've really been struggling to find a good balance and it is finally starting to come together! Alot of trial and error is going into finding a balance between productivity and slothfulness so that I do not over extend myself and so that I don't sit around on the computer all day.

Captured That:

First ponytail

First bite of rice cereal

A quiet moment with a neighbor friend. Grace adores our neighbor kids!

First time to lick the beater!

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This and That

Embrace the Camera

Linking up with Emily for Embrace the Camera.

Grace's first trip to the zoo

+

100 degrees outside

+

100% humidity

+

the chance to feed a bunch of the animals

+

staying up past her bedtime

(did I mention we went to the zoo at night?)

+

a superfluous use of hand sanitizer

=

a really fun, family outing.

seriously.

and though I'm not crazy about the picture, I want Grace to know I was there, and that I loved every minute of our time there.

except that split second where she got dangerously close to an emu. birds are crazy.

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Embrace the Camera

Sophia's First Bath

 Sophia added another "first" to her growing collection of firsts- her first bath!

Her umbilical cord fell off on Saturday, when she was 8 days old, and we decided to give her her first bath on Sunday, October 7th.

We also thought it would be cool for Ian's mom, the girls' MiMi, to give Sophia her first bath!  (I'll be honest, though this was totally my idea, when it came time for it to actually happen, I was a little sad that I wasn't giving my baby her first bath. It was super special that his mom got to do it though and I'm glad she got the experience- I know it will be one of her highlights from her trip.)

So, after Grace went down for the night, we brought out the baby bath with the newborn sling/hammock, filled it up with warm water, and had Mimi go to work!

Sophia was NOT happy about being undressed, even though we turned off the AC to the room during this time.

But as soon as we put her into the tub she calmed down and was total chill baby for the rest of her bath time.

That is, until we pulled her out to dry off and get dressed!
 

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Sophia's First Bath

Happy 18 Months, Grace!

her "official" 18 month pictures are still to come.

Grace is 18 months old!

One and a half years old.

Wow.

After today, she will be closer to two than she is to one. That just blows my mind.

She has changed so much since her 15 month update. She learns something new everyday. It is just amazing!

She is a joy, there is no other way to describe it. She flits around from toy to toy, jabbering and playing. She loves to point to all of the things she knows and say what it is. She loves to watch me cook. She is crazy about playing outside with our neighbor kids. Asking if she wants to go "bye-bye" means an instant dash to the door where she sits down and waits for her shoes to be put on.

She can give high fives, kisses, hushums (the local greeting here is a nose rub, similar to an eskimo kiss,) shake hands, tries to do a "thumbs up," can do the touch down sign, and the gator chomp. She blows kisses, claps, points, waves bye.

She Says:
More
Bye-Bye
Please
Thank-You
No
Yes
Shoes
Light
Alright!
Clean-up
Milk
Apple
Cheese
Baby
Ball
Night-night
Up
Down
Head
Eyes

She Sings: (or says a word to start it, or does the motions for it...)
Twinkle, twinkle,
Baa, Baa, Black Sheep
Wheels on the Bus
The Clean Up Song
If You're Happy and You Know It
Ten Little Indians

She does the Sign for:
Please
More
All done
Mouse
Food
Help
Fish

She Makes the Noise for:
Cat
Dog
Elephant
Sheep
Goat
Camel
Mouse
Lion/Tiger/Bear (roar)
Horse
Bird
Monkey
Train
Car


(I love that my kid knows the sound for a camel, but not a cow. Desert baby, anyone?)

She knows to point to her:
Eyes
Mouth
Nose
Belly
Ears
Head

Her typical day looks like this:

8:30- we wake up, go get her from her crib (I have no idea when she wakes up, but she just lays or sits there, almost never stands up or cries!) take her downstairs, and give her cheerios and a cup of milk. She watches Barney from her high chair while we eat our breakfast.
9:00- she gets down from her high chair and plays and drinks her milk
10:00- naptime
12:00- We get her up from her nap, take her downstairs, and feed her lunch in her highchair
12:30- She gets down from her high chair and plays or we run errands
2:30- naptime
4:30- We get her up from her nap, take her downstairs, feed her a snack (cheerios, fruit, or cheese) while she plays until dinnertime
6:00- Dinnertime as a family
6:30- We either take her outside to play with the neighbor kids or give her a bath
7:00- Bedtime!

I didn't do the best job at keeping track of "firsts" this time around, but I know she colored for the first time, attended church nursery for the first time, and spent her first night away from us! She also became a big sister for the first time!

Meal times are becoming easier as there are more foods that she will eat now. Before she turned one she ate anything and everything. Then, she got 8 teeth in about one month, and she stopped eating everything! It's taken alot of hard work and perseverance but she's finally started trying things again. The trick? Putting it in front of her time and time again, and not getting upset when she doesn't want it.

Nicknames are still Gracie, Cha-Cha, baby girl, and Sweet Cakes.

Grace,
We love you so much and are blessed and honored to be your parents. You fill our lives with more joy and love than we ever thought possible. Alot is going to change over the next few months, as you adjust to a new sibling, but I hope you will always know that our love for you never diminishes, it only grows larger. We love you and can't wait to see what the rest of 2012 brings for you!

Love,
Momma

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Happy 18 Months, Grace!