Life with Greyson & Fynnlee – 5 Months

Welp…here we are.  Five Months old.  FIVE MONTHS!!! I just don’t know how it’s possible.  And I’m more smitten with these two Beans than ever!

These monthly updates are going to be a little more condensed now that the each get a weekly feature post.  But we can still get into some good stuff.
Fynnlee Ann
18.0 lbs (as of 9/24)
Size 3 Diapers
6 months clothes.  We just graduated to 9 month jammies

Eat
Fynn gets 5 six ounce bottles a day.  She’s entered the fun stage of only wanting 2-3 at a time and then getting too distracted to finish.  So feeding her takes a quite a while.  My magic trick with her is holding her like a baby (I know, she is a baby…but she normally likes to eat practically sitting up) and singing “You are my sunshine”.  It’s a little frustrating but I kind of love it.  We started experimenting with solids this month.  I started her with Earth’s Best Organic Brown Rice Cereal which clearly tasted like wallpaper paste.  She HATED it!  That’s what I get for being all healthy and junk.  She’ll tolerate it if it’s mixed with bananas.  And she kind of likes sweet potatoes.  We’re doing all purees at the moment but my goal is to move onto more Baby Led Weaning type feeding once they hit 6-7 months.    We’ll see.  This month I plan on introducing peas, green beans, peaches, apples, carrots and squash.  Should be an adventure!

Sleep
You know what happens when you brag to everyone you know that your baby has been sleeping through the night since she was 2 1/2 months old?  You guessed it…she stops doing that.  This has been a rough month, sleep wise.  Poor little nugget had a stomach bug and her little digestive system just hasn’t gotten back to normal.  So we’re back to overnight poops and obviously that wakes her up.  We currently have anywhere from 2 to 823 wake ups every night.  Sometimes because she needs a diaper change.  Sometimes because she wants to party.  Bedtime is still 6:30/7:00 and she does not like to be kept waiting for her beauty sleep.  And she’s up for the day around 5/5:30.

Poop
So much poop this month.  So much.  The diarrhea started about 10 days ago and it’s never really stopped.  Yes, I’ve spoken to our pediatrician and it’s something that just needs to run its course.  No, they don’t think it’s the formula as the whole house had it.  And no, they can’t give her anything.  In the meantime, she has a wicked case of diaper rash (seriously, so bad…I feel awful) and spends most of her nights at home buck naked on a towel trying to air everything out.  I’m pretty sick of poop, quite frankly.

Stuff
* loves the bumbo if she has something to entertain her.
* soooooooo close to rolling over.  Wants it…bad.
* belly laughs at everything.
* starting to see some signs of potential “stranger danger”.
* loves her bathtime but has almost outgrown the tub
* working hard on sitting up and standing with “strong legs”.  Just not there yet.
* loves to flap her arms like a bird and kick her legs like riverdance

Greyson Paul

16.0 lbs (as of 9/24)
Size 2 Diapers
Mix of 3 and 6 month clothes

Eat
Greyson gets 5 six ounce bottles per day.  He has also been engaging in some meal time shenanigans.  It takes fooooorrrreever to get him to eat at times.  He’s gotten really good at holding onto the bottle himself and really wants to take over his own feeding.  But he pulls the bottle out of his mouth and then can’t get it back in.  So he still needs his Mommy, which is just fine by me.  While I love his independent spirit, I’m not ready for it.  At all.  Solids are a bit easier for Greyson.  He doesn’t really mind the wall paper paste and really likes it when it’s mixed with ‘nanas.  Sweet potatoes were a hit too.  He’s absolutely adorable when he eats because he tries to stick his whole head in the bowl.

Sleep
Greyson moans in his sleep.  Really, really loudly.  And he does this 297 times every night.  He gets a good stretch of sleep from about 7-10 (which, coincidentally is when I’m awake) and then about every one to two hours, he starts his moaning and groaning and wakes the whole family up.  I always find him busted out of his swaddle, thumb in mouth, half asleep…and I re-swaddle, re-pacifier, restart his mobile and he falls right back to sleep.  And then he got the tummy crud from Fynnlee and we have a few dirty diapers waking him up as well.  Sleep this month has just sucked overall.  (Repeat after me…it’s a phase and will get better.)

Poop
He’s pretty much in between sizes in diapers right now.  Size 1 is way too small and Size 2 is too big.  I know we need to just buy a pack of a different brand to get him through the next week or so but I’m cheap so I just keep dealing with the blowouts.  Lots and lots of outfit changes for this little guy.  One time, the poop just shot out the side of his diaper.  None of it was actually in his diaper, just smooshed all out the side.  And we were at someone else’s house.  And I didn’t have any extra clothes with me.  #rookiemom  Have I mentioned that I’m pretty sick of poop?!

Stuff
* has rolled both tummy to back and back to tummy but not consistently.
* not even close to sitting up on his own
* always happy, always smiling.  Loves everyone.
* talks up a storm!

Torticollis update
This actually applies to both kiddos.  We took Greyson and Fynnlee to the CraniofacialClinic at Children’s Hospital to be evaluated for helmets on the 24th.  If you recall, our pediatrician didn’t think Fynnlee would need a helmet but we took her for an evaluation anyway.  Well…turns out, not only does Fynn need a helmet.  She also has torticollis and it’s worse than Greyson!  Granted, it’s worse because Greyson has been working with a physical therapist for the last 2 months.  We met with both a physical therapist and a nurse practitioner who took lots of measurements and put them through a boatload of tests.   While I knew Fynnlee had a flat spot on the back of her head, I never noticed that she had a flat spot on the left side of her head as well.  It’s not nearly as pronounced as Greyson’s…but it’s definitely there. So, the babes are getting measured for their matching helmets and I need to set up an appointment for Fynnlee to be evaluated by early intervention.  And in the meantime, they need to do lots of tummy time, bumbo time and basically just stay off the back of their heads.  Easy peasy, right?

These kiddos continue to amaze me every day.  I feel like the luckiest woman alive to share my life with them.

Tuesdays with Greyson

Cutest little boy ever.

That is all.

Fridays with Fynnlee

 This week we finally got Fynnlee to eat cereal.  I mixed it with mashed banana and she was ok with it. 
 
Jerry, however, was not.  He hates banana. 

It was a long week in our house. We all had the stomach flu and that made for some long nights and some wicked diaper rash. But the good news is….we’re all on the mend! 

And Grandma comes tomorrow for a whole week and we are super excited! (Fynn’s shirt says Grandmas little girl.  Not so little anymore!)

  
We had our evaluation with the folks at Children’s Hospital Craniofacial clinic and both kiddos will be getting fitted for helmets next week. I’m going to do a whole  separate post on that situation soon. 

But for now, here is this weeks day care photo dump. 

Blowing bubbles like a boss. 

   
Tummy time shenanigans 

 No clue what’s going on here. But the bow is cute!

   
Being cool and reading about farm animals. 

 
Coordinating for our first national daughter day. 

  
Hallmark holidays at their finest! Have a great weekend!

Tuesdays with Greyson

Eye spy…the cutest little guy!

I noticed a week or so ago when I posted this picture on Instagram, that Greyson’s right eye looks bigger than his left eye.  How didn’t I see this when I was looking at him every day?

So I went back and looked at his old photos and discovered that just 6 weeks ago, his eyes were exactly the same size.

So of course I started freaking out.  And then I realized what was happening.

Greyson has had issues with clogged tear ducts since birth. His eyes are always crusty and gunked over in the morning, when he wakes from a nap, after he cries…pretty much, all the time.  Our pediatrician told us that the issue would eventually resolve itself and was really common with babies.

And wouldn’t you know, one day he woke up and his right eye was all clear.  It was weird. No gunk.  No crust.  Just his beautiful little blue eye.

I think the clogged ducts were causing his eyes to swell up a bit and as they drain, his real eye shape is showing up.  And they look just like Fynnlee’s. His left eye just needs to catch up and heal like his right eye.  It still gets pretty yucky (that’s a technical term) but it’s improving.

So in case you noticed too and were wondering what was going on…that’s it!

Here are some scenes from daycare.

Beefcake playing with bottles.

He flexed and his sleeves fell off.    

Making beautiful artwork with a tractor.

And what he’d look like driving a tractor.  Damn he’s adorable.

So that’s what’s going on with Greyson!  Oh, and our whole family has the stomach flu. First Fynn, then me, then Jerry and now…you guessed it.  Little guy has a sick belly.  At least we didn’t all have it at the same time!

Fridays with Fynnlee

Happy Friday, yinz guys!

Time to see what’s been going on with everyone’s favorite little Squish! (cutest photobomb ever).

I parked Fynn in the rock n play this morning and she barely fits in it. How’s this for some perspective?! 2 week old Fynnlee on the left and 20 week old Fynnlee on the right. Her feet are almost hanging over the edge now.

We took some selfies in the mirror this week.  She loves looking at her reflection!

Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who’s the most beautiful one of all?  You are, sweet pea.

You most certainly are.

We decided it was time to free the babes from their swaddles.  We always start off bedtime with them swaddled tight in their Halo Swaddle Sacks…only to have them bust out within an hour of going to bed.  Fynnlee had no problem falling asleep.

 Staying asleep was an issue.  For the first time in over a month, she woke up at 3:00 am and was WIDE. AWAKE.  Singing, chatting, yelling, crying…I even tried rocking her for a few minutes but she wasn’t interested.  I don’t think it was related to the swaddling.  Jerry thinks she’s trying to move around in her sleep and waking herself up.

Let’s hope we don’t have a repeat performance tonight.  This is what I like to see when I go into the nursery between 7-5:30.  (Greyson, of course, slept through the night from 7-5:45…for the first time in pretty much…ever).

We went to breakfast with friends and this is pretty much what she did for the entire time. She’s become a pretty chill little one.

We’re in the process of learning to sit up on our own.  It’s slow progress but she’ll get there. I’m not sure if this video will work but I’ve earned my nomination for Mom of the year

She’s still having a blast at daycare.  She gets to play with all kinds of fun sensory toys.

She makes beautiful art projects…with her feet.

She even got to ride in a tractor!

It’s been a fun week for our girl. Up next week…introduction to solids.

4 Years

I can’t believe it’s already been four years.

I can’t believe it’s only been four years.

So much love

So much laughter

   

Always laughing

Always

There have been a few hiccups during the journey, but we have made such a beautiful life together.

I love this man with all of my heart

For better, for worse

And the better always makes up for the worse.

Thank you Jarrad, for giving me a lifetime of happiness in these last 4 years.

Looking forward to many, many more!

photo credit JCL photography and design

Tuesdays with Greyson

Here’s what has been going on with my favorite little guy!

 
*waking up every 45 minutes on Sunday night 

*sleeping from 7-4:30 on Monday night

*eating cereal for the first time (he loved it!)

  
*spending time in his Bumbo

  

*All day football watching 

  

*playing with his favorite friends

 

* having a blast at daycare with his favorite sister

  

*Aaaaand tonight he rolled from his back to his belly! I missed the whole thing.  I walked away for 2 seconds and he flopped himself over. Then he wouldn’t do it again. 

Typical.   

Fridays with Fynnlee

   
 
Sunday mornings are for lounging. 

Life with Greyson & Fynnlee – 4 Months

In keeping with my screwed up timing this week, Fridays with Fynnlee is being pushed to Saturday.  I’ll get it together next week!

In it’s place we have their 4 Month Update!  They are currently 4 months, 11 days old but this picture was taken on the actual date.  Look at those chipmunk cheeks!  You can’t tell by this picture but they are just about the same length.

Every day I think “this is the best time yet!” and then a new day starts and it’s even better.  They just change so much and get more and more interactive.  Every day is my favorite day!

Doctors Appointment – 4m10d old

Greyson

Our little man has a bit of a head cold…that’s why his coloring looks a little off.
Weight:
1 month: 6lbs 12oz (0%)
2 months: 9 lbs 10 oz (6 %)
4 months: 15lbs 3oz (35%)
Height:
1 month: 19.5 inches (0 %)
2 months:  21 inches (1 %)
4 months: 24.25 (8%)
Head circumference: 43.5 cm (89 %)
Wearing:  3 & some 6 month clothes, Size 2 diapers

This guy is growing by leaps and bounds!  He still has a giant head but it’s not off-the-charts huge so that’s a good thing. We have an appointment at the end of the month with the Craniofacial Center at Children’s Hospital.  Greyson will definitely need a helmet due to the torticollis causing his head to be really misshaped.  But not to worry…we’re gonna slap some black and gold on that sucker and he’ll be the cutest little Steeler fan you’ve ever seen!

He’s hitting all of his developmental milestones and is overall pretty healthy.

Fynnlee

Weight:
1 month: 8lbs 12oz (38%)
2 months:  11lbs 6oz (66%)
4 months: 17lbs 6oz (92%)
Height:
1 month: 20.25 inches (14 %)
2 months: 22.25 inches (58%)
4 months: 24.75 inches (53%)
Head circumference:  42.0 cm (80%)
Wearing: 6 month clothes, Size 3 diapers

You read that correctly…92% for weight.  She gained 6 lbs in 2 months. We have a good eater on our hands, that’s for sure!  I asked if we should be concerned and the answer was “not at all”.

Fynn is going to be measured by the Craniofacial doctor as well, but our pediatrician didn’t think she will need a helmet.  She has a pretty big flat spot on the back of her head but it’s starting to round out. Lots more tummy time and suggestive positioning have helped.  I also bought a BenBat pillow for her to use when she lays on her back at daycare or in a swing/bouncer.

They had their 4 month shots…no big deal.  I cried more than they did.  We get to start solids “whenever we are ready” and it’s time to baby proof!  Jerry and I are going to be busy this weekend.

Fynnlee Ann

Just look at my little squish.  She is 17# of pure perfection.

Sleep
Fynn has always been our champion sleeper. She’s been snoozing from 7pm to 5/5:30am since she was 2 1/2 months old. The dreaded 4 month sleep regression didn’t hit her too hard. Just a few wake ups here and there…but for the most part, she still loves her sleep. And don’t even think of messing with it. You want to see a pissed off Fynnlee…keep her awake past 7 pm. Sweetness & light turns into a Crankapotomus on a dime.

Eat
Does it appear that we have any issues with eating? Fynnlee downs 6 ozs when she wakes and again before bed. And she has three 8oz bottles during the day. We switched from Enfamil to Kirkland formula about a week ago without much issue. I love all things Costco!! I was a little nervous to mess with a good thing but I read a bunch reviews online that it was easily tolerated so we went for it. I don’t even think she noticed. Our bank account did though…$18 for 40oz vs $25 for 27oz. It was a no brainer for me. These kids are blowing through formula at an alarming pace.

Stuff
* She’ll tolerate the bumbo now. Not for long…but she’ll do it.
* Her favorite toy is the Nuby Crab Teether
* She chatters non-stop. I never get sick of our conversations
* Wheels on the Bus and Good Morning to You are her favorite songs.
* She grabs at everything…my hair and necklaces are her favorites
* Still loves the playmat and the swing is her current baby gadget of choice

Fynnlee photo dump

Greyson Paul

I could stare at this little dude all day long.  He is the most delightful baby in the history of ever.

Sleep
G man didn’t handle the 4 month sleep regression as well as his big sister. But then again, he never really hit a stride of consistently sleeping though the night. We did drop his nightly feeding at around 3 1/2 months. His 2 am bottle became shushing, patting and replacing the pacifier. He adjusted quickly but around the last week in August, we noticed a shift into multiple wake-ups during the night. Lots of fussing and whining that was easily diffused with his bink and the mobile. He would quickly fall back to sleep but then be up again a short time later. One night it was every hour…on the hour. In hindsight, I think the cradle cap was making him itchy and uncomfortable and that, combined to the normal disruption that occurs around 4 months, made for some looooooooong nights for Jerry and I. We’ve recently had some good stretches though. 7-3:30/4:00 and I can’t really complain about that. I think once we introduce some solids and get this itchy-head-thing under control, we’ll be all golden.

Eat
Greyson takes in 2 six ounce bottles and 3 seven ounce bottles every day. Really, the only time he cries during the day is if he’s hungry. He had no issue transitioning to the Kirkland formula either.  Solids are gonna be so fun!

Torticollis update
We’ve been meeting with the physical therapist once a week and it’s really making such a difference. We do stretches at home and I’m super cognizant of how I position him. We always want him looking to the right. The range of motion with his neck has really improved and he will move his head from side to side without prompting. He does favor the left when he’s tired and I think it’s a comfort position for him. Its slow progress but we’ll get there!

Stuff
* Rolled from tummy to back on 9/5
* Loves any song with do do do do do do in it. Manha Manha is a particular favorite.
* The Baby Einsten bendy ball will occupy him for hours
* Has made crazy huge improvements in tummy time.
* Loves to grab everything

Greyson photo dump

 

Random Thoughts/observations/stuff

These Beans are best friends right now. I know it won’t be like this forever so I’m cherishing it while I can.  They are always reaching for each other or holding hands. It’s unbelievably adorable.

  

I still can’t say enough good things about their daycare.  My kids are thriving and their teachers are a huge part of that.

This picture cracks me up.  Frick and Frack, I tell ya…

We take these Beans everywhere with us now and they are so well behaved.  Again, it won’t last forever, so we’re taking full advantage of it now!

 

I love being their Mom more than I ever thought possible.  I’m so proud of the little people they are. I know all Moms think their kids are awesome and amazing.  But mine really are.

And I still love Greyson’s outfit.

Tuesdays with Greyson

I know, I know…it’s Wednesday.  I’m already sucking at the new blog feature!  But the whole Labor Day long weekend thing threw me off.

Big Greyson news for this week…my peanut rolled over!  From tummy to back.  Yes he did!  And Jerry saw him do it too.  It’s happened 3 times and we’ve yet to get it on video.  But it’s pretty darn adorable.

So is he…

You’ll just have to use your imagination for now.