Holt: 2.5 years

Our little man was officially 2.5 years old on February 7th. HOW???

"the days are long but the years are short."

UMMMM, yeah.

This boy. Goodness y'all, my heart just feels like it could BURST from the love I have for him. He is smart and kind and funny. He loves BIG and is a joy to be around. He is very logical and literal (which gives way to some hilarious phrases and situations) and would rather do whatever an adult is doing than play with toys. He loves to learn, loves to "help": make coffee or cook or wash dishes or feed the dog or take out the trash. He has a servant-hearted spirit already and we hope to foster that as he continues to get older. When he wants to be held, he comes up and says "mama, hold you!" He is very independent and wants to do everything by himself--"no, MY do it!" (i love how he says that). He isn't a big cuddler at all (he never has been though, even as a baby) so if he asks me to sit by him on the couch, I drop whatever I'm doing and go sit and soak up the fleeting moments of cuddles he is willing to give me. He has started pushing boundaries and as a result we have had to change our discipline tactics. Some days I feel like all I do is discipline, but then he will just run up, give me the biggest hug and say "hi mama" and I melt into a puddle and completely forget about how mad I was just 2 seconds ago. He has the most beautiful curly hair and big brown eyes. He has the most contagious belly laugh and it instantly makes your day better.

*LOVES lawnmowers (and vacuums)---he got 2 play lawnmowers for Christmas

*can sing several songs by memory: itsy bitsy spider, ring around the rosy, holy holy holy, jesus loves me, wheels on the bus, you are my sunshine, ABC song, good morning God (BSF), old macdonald had a farm, this little light of mine
*made up a song: happy birthday today
*favorite movies/TV shows: Daniel Tiger's neighborhood, Magic School Bus (thank you Netflix), Finding Dory, Cars, Fox and the Hound, 101 Dalmatians
*loves to watch home videos on my phone (trying to do better of taking more of them)
*potty trained and in pull-ups for naps/nighttime

*MDO Tuesday/Thursday and BSF Wednesday

*has an EXTENSIVE vocabulary and speaks really well
*he has started learning that people have middle names and can list several--Holt Parker, Evie Elizabeth, and our best friends---Lorna Marilyne, Letty Renee, and Layla Dacie.
*my parents and I took him to a Razorback football game in Little Rock back in September--he STILL talks about seeing the band and watching the game

*he has an AMAZING memory--he still remembers events or things that happened from Summer 2016! He also remembers people very well--if he meets you once or twice he WILL remember you!
*In October, Daniel accepted a position of Associate Pastor at a church in the Fort Smith area. Holt hasn't skipped a beat. He has made this transition so seamlessly, it's like he has been at this church his whole life. He loves his Sunday School class and he instantly made new friends. Plus, he absolutely loves our pastor and his family. If you missed it, you can read all about it HERE
*Thanksgiving 2016--he especially loved the pheasant and deer and continues to ask to go back to Sno-lic.

*Zoo Day---we took the kids over to the Tulsa Zoo back in October for a day with our best friends and Holt still talks about how he needs to go back.

*Christmas 2016--he loved Christmas this year! He understood more of what was happening and got really good at opening presents ;) Since we had our house on the market, we didn't get out as many decorations so next year I'm hoping to remedy that. He also didn't really understand Santa, which is fine with us. Yes, we will do Santa a little bit but we are not pushing. I found a blogpost about how this family handled Santa with their kids and we plan to do the same READ HERE
Also, this next Christmas I plan to start Advent and get a few more Christmas books.

*Night Terrors during the night and naps--these started when Evie was born. we have gone through cycles--for a while we were down to only 1-2 times a night of screaming/crying and then it will escalate to 5 or more a night. We are continuing to pray God's protection over him and asking for the Lord to guard his mind as he sleeps. Thankfully he is still a great sleeper, but I know it's not as restful as it could be. We visited with our pediatrician about this---they suggest it possibly could be an issue with large tonsils and adenoids. Although I don't necessarily hope for surgery, I do hope this could be the answer. It would be a quick fix and he could get back to his normal sleeping habits. We may meet with an ENT in the near future.
*starting to play pretend and use imagination more---EX: driving the truck to work or to get donuts, playing in the kitchen and cooking, pretending he is mowing, pretending like he's sleeping
*interacting with sister more--loves to play peek-a-boo with her

*can list friends and where we see them--"school" friends, church friends, etc.
*fascinated with music and instruments--especially pianos and guitars

*we have noticed this about him since he was a baby, but he has a huge interest in taking things apart, seeing how they work, and putting them back together. he is very hands on, is curious about everything we do, and loves to learn. I am so interested to see how his interests develop as he gets older and what he decides to do as a career--maybe an engineer?
*loves to help make coffee, help cook (especially stirring), clean around the house, feed Sophie---anything to help!

*knows all his colors
*can recite his ABC's---can only recognize a few letters (his favorite is "o")
*one nap a day--12:30pm to (no later than) 3:00pm
*bedtime--7:30pm
*we haven't necessarily encountered much of the "terrible two's", although I feel like it might be picking up a bit. Over the last month or so, he has really started pushing boundaries and becoming more defiant. We have started a new method of discipline with "standing in the corner" and it seems to be pretty effective so far. Sometimes, it feels like we discipline ALL DAY LONG and others we hardly have to discipline at all. Trying to keep in mind it's worth the hard moments now to have a well behaved kid as he gets older.

Weight: 31.8 lbs (75th percentile)
Height: 36 ¼ inches (60th percentile)

Get ready for a massive photo dump!

Evie: 9 Months

9 MONTHS.

90 days away from ONE.

We fall more in love with our Evie-girl every day! Her little personality is really starting to shine and she is so FUN! She is still my go-with-the-flow-laid-back baby but also loves to be in the middle of the action. She thinks her brother hung the moon and anything he does is absolutely hilarious. They are going to have such a sweet bond and I can't wait to watch it play out.

She doesn't have time to sit still and now her favorite thing is to hold on to my fingers and walk all over the house. She wants to walk SO BAD and I can just see the wheels in her head turning as she tries to figure it out. I think she will walk earlier than Holt did (2 weeks before he turned one). Honestly, at this point, I would rather her walk than crawl. Her clothes won't get as dirty and it will be easier to get out and do things. I might eat my words once she actually does but we will see!

She's definitely a mama's girl but lights up when her daddy walks in the room. If I leave the room she is in for any reason, no matter the length of time, she starts crying (dramatic much?). And most of the time she wants to be held instead of on the floor, so I try to sit on the floor with her so she will actually play. She is slowly starting to do better about entertaining herself and Holt has started playing with her more. A couple of times this month, I have walked into the living room and watched them play with toys together all initiated on their own. Makes my mama heart absolutely  melt and I can't wait to see that happen more often!

She FINALLY doesn't scream when she's in the bathtub, due in large part to big brother helping to entertain her. Praises.

She is a more serious baby than Holt was--he belly laughed all day long but we have to work pretty hard sometimes to get her to laugh. Although, I have to say the last 2-3 days she has literally just randomly started laughing and can't quit. Which is pretty gosh darn cute.

She has cut TWO teeth this month! Things are moving much faster than her brother thank goodness. It took Holt over 2 months between his first tooth and second tooth. We will see how many more she gets between now and her birthday.

She is still our little petite girl! She wears 6-9 month clothing, size 2 shoe (finally) and is still in size 2 diapers and size 3 at night.

Routine:

6:30/6:45AM   wake up
7 AM  bottle (usually 6 oz)
8AM  breakfast (scrambled egg, muffins, puffs, etc)
9AM  nap
11/11:30AM  lunch (protein, veggies, sometimes pasta, a pouch, more puffs, etc)
playtime
12:45PM  bottle (usually 2-3 oz)
1:00PM  nap
3/3:30PM  wake up and maybe have 2 oz more of a bottle
playtime
4:30/5PM  dinner (same as lunch)
playtime
6:30PM  bath (we usually only do baths 2-3 times a week)
6:45/7PM  6 oz bottle, do bedtime routine with Holt (brush teeth, books, pray, sing, bed)
Sound machine on, lights out, bedtime

Weight: 16 lbs. 5 oz (18th percentile)
Height: 27 inches (20th percentile)


Favorites: *mama *her brother *daddy *her food *walking with help *being held

Sleeping: She has consistently slept through the night all month! All. the. praise. hands. She takes two naps a day: a shorter morning nap (usually 45 min-1 hour) at 9 AM and a longer afternoon nap (1.5-2 hours) at 1 PM. She goes to bed between 7-7:30pm depending on what time she wakes from her nap and sleeps til 6:30-6:45 the next morning. It's been fun to have her incorporated into the bedtime routine with Holt now!

Feeding: She has significantly cut back on her formula. She only takes about 16-18 ounces a day now. Yay for formula cans lasting longer! And this girl doesn't mess around when it comes to food. So far she has loved anything and everything she tries. We are still having to watch dairy--no cheese or yogurt or milk, but I'm hoping that changes this month like it did with her brother. The good thing is she can have foods that contain dairy ingredients, like muffins or waffles. She still loves her peanut butter and now enjoys peanut butter sandwiches. I typically cut up or tear everything I give her into chunks or bite-sized pieces. It didn't take her long to figure out how to chew and she rarely gags which is nice. She also learned this month how to sign for "more please" and "all done" which is really helpful! Her favorite snacks are puffs and the Gerber fruit & veggie melts--her eyes get real big and she starts clapping her hands and saying "ooooo!" We also do pouches (I squeeze into a spoon for now although I'm trying to teach her to suck it out like a straw) and I buy the Stage 3 Gerber chicken and turkey baby foods to take out with us like to church or a friend's house. She also LOVES scrambled eggs and usually has at least one for breakfast, sometimes too. She has also tried and liked pasta (like her mama), ground turkey and beef, sweet peas, bbq chicken, carrots, green beans, and corn. She eats 3 meals a day and we split her bottles up--I tried doing 8 oz. twice a day but she usually doesn't take more than 4-6 oz at a time. She takes a bottle first thing in the morning, right after lunch, right after nap, and right before bed.

Photo dump:

Evie: 8 Months

Happy 2017! And happy 8 months to our Evie-girl! She has seemed to blossom this month. It is amazing what all she has accomplished in only 30 days! She has:

*learned how to clap
*FINALLY SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT CONSISTENTLY (can I get an amen??!!)
*started pulling up in her crib and on people
*went from one meal a day to three meals a day + (3) 8 oz. bottles

*started saying "mama"
*celebrated her First Christmas

*celebrated the life of her great-grandmother Ruth (her funeral was the week after Christmas)
*she experienced her first snow

*she has started patting---especially if she wants to be picked up and you get her, she just pats away on your arm as if to say "thank you!"
*sat in a high chair at a restaurant for the first time

She is still just my chill, laid-back, very social baby girl and is so happy all the time! I still whisper "thank you God" on a regular basis when I think back to the first 3 months of her little life and how hard they were. Thankful for a healthy, happy baby!

Typical Schedule:

6:45/7 AM wake up
7/7:30AM  8 oz bottle
8/8:30AM  breakfast
9AM  nap
11:30AM  lunch
12:30PM   8 oz bottle
1:00PM   nap
4/5PM  dinner
6 PM  bath (if needed), pj's, 8 oz bottle
6:30/7PM  bedtime

In other news, we STILL have not broken any teeth! Poor thing. I think they keep moving up and down. For the most part she is still pretty happy, but she has her moments where I know her mouth is just killing her. Let's hope she doesn't teethe like her brother and only pop one tooth at a time.

Also, she HATES baths. I'm talking hyperventilating, shaking, holding on to me for dear life, screaming-crying HATES them. We moved her to the laundry basket now that she sits up well, but even when we still used the baby bath she just doesn't like them. Which, lets be honest, 2nd baby--she doesn't get bathed every day. But it's still a huge struggle. We just try to make them as fast as possible and then calm her down afterwards.


Feeding: We have switched feeding schedules and it has worked SO WELL. I think this is what has finally helped her start sleeping all night. She now has (3) 8 oz. bottles + 3 meals every day. We do a mixture of baby foods and soft table foods, but she seems to prefer to feed herself and therefore would much rather have table food. We also do puffs and we introduced peanut butter, which she LOVES. She loves it so much she cried huge crocodile tears when I put up the container the first time she tried it. Definitely my child. This is also helping her gain some weight--I'm not sure how much because we don't go back for a check up until next month, but she feels heavier. Grow girl grow!

Milestones: I feel like this was a big month for milestones. She can pull-up on certain things. She can clap. She can say "mama" and KNOW she's talking about me. She has starting eating so much more.

Favorites: *Holt--ANYTHING her brother does is hilarious, but she especially loves for him to play peek-a-boo with her *her bottles *Mama--she is definitely a mama's girl but her daddy tells me that will change ;) *people--she just loves to be in the middle of all the action! she doesn't like to be by herself for very long. she starts crying if she's by herself too long.

Sleeping: Biggest news in this department is she in FINALLY sleeping through the night! She's only been doing that though for about a week. All through the holidays it was still rough and she was waking 2-3 times a night for a paci and wanting to eat about 5AM. But now that we have switched to our new schedule she rarely wakes up. Praises!! She is down to 2 naps a day and her morning nap is typically around 45 minutes but her afternoon nap is usually at least 1.5-2 hours. Yay!

Photo Dump:

that face <3

already loves that bling!

Christmas with the Lowery's (12.23)

the only picture of all 4 of us we got all day 

Christmas with the Henderson's (12.24)

real life taking a picture with a toddler and infant

Evie got to be Baby Jesus at our Live Nativity this year

looking cute in her Christmas pj's 

she loves her baby doll

Christmas with RoRo and Melly (12.31)

Happy happy girl! 

First snow 

First time to swing at our best friend's house--she really did enjoy it!

she cracks herself up 

learning how to get around in the walker

Evie-girl,

You bring so much joy to our home! You are such a happy baby and you just go with the flow--so helpful and such a blessing. You really only get upset when you're hungry or tired, or if you want to be picked up and we walk right by you. You light up a room and want to be right in the middle of all the action. You think anything your brother does is absolutely hilarious and you are my little cuddle bug. We love you to pieces and can't imagine our family without you. Can't wait to see what the next month holds! 

love, mama