5 months

5 months as of November 26, 2013

Clothes: You are wearing all 3-6 and 6 months clothes. 6 months jammies were getting snug on you lengthwise, so we've had to introduce 9 month sleep and plays into the mix. 

Health: Physical therapy was a huge blessing and you are officially finished. Your neck is so strong, thank heavens. We still do neck stretches daily and were recently told that we're going to have to continue them until you're 18 months old. I wish that you weren't born with torticollis, but I'm constantly reminding myself that it could be much worse. I think we're going to go ahead and get you fitted for a cranial band that you'll have to wear for 8-10 weeks. You got this, buddy!

Diet: You eat 5 times a day. You're still on Similac Sensitive. You take 4 6oz. bottles throughout the day, eating every 3 hours, and 1 7oz. bottle as your last bottle at 7:00pm.

Sleep: Sometime in this 4th month of your life it clicked -- you love to sleep! And now that you've just turned 5 months old you sleep 12 hours straight through the night -- 7:30pm-7:30am -- and you take 3 naps daily. You are easy to put down, love your sleep and 5 out of 7 mornings I have to wake you up at 7:30am. Sleep is not an issue in our house!

 Baby Gear Love: activity mat, Baby Einstein musical toy, mirrors, Bumbo, jumper, ergo

Likes: smiling, talking, sucking fingers, playing with feet, eating, getting a diaper change, sleeping

Dislikes: pacifier, evening-time, wind, taking walks

Crying: You just aren't a crier. I don't really have much to add about this topic... Thank God!

Milestones: This 5th month of life has been a fun one! You love nothing more than your feet. I swear you have a love affair going on with them. I often catch you whispering sweet nothings to them and shoving them in your mouth -- Please don't have a foot fetish, just please don't. Other than that, you've really been able to give us some large belly giggles. All of them come from you watching Cali and thinking that she is just the funniest thing that you've ever seen. And she probably is, I mean, your world is quite small and Cali can be so much fun! You are also very alert and able to follow conversation as if you're watching a tennis match. You watch people enter a room and get overly excited when you're about to get picked up -- You kick your feet like crazy and lift up your arms, as if you're saying "yay, pick me up Mama!" You love love love your jumper. In the beginning of the month we would put you in it and you would look around and play with your toys very delicately, but now that you're a bit older you're able to move around from station to station, bounce yourself up and down, turn on the music and really grab and hold onto each toy that's attached to it. You want to eat everything. If it isn't your hands or feet it's your toys or anything you can get your hands on, including my hair. Rolling is something that you're able to do, but you just don't have much of an interest in. We have always spent so much of our days doing tummy time, but you only roll over about once/day. I wish you would roll more often, but I guess you are just so comfortable on your stomach that you don't have a strong desire to. In due time you'll be rolling all over the place... this I know. What you do have a strong desire to do is stand up. If you could stand all day you would. We have to hold you up underneath your armpits, but you put all of your weight on your feet, lock your knees and look around at everything. Once you have enough upper body strength, I know you'll be standing in know time, as you have the lower body strength already. I'm banking on you being able to stand before you're able to crawl. The biggest milestone of all occurred on November 20th -- I felt your gums and could feel that your bottom two teeth had punctured through your gums. I immediately got a pit in my stomach and started to cry -- you're growing up too fast! Your teeth have been rising higher and higher daily. I can't believe you have your 1st two teeth coming in at just 5 months old -- wild!

Dear Trace, Just when I thought that Cali was my best dance partner, you waltzed into my life. We love to dance all around the house, don't we? Daddy often catches us when we don't think he's around and I get embarrassed, but he loves to watch us bounce around to anything on the radio. You laugh and look at me like I'm looney, which I probably am. I just have so much fun with you! You bring out my inner dork and it brings me so much joy to have her released. You know who makes you laugh harder than anyone? Cali. Every time you do tummy time Cali thinks that we're on the floor to play with her. She always runs, gets her favorite toy and brings it to us. She mainly brings it to me to throw, but she will at least once bring it to you to throw. You look at her toy, kick your legs and arms and Cali thinks you're playing with her so she lunges for you. You grab at her and giggle... and there you have it, you two play for about 5 seconds. 5 of the most adorable seconds of my day. Thank you for being such a sweet, happy and playful little boy. Your dad and I just adore your every move, glance and sound. We are those parents who think everything you do is just the absolute best. Because it is. 

Scenes from the past month!

 

new fall finds - trader joe's

 What are some of your favorite recent discoveries from Trader Joes?

we're famous !!!

Well not really, but do you remember when Bryan I went to the Riviera Maya to shoot promotional footage for the Barcelo Mayan Beach Resort back in January 2012. Our videos are up on their site!

Barcelo Mayan Beach Resort videos: click here

And these pictures just reconfirm all of the baby weight that I still have to lose, ugh...

the truth about trace (and a glimpse into our daily routine)

Everyone hates a bragger.

Am I right or am I right?

So I'm going to give it to you straight. 

This is the real, 100% honest truth about my little Trace Jameson.

Trace wakes up sometime between 6:30am and 7:30am.

Roughly 4 mornings a week we have to wake Trace up at 7:30am or else he'll miss his 7:30am feeding.

Yes, we wake our baby up.

He loves to get his diaper changed and get his clothes changed.
He used to love his pacifier, but once he discovered his fingers they're all he needs.

Trace takes 3 naps everyday. In his crib.

I rock him to sleep in his room before every nap.

He doesn't cry before naptime. 

He just yawns and puts his fingers in his mouth. That's his sign. Time for a nap.

He gets a bottle at 10:30am, 1:30am and 4:30pm every day.

And every day he wakes up from his nap at these times, because he knows when he's supposed to eat.

10% of the time he wakes up crying.

90% of the time he wakes up with a smile on his face.

Trace loves to smile and is such a happy kid.

When awake, he is so alert and loves playtime.

He likes to stand, stare at himself in the mirror and put every toy we own in his mouth.
His favorite toys are Freddie the Firefly, his rings and his Baby Einstein music player.
He's just discovered his feet and the fact that they're with him all the time.

He loves to play with his tongue.
His fingers and hands are his favorite thing to eat.
I am constantly cleaning his hands from saliva.

He drools like crazy and goes through approx. 5 bibs daily.

Trace gets fussy at 6:00pm and cries throughout the entire hour.

This is when we break out the Baby Bjorn or balance ball to bounce him.

Trace is tired at this point and just wants to go to bed for the night.

He gets a bath every other night. I mean, how dirty can a 4 month old get.

We start bathtime at 6:45pm.

Trace looooves bathtime.

He gets his bath in his bathtub on our kitchen island.

He's starting to splash so much and I always end up getting soaked.

I take Trace upstairs to get ready for bed.

I have to double diaper him because he pee's through 1 diaper and wets his jammies if I don't.

While I get Trace ready for bed Bryan makes his bottle and fills his vaporizer up with water.

Bryan kisses Trace good night and goes downstairs to clean up after Trace's bath.

I sit in his dark room, rocking and feeding him.

This is my favorite time of day.

Trace is fast asleep in his crib by 7:30pm.

The only white noise we give him is the subtle sound that his air purifier makes.

This early bedtime leaves the entire evening open for Bryan and I to spend quality time together.

Trace sleeps 11-12 hours a night without waking up once.

Sleep is not an issue in our house. 

Trace is always rested. I am always rested. Bryan is always rested.

But Cali. Oh yes, Cali is always sleepy... that dog.....

And that is the real, 100% honest truth about my little Trace Jameson.

No bragging. Just shooting straight.

He's an angel. A complete angel.

Trace is the kid who gets 4 shots, cries for 30 seconds and then is his smiling happy self.

Shoot, I'd be crying longer than that if it were me.

He's a total champ.

Trace is the kid who starts to cry when I yell across the street to my neighbor "you look awesome!"

He isn't used to loud voices or yelling.

Even those simple, yet loud words scare him into tears.

Because he lives such a peaceful, structured, chill life.

Trace is the kid that will wear sunglasses on Halloween without a care.

He wore those sunglasses for 3 hours.

He never touched them. Not even once.

He left them on his face the entire time. 

Even while trick-or-treating in the dark, Trace wore his sunglasses.

And he never fussed.

Trace is the kid who finds comfort in his mothers voice.

My horrible singing voice calms Trace like nothing else.

It warms my heart and makes me feel like the most important person in the world.

And when he looks at me?

Oh man. That look he gives me.

I can tell that I mean everything to him and he knows he has my whole heart.

Because he does. Trace has my whole heart.

I've never understood why so many females want daughters.

Sons are just as amazing.

Dare I say better.

Trace is sweet, gentle, playful and funny.

He is a really good little boy.

I love having a son and being a mom to a boy.

He is the absolute best thing that's ever happened to me.

And that is the real, 100% honest truth about my little Trace Jameson.

He. Is. An. Angel.

And I am so effed when I go and have my second child...

halloween 2013 - elvis lives

When deciding on Trace's Halloween costume I knew that he wasn't going to be a pumpkin or a pea. Snooze fest. My thought process went as such -- When T is at his first Halloween keg party his freshman year of college, what is the funniest thing, Halloween related, he could be telling his new buddies about? His Elvis freaking Presley costume when he was just 4 months old! Okay, maybe my mind is a little warped, but that's really how I came up with his costume. And let me tell you, everyone was dying over my little baby Elvis. In regards to his costume, everything came with it except for his Babiator sunglasses, of which he wore all summer, that I spray painted with gold glitter. If he were a little bit taller you'd be able to see that his pants were full-on bell bottoms. His socks even say "Elvis" on one foot and "Lives" on the other. Elvis Lives. Pure awesomeness I tell ya! What a little stud... 

Some of our neighbors were passing out jello shots with whipped cream to all of the parents walking around. We knew we liked them before, but now they will be the house to hit annually. Baby Elvis even wanted his daddy's beer, but he settled for a bottle and bed at around 7:30pm.

I was went to be a boy mom...

4 months

4 months as of October 26, 2013

Weight:  15 lbs. 1 oz // 50-75 percentile

Length: 25 inches // 50-75 percentile
Head Circumference: 17 inches // 75 percentile

Clothes: You are wearing all 3-6 month onesies, shirts and sleep and plays, but you continue to fit into 0-3 month shorts, pants and sweatspants. You've got yourself a tiny hiney -- Mommy's jealous!

Health: Physical therapy was a huge blessing and you are officially finished. Your neck is so strong, thank heavens.

Diet: You generally take 6 bottles/day - all formula. You're still on Similac Sensitive. You take 4 5oz. bottles throughout the day, 1 6 oz. bottle as your last bottle at 7:30pm and you get 2-3oz. when you wake up in the middle of the night. We're giving you so little in hopes that you'll just sleep through that feeding, which you do do several times a week. When you sleep through the night you only get 5 bottles/day.

Sleep:  Bathtime is still 7:00/7:15pm and you are ready for bed, with your bottle in your mouth by 7:30pm and asleep by 7:45-8:00pm. There was a week period that you regressed --- You fought bedtime, you hated napping and you woke up twice nightly in the middle of the night. This was a long week, as we didn't know how long this regression would last. Thankfully, not long at all and you've been back to your typical schedule for a couple of weeks now. You still sleep from 8:00pm-7:00am, often, waking up for a 20 minute middle of the night feeding. You've slept through the night too many times to count, but it's still not standard for you quite yet. I'm not complaining though... I mean, I'm only up for 20 minutes if I get up (some nights are Daddy's nights to get up with you). Napping has generally always gone well. You take 3 naps - 8:15am, 11:30am and 2:30pm - and you sleep for anywhere between 30 mins-1.5 hours. When you were 16 weeks old you decided that you weren't going to cry at naptime anymore. You love to be rocked to sleep while sucking on your fingers, totally fuss free. I swear that the Moms On Call book has been one of the best purchases of my life!

 Baby Gear Love: activity mat, Baby Einstein musical toy, mirrors, firefly toy, Bumbo, jumper, swing

Likes: smiling, talking, sucking on fingers, eating, naptime, crib, getting a diaper change, bath time, sucking on and playing peek-a-boo with Aden + Anais swaddling blankets, watching tv, rolling over (from stomach to back), playing with toys

Dislikes: pacifier, evening-time, wind, when the sun is in his eyes

Crying: You cry so little these days. You're always very fussy in the evening between 6:15-7:15pm and just wail. This is when either Daddy or I plop ourselves on our medicine ball (yes, the one from the gym) and bounce you up and down on it. When we do this you go silent! You truly only cry when you're sleepy, when you need your diaper changed and when you're hungry. And those are all things that I can help you with or fix within minutes. Easy, easy!

Milestones: You love to roll over, from stomach to back. It's the cutest thing to watch you slightly rock back and forth, gain momentum then tumble over onto your back looking for praise, of which you get every time! You hold your head so well now -- I can't believe that I can walk around with you without having one hand on the back of your head. How'd that happen so fast? You also love to sit up in the corner of the couch, on our laps or in your Bumbo and just watch the world go by. Out of the blue you desided that you hated the pacifier and have refused it for weeks, seems as though you've taken to sucking on your blankets and fingers instead. It's not clear which fingers you'll decide on, but it's looking like your favorites are the same ones that your mommy used to suck. Oddly enough, you've recently started to notice the tv and will even watch it. I'm sure it's the bright colors that catch your eye, or maybe you just really like Kelly and Michael :) Smiling - Oh smiling. We can't get enough of your toothless smiles and giggles. It might just be the cutest thing I've ever witnessed! And your cuddles. They mean so much more to me now than they did in the beginning... because it seems as if you're choosing to fall asleep on me instead of whining for your crib... and that my son, is heaven for your mommy and daddy. You are a boy who loves to talk. You just babble like crazy and sometimes we think you might actually be telling us a story in your own little language. I like to think you're explaining all of the adventures you go on in your dreams :)

Dear Trace, Every month is truly getting to be more and more fun. I can honestly say that I did not enjoy the first 2 months as much as I've enjoyed the last 2. You make Daddy and I laugh all the time! It is a true joy to be your mother. I think about the weight that I have left to lose, the muffin top that I'm constantly trying to hide and the scar on my lower belly that I'll have forever... for you, it's all worth it. Spending my days with you is the greatest blessing of my life and I thank God every day that I'm able to. I still can't believe that I was chosen to be your mother. Someone pinch me! I look at your hands and can't believe that they'll be man hands one day. I kiss your soft cheeks and can't believe they'll have stubble on them one day. I know that you will be an incredible man, but in the meantime I'm enjoying watching you transition from a newborn into an infant. I'm loving every minute of this life with you in it! The world is a better place since you've arrived, I can already tell...

Scenes from the past month!