A few videos so you won’t feel like you’ve missed anything in my absence from blogging:
His mother’s son:
Finally, LAINE CAN SIT UP!!! She just started doing this during dinner and I am so excited I could burst with pride. She is growing so fast!
My goodness. I feel like I just posted about Laine’s 4-month birthday last week! She is growing so quickly! Laine is a very sweet little one. She is SO HAPPY! She is also completely fascinated by everything Isaac does. She is eager to get moving so she can follow him around. Then things are *really* going to get interesting! LOL
As you have seen from videos this month, Laine is mastering rolling from her back to her belly. She is usually content on her belly for a few minutes after she rolls over, but then I have to go rescue her. Within the past month, she has also learned that she can turn up the volume! She loves to “sing” at me while I am eating.. We will begin introducing pureed foods to her in a month or so. It looks like I am still providing her enough to eat, so I would prefer to delay a little longer. We could technically start at any time, but it looks like there may be fewer chances of allergies if we delay until the 6-month mark (which we did with Isaac).
Laine seems to be getting over some of her trepidation about the camera, as well. I took 3 pics for this month and they all turned out well! 🙂 Enjoy!
The Walter crew attended a wedding this past weekend. Here are a few pics from the blessed event.
Mom, this sweet little smocked, blue dress is the one from Elaine. It was perfect for the occasion!
This one is blurry because Todd was bouncing Isaac on his knee, but I still thought it was cute.
The whole family.
I am about to publish proof that I do that thing that parents aren’t supposed to do. You know… comparing my kids. My daughter is just about outgrowing her 6-9M clothes. While I am thrilled that she is so healthy, I was hoping she would stay tiny and snuggly for another 5 years or so. 😛
Anyway, just to give you an idea of how they are different in size, Laine now weighs more at 4 1/2 months than Isaac did at 1 year! Here is a more “apples to apples” comparison:
Isaac at 5 months old (wearing a slightly bulkier cloth diaper):
Laine at 4 1/2 months:
They are both super-extra cute, aren’t they?
Even if she is growing like a little weed, our girl is just as sweet as she can be. She is more awake and alert during the day, so my Moby wrap is getting a workout. I don’t like leaving her in the bouncy seat and it’s nice to have both hands free to do some things. She doesn’t like it when I sit down, though, so I might be in really great shape in the near future. LOL!
Within the past few days, Isaac has hit me with both barrels. The first time, it was “no kisses” when I was playing with him. Then, he threw “no snuggles” at me. (Did I really want him to learn to talk?) He still wants mommy to snuggle at nap time and before bed, but he is otherwise rough and tumble. Something is going on with him, though, because he’s been a little crankier and out-of-sorts lately. I took him for a chiropractic adjustment on Thursday and that evening he was in a better mood than he has been for about a week and a half. I know he should have a couple of molars coming in, but I haven’t noticed any extra drool, so I’m not sure if that’s what is bothering him. The chiropractor said it looked as though he’d recently had some fluid in his ears, so I what I thought was an ear infection may have been.
I got Isaac added to a wait-list at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Day School yesterday. Their program for 2-year-olds is a 2-morning/week class from 9-12 (noon). I like that it is only 3 hours at a time, so I don’t have to adjust quite so quickly to having him gone. There are a couple of names above his, but they have been on the list for quite some time. Apparently that is a good sign if they do end up going to the wait-list for some reason. People who have been on the list for a long time often have made other arrangements by the time they are called. I am not overly eager to get Isaac into school just yet, but I don’t think I am challenging him enough. I am currently not sure how he’d do in school, however. At the office yesterday, he spent the entire 5-minute visit informing the 2 nice ladies in the office that he “no like it.” LOL!!! He doesn’t like to leave the house much of-late. When I tell him we are going to go somewhere, he immediately starts his “home” chant and tries to run away from me when I get ready to put him in the car. I am sure this is just another phase, but it is surprising because he’s always been eager to go out before. I am worried he’s watching too much television, but it is ALL he wants to do, so I have let it slide a bit for the last 2 weeks. Todd was working Sales Conference and NIWeek, so I’ve been doing more than a little single-parenting lately… It’s easier to take Laine upstairs to nurse if Fireman Sam entertains Isaac for 15 minutes.
Anyway, I am tired and grumpy today, so that’s all I’ve got. Here are some fun videos from the last couple of weeks:
I can’t believe it’s been a month since I posted an update on our baby girl. She continues to “thrive!” I took her in for her 4-month appointment today. She has definitely grown. She is only 1 ounce shy of a whopping 18 pounds! Isaac didn’t weigh this much at 7 months. I guess we will be buying her a new car seat soon. It’s just too heavy to keep putting her in the car seat carrier. With her inside, it weighs close to 25 (very awkward) pounds. Here are the stats from Laine’s pediatrician’s appointment today:
Weight: 17 lbs. 15 oz. (> 95th percentile)
Height: 25″ (85th percentile)
Head Circumference: 16 1/2″ (80th percentile)
For the Baby Mamas, Laine’s growth is tracking right about where Henry’s was. LOL
Laine is a very happy baby. She is smiling at everyone these days and makes some very sweet, happy, chirping noises when she gets excited. She is quite a little wiggler – I have had to start belting her into the bouncy chairs so she won’t fall out. She is learning how to use her hands. It’s been adorable to watch her hold her two hands in front of her while she looks at them. This week, she successfully grabbed the mushroom on one of our bouncy seats (a feat that was momentous for Isaac and I still remember). She has been able to grasp the umbrella dangling on the other bouncy seat in order to start the music. She routinely grabs the two little “entertainers” hanging from the car seat handle as we are driving. She delights in almost everything Isaac does.
As you can see, my helper was ready to spring into action while I took pictures yesterday. Here they are playing together today:
I asked my friend Jennifer to take pictures of Isaac for his second birthday. She came over one day back in late April/early May and got some AMAZING photos. She began editing and sent me several via email. I shared those with a few people. Then, Jennifer got very sick. She’s been in and out of the hospital in Houston (she lives in Austin) while she continues to baffle some of the doctors there. They have run lots of tests and have gotten some, but not all, of the answers. I don’t want to post more about it here because, frankly, it’s her business. I will, however, ask you to pray for her that she will regain her health and be back home in Austin, for GOOD, soon. She’s been through a lot…
Anyway, she dropped off a CD of photos of Isaac for me over the weekend. They are absolutely breath-taking. I wanted to share just a few of my favorites with you. We are hopeful that Jennifer will be able to take some family photos of us, as well, but are waiting for her to feel better.
We decided not to try for posed pictures, so Jennifer captured Isaac being himself and playing and having fun in the back yard.
Laine sleeping on Nana (less than 2 months old):
Mommy and Daughter:
I wrote this post last week, since Laine hit 3 months last Monday. Then, I couldn’t get our computer to boot up, so I couldn’t upload a photo. Sorry for the delay…
Our baby girl has already been with us for 3 months! She didn’t have to go to the doctor for a 3-month well-check, so I don’t have any new size stats on her, but I wanted to give you a personality update.
Elaine is a WONDERFUL baby! She is a very smily, sweet little girl. She loves to interact with us and has been busy cooing and gurgling at us all. She makes good eye contact and smiles whenever she looks at anyone. She seems very interested in Isaac and actually seems to like his attempts to snuggle on her. She has been sleeping through the night for over a month now, but has relapsed a bit in the last week or so. She is still an outstanding sleeper and sleeps from about 11:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m., then wakes again around 5:00 and 7:00, but gets up for the day around 8:00 or so (long after her brother is up and running [literally]). She was sleeping from 11:00 to 5:00, but I haven’t been quite as consistent with nursing her at bedtime. I was going to bed at about 8:30 and nursing until about 10:00 so she could just snuggle to sleep for the night.
Laine has fallen asleep in her crib a couple of times when I’ve laid her in it while putting Isaac down for a nap. She doesn’t fuss very often and I check on her when she seems to be awakening because she’ll actually lie there for 5 minutes or more without crying if I’m busy wrangling Isaac when she awakes. Her latest “development” has been learning to suck on her fingers. She seems to prefer her right hand, but can now get either hand to her mouth. She will suck on her fingers to soothe herself. The sound of her sucking on her fingers through the monitor is usually what cues me that she is waking up. She can also use this to soothe herself back to sleep during nap time if she’s not ready to get up yet. It is FANTASTIC!!!
She continues to *thrive* and is soon going to outgrow even the 3-6-Month-sized clothes she’s been wearing. That works out well for me because it means I get to go look for NEW cute dresses. 🙂 I am feeling amazingly blessed by this sweet new soul in my life If every baby were as easy as this one – eats well, sleeps GREAT, and smiles the whole time she is awake – I would have 12 more. Just don’t tell Todd. LOL
Just in case you feel like I’m leaving someone out of this post…
She is just as cute, however, when she’s awake:
Isaac in the yard with some of his trucks:
Isaac and his new bubble maker. Jackson in tow to chase the bubbles:
Trucks in the dirt! There is still dirt around the garage side of the house. Isaac is very relieved.
As you can see:
Nana (my mom) is visiting for a week. Todd is going to Europe again. He’ll only be gone for a week this time, but I’m glad to have the company and the help…
Finally, this is how Isaac decided to rearrange our living room today… by taking every single toy out of the toy box:
Leavin' for Leuven 