September 8, 2011

5 Months Old

Payton
13 pounds 15 ounces

Eats 4 ounces every 3 hours during the day. Eats rice cereal before the last bottle at night.
Wears size 1 diapers and mainly 3 month clothes, some 0-3 and 3-6 month.

Rolls from belly to back and is starting to enjoy tummy time.
Loves to sit in the jumparoo and play with the toys but hasn't quite figured out how to jump.

Started to hold her own bottle and can even feed herself for a few seconds.
Is very interested in us eating and watches every move we make.
Very interested in the TV, especially the Today show in the morning!!

Payton, you are growing and changing so fast. You are getting so strong and can even hold your own bottle. You are so much fun to watch in the jumparoo as you discover each new toy. You have a very content and easy going personality. We love you sweet girl!

McKinley
14 pounds 11 ounces

Eats 4 ounces every 3 hours during the day. Eats rice cereal before the last bottle at night.
Wears size 1 diapers and mainly 3 month clothes, some 0-3 and 3-6 month.

Rolls back to belly and belly to back. Rolls all the time and loves to be on her belly.
Loves standing and is very observant of her surroundings. Very ticklish and belly laughs often. Loves to listen to music, gets real still and listens intently.

Has a birthmark on her left side that has developed a scab in the middle. We went to the doctor and he referred us to a specialist to checked out further but is not too concerned at this point.

McKinley, You are starting to enjoy playing on the floor and will entertain yourself with your toys. You are also a great sleeper and did a great job when we stopped nursing at night. We love to hear your little belly laugh and we will often tickle you or talk to you funny so that you will laugh. We love you sweet baby!


This past month was filled with milestones. We stopped nursing in the middle of the night. Which I thought would be hard on the girls but they did a great job and accepted their paci instead. I also stopped nursing all together. I wanted to nurse them at least until they started food and were sleeping through the night. It got to the point where they were scratching me and kicking their legs and I could not nurse them together so I was nursing constantly. It was not as hard on me as I expected, I guess we were all ready to be done! We started rice cereal and they girls are slowing coming to like it.

We moved the girls to their own bed. It was harder for me than it was for them! They are doing great and sleeping GREAT! I think they are enjoying their own space in their very own bed!
The girls also had their first cold and slept with the humidifier for about a week. I don't think they felt bad they just had a hard time breathing through their nose and were up a few more times at night.

We are really enjoying this stage that the girls are in. I wish we could pause for a little longer and keep them in this stage. We joke that they are interacting with us more and laughing but they are not mobile yet!!

September 6, 2011

I am so happy with the schedule that we have with the girls. I followed the girls lead and fed them when they were hungry and they slept when they were tired. I am amazed that they have basically put themselves on a schedule.


Our day:
The girls wake up around 5:30 and we put them in our bed. They typically go back to sleep for 30 minutes to an hour.
Matt gets up around 6:30 to get ready for work. He leaves around 6:45 and I get the girls morning bottles ready.
They eat 4 ounces at 7:00 and we play until about 8:30, usually still in my bed.
McKinley usually gets tired first and will roll over and go to sleep. I lay with Payton until she falls asleep. They sleep until about 10:30.
When they wake up they have a 4 ounce bottle. After eating they play on the floor or in the jumper.
They will take a 30 - 45 minute nap around 12:00.
At 1:30 the girls will have a 4 ounce bottle. They will then go down for a 2 hour nap.
At 4:30 they will have another 4 ounce bottle.
Matt comes home around 5:30 and plays with them.
Sometimes they have another 30 - 45 minute nap around 6:30.
We feed them rice cereal at 7:30 then give them baths.
They have their last 4 ounce bottle after bathtime and then are in bed around 9:00. They are still waking up a few times at night for their paci.


It is amazing how much easier our day is with this schedule. I can actually get things done during the day.


I even have more time to sit in the floor and play with them.


I expect it will only get easier as they get bigger.

September 5, 2011

It is that time of year again...football season. At our house football is a BIG deal, I mean watch all college and most pro games, or at least catch the highlights, read up on a few message boards, gossip with friends about the big plays, participate in a fantasy football league, tailgate and attend a few Arkansas games...and that is just Matt alone. I am not such a big fan, I enjoy the occasional Razorback game and I have learned A LOT about the game since I have known Matt but there are a lot of other things I would rather do than watch football.
I was excited when I had 2 girls because I saw the 3 of us hanging out and shopping or doing girly things during footballs season. However, my girls are their fathers daughter and absolutely L.O.V.E. watching football. I don't know if it is just to please their father because they know he will eventually be handing out money or if is the dramatic colors on the TV. All I know is that my future of girl time during football season does not look too promising at this point!


Proof that Payton loves football...


like father like daughter!


I have all of my hopes set on sweet McKinley who does enjoy 'riding' around with me in the Moby wrap!


There is nothing sweeter than babies in their diapers. They took their eyes off the game for a brief second so that I could take a picture!

September 3, 2011

This weekend Matt and I had a wedding so my mom, sister, and niece came down to watch the girls. It is always so nice to have them here. They are such a big help with the girls and we love spending time with all 3 of them. They are also great babysitters, especially their big cousin. I think they had more fun playing at home than we did out.

She is such a great big cousin. She calls the girls "babies" and is always concerned about them. She has just started wanting to hold them and will sit real still while we put a baby in her arms, of course not letting go of the baby. I love how she is "holding" them in this picture.

She is trying to hold Payton's hand in this picture and McKinley is so interested in her.

Whenever we are all together and we go out in public we always get funny looks. You can tell that people are trying to figure out who all the kids belong to. They will usually give me or Adrienne a "I feel sorry for you" look, or the "are you crazy?" look, or looks of confusion. We have even been asked if the 3 girls are triplets! It just blows our mind the way people react to our crowd!

September 2, 2011

Since the girls were born we have been swaddling them at both nap time and bedtime. Back when I was teaching my principal recommended the miracle blankets to swaddle. He said they worked great to swaddle and he was so right. The blanket has several flaps that fold over and keep the girls nice and tight all night. They sleep great in their swaddles.

However, I always knew there would come a day when the girls would be able to wiggle out of the swaddle. That day came today for McKinley. I heard her stirring around after nap time and went in to find her out of her swaddle. Not only was she out of her swaddle, she was on her belly. She loves to roll and be on her belly.

I was just so amazed that she had managed to flip over and escape the swaddle. She was not crying, she was just looking around. It looks like we have a tummy sleeper and I guess we will no longer swaddle her.

This sweet girl is not a little baby anymore!

August 31, 2011

The past couple weeks we have noticed that the girls are getting too big to be sharing a crib. Their heads and feet both touch the bumpers and they are starting to scoot toward each other where they are almost on top of the other. They are also waking each other up at night by stirring around or crying. We had planned on moving them to their own crib earlier but we have a video monitor and were struggling to position it so that it could pick up both girls in their own beds. After some furniture arranging we had solved the monitor issue.



Last night the girls spent their first night in their own crib. This was the first time they slept apart since they were born. I was very sad about moving them apart. I was up all night making sure they were sleeping ok without the other. I do not think that the girls even noticed, they even slept better! They both woke up at 7:00 this morning. I guess they were ready to be in their own crib!

August 28, 2011

Tonight we decided to try cereal for the first time. The girls have been watching us eat, opening their mouths, and our pediatrician gave us the go ahead. We just thought that they were ready for food. We put bibs on the girls, strapped them in their highchairs and braced ourselves for the experience.

The girls were not sure about the spoon at first and kept trying to suck on it. They would also stick their tongues out once the cereal was in their mouth, pushing the food out all over their chin. Eventually they got the hang of eating and enjoyed eating the cereal.

Payton got very distracted watching her daddy with the camera and was very hard to feed with her head turned toward him. Once he put down the camera she did a great job eating.




McKinley kept putting her hands in her mouth. She was a big mess! Once I got her hands pinned down she did a great job eating.




The after pictures! They ate about 3 ounces of formula mixed with rice cereal.



The girls really liked the rice cereal and got the hang of eating faster than I expected.

August 26, 2011

Our highchairs came in today!! I did a lot of research on highchairs. I wanted something that would be adjustable, easy to clean, and 2 would fit in our dining room. I am so glad that I chose these, they are so easy to lean back and lower.

The girls look so big sitting in their highchair. We haven't started food yet but I let the girls play in them for a little bit while I cooked dinner.

They loved sitting in them. I think they saw everything from a different prospective. It was so nice to have them sitting with me while I cooked. We are looking forward to starting food in our new highchairs!!

August 24, 2011

I think the girls look so cute in their outfits today. Matt was a typical dad and was not too excited about the little skirts but I think they look adorable in their ruffle skirts!


We are absolutely loving this stage right now, the girls are so much fun!

They are interacting with us, smiling and "talking". They are rolling over on their play mat but they are not completely mobile. They are noticing their toys and putting them in their mouths. They are sleeping a little better and we are on a great schedule.

Matt and I could not be more happy with our little family!

August 23, 2011

Payton has officially taken over her bottle. She has gotten so good at holding it! McKinley is starting to show interest in holding her bottle. Before long I will be able to hand them their bottle and they won't need me.

McKinley rolled from her back to her belly. She can now roll both ways. When she first rolled back to her belly her eyes got big like she was so proud of herself for rolling!! Both of our girls are getting so big!

August 19, 2011

This morning Payton slept until 5:00 and Matt woke McKinley up at 6:45 before he left for work. I am crossing my fingers that this is the new norm for the girls!!
Tonight we took the girls swimming at Mimi and Grand-daddy's pool.

Matt could not be a better daddy. These girls are so lucky to have him!


McKinley loved looking at the shapes and colors on the ring.


Payton dancing on the stairs.




It was a really nice night and the pool was really warm. The girls really enjoyed being in the water. I think we will have 2 little swimmers next year!

August 18, 2011

McKinley has discovered that she can grab toys. She will pull them toward her and try to get them in her mouth. She has also started belly laughing when we tickle her or her daddy talks to her. I absolutely love that little baby laugh, she can brighten my day with her laugh!

She also loves to suck on her fingers or fist!

August 15, 2011

Payton is on a roll...
She has started grabbing at her toys. Yesterday on the way to church she kept pulling her car seat toy so it would play music. (I think we are going to get sick of the toy really quick!)

Today she held her bottle...briefly. She has been putting her hands on it for a few days and finally figured out how to grab it. They are getting big too fast!

August 14, 2011

Today was our first day in the jump a roo!





The girls were wide eyed looking at all the new toys and listening to all the sounds. We put a pillow under their feet so they could jump but they really didn't know what they were suppose to do. I cannot believe they are already big enough to be in it.

August 13, 2011

The girls have just started to find each other. I'm not sure if they know they are looking at their sister but they just stare at each other. I have seen them smile at each other once or twice...maybe they have their own special language!