Week 150

Jan 11-17

I feel like my two boys are getting so BIG! People told me that with two kids the time seems to fly by even faster than before. It is so true. I feel like things are changing right before my eyes and I can't slow everyone down. I am going to take this post to talk about each kid and what they are doing. Coincidentally Abel turned 4 months old this week. FOUR MONTHS! He was just born. Wow. I took time this week to take some pictures of both boys together and then individually. Kind of a picture heavy post, but I really thought they turned out well so I hope you enjoy! :)

Abel weighs in at 18 lbs 9.6 oz and is 27 in tall (both 95th percentile). He is exclusively breast fed. He is an excellent eater and has been gaining weight without any problems. This time around I have had very much support with my job in being able to pump when I am at work. I think it helps that I work nights. He recently went from 4 oz bottles to 5 oz bottles when I am gone. The change caused him to sleep anywhere from 6-8 hour stretches at night. So amazing. He is taking around three naps per day. It is a little bit more of a challenge to get him on a schedule because we do more things and are on the go. With Jack we just worked around his schedule, but Abel sometimes gets moved around when it is nap time. He does okay though.

He is such a happy baby. Sometimes he will be asleep and I will think to myself, "he has been sleeping for a long time," and go check on him. I will find him lying awake in his bed waiting patiently for someone to come get him. He usually gives you a big smile when you come scoop him up out of his crib.

He loves his jumperoo. He will jump in that thing for 30 minutes if you let him. I think he likes it because he is upright and can see everything big brother Jack is doing. If you pay any attention to him he will laugh and smile. He is also a talker. A loud talker. He will go on and on in his little baby babble and it is adorable.

We think he is starting to cut a tooth because he has been excessively drooling, chewing on his fingers, and has the rosiest cheeks I have ever seen on a baby. So far we haven't seen anything, but we are on the lookout. I think it will appear in the next few days. Other things he likes to do: cuddle, sit in his Bumbo seat, play with big brother, take baths. He is a sweet baby.

Jack is almost 3 years old!!! He weighs 35 lbs 3.2 oz and is 38.5 in tall (both 90th percentile). He has really grown up in the past few months since baby brother came home. I am delighted that he doesn't seem to be jealous of his new brother. I think a big part of that is he is such a Daddy's boy and doesn't really mind when I'm feeding the baby. He is very helpful and will get diapers, throw things away, and share his bath with Abel.

For Christmas Jack got a new bike from my dad. He had a tricycle, but it was the more upright old fashioned one. This one is more of a "lowrider" tricycle and he jumped right on and pedaled it (with the help of Uncle Andy bribing him with candy). Ed and I got him the other tricycle last year for Christmas and he has yet to ride it using the pedals. Well suddenly he can do both bikes. He loves to ride them around. I am so happy we live on a cul-de-sac and he can just go down our driveway and have the freedom to ride his bike without worrying about traffic.

Jack has dropped his nap altogether, but he still goes to bed at 7:00 pm and wakes up around 7:00 am. He has always been an early riser. Sometimes if we are lucky he will get up and cuddle with us in our bed for an extra 30 minutes. We put on cartoons and he sits between us. We seriously need to get a king sized bed. Sometimes Abel will wake up to eat at the same time and all four of us are in a queen bed. It is a squeeze!!

He has started playing games. His favorites are Memory, Candy Land, the Fishing Game, and Hi-Ho-Cherry-O. He actually "gets" the rules and will play. Sometimes his attention span isn't great enough for an entire game, but he is getting better. He also has mastered upper and lower case letters and counts to 14. He knows all of his colors. He also can name basic shapes (circle, square, triangle, star, rectangle, crescent moon). He can draw a circle.

His vocabulary and language skills amaze me every day. He speaks in full sentences and says the funniest things. The other day we were in the car and I had the radio on. He said, "turn the radio off Mommy, I want to talk." Um, okay. LOL. He still loves to read books. We read every day many times throughout the day. He is really picking up on things. Today we were reading "Fox in Socks" by Dr Seuss and he pointed at the title and said "what does that say Mommy?" When we are focusing on one word I sound it out for him and show him how the letters fit together to make the word. Maybe we will have a good reader. I hope so. I loved to read when I was a kid and would literally plow through books.