12 Months

Life has been a little bit of a whirlwind around here the past few weeks. A good whirlwind, but a little crazy to say the least. We are busy enjoying a great summer. The kids are at such fun stages right now. Hopefully, there is more to come on our crazy happenings.

But first we have had a BIG birthday in our house!

 

Presley is 12 months old!!!

 

As of  last Tuesday, we no longer have a baby in the house. We have a toddler.

 

It is one of those crazy things were the last year has gone super fast, but it is so hard to remember life without Presley.

Not only have we welcomed a new member to our family, but Brady has gone from the only child and having all the attention to a big brother. He has welcomed his new role wonderfully. I am so proud of him and how well he has handled this past year. He is a special little boy and I am so thankful to be his mommy. I am also so thankful Presley has him as a brother. They have a sweet little relationship. He is so loving and nurturing, most of the time anyway.

 

This will be the last monthly post and we used our last monthly sticker. It is a bittersweet. I am so happy she is growing, thriving, and here to celebrate her first birthday, but it is a little sad we are leaving behind baby, baby land and moving more toward toddler land.

 

At 12 months Presley is...

 

 

• eating table foods, ALL. THE. TIME. She has the biggest appetite and eats constantly.
• not drinking whole milk. I have offered her whole milk for about 4 weeks and she will not drink it. I have bought different brands, added chocolate syrup, switched up the cup, and tried Organic milk. She isn't having it. I even tried a little almond milk, but Caleb ended up drinking it because she spit it out. She drinks water! She will drink juice, if I give it to her. She eats cheese and yogurt, so I am not too concerned. We will keep offering it and see what happens.
• not walking. She is still pulling up and cruising. She can stand alone. She is just so scared to take that first step. She has taken some pretty good falls, so I get it. She will take off when she is ready. I would be more concerned if she wasn't pulling up and cruising, but she is. For now we are enjoying not having to chase her everywhere.
• in size 3 diapers.
• in size 12 or 12-18(although they are a little big) months clothing. We have a few 9 month things still hanging around.
• a mommy's girl through and through.
• singing, dancing, shaking her head yes and no, mimicking motions and sounds, patty cake, blowing kisses, and much more.
• has just started throwing a few tantrums. Not too bad yet, but I am not looking forward to that part of being one.
• has four teeth and two poking through the gums in the back.
• saying Mama, dada, bubba, no, baby, and a few other things occasionally.
• loving her brother. He is pretty crazy about her too, unless she is stealing his toy or breaking something of his.





She is a crazy, silly, strong willed, fun, sweet, girlie girl.

We look forward to many more years of life and birthdays with this sweet one.

I love this little girl so very much. She is for sure a Momma's girl. She is such a mess and silly and crazy and fun. She has bonded our family in ways I didn't know possible. 

 

Happy Happy first year baby girl!

11 Months

11 Months

 

Wow! Presley is 11 months old. She turned 11 months on Sunday.  

 

What an 11 months it has been. Presley is a mess! She came into our family demanding her place and that hasn't really changed. Ha!  Girl wants things done her way and she doesn't have much patience if it doesn't happen.

 

At 11 months Presley is...

 

• wearing size 3 diapers.
• wearing size 9 or 12 month clothes. Most of her summer clothes are 12 months or she would be mostly in 9 month stuff.
• eating table foods mostly. She has pureed food on occasion just for convenience if she will eat it.
• nursing about 3- 4 (short) times a day. I am planning on slowly introducing cows milk this month. She is over the breast milk, bottle, and nursing thing. She really is only interested right when she wakes up. I will continue that as long as need, which I don't think will be that long.
• pulling up and cruising on and around everything. She can stand alone, but has taken many a fall, so she is a bit timid. She can walk while pushing a standing toy or riding toy. She is so very close to walking, she just hasn't gotten the courage to let go yet. I am not really rushing it.
• saying mama, dada, bubba, dog, baby, up, no no, hi, and a couple other things here and there. She babbles and says the same sounds repeatedly in the same situation, but we don't know what she is saying. She also repeats a lot of sounds back to you.
• clapping, pointing, dancing, waving hi and bye(they are different), playing peek a boo, blowing kisses(if you are lucky), and rolling hands/arms for patty cake.
• singing. It is super sweet even if I have no idea what she is singing. She mostly does it in the car or when she thinks no one is listening.  The singing might be my favorite thing she does.
•  blowing kisses like it is her job.
• sleeping from 8-6:30 most nights.
• has two bottom teeth and two top teeth barely past the gums.
• loves her brother.

She has changed so much. She is so little, but acts so big. I honestly have trouble remembering life without her, but it seems like we just brought her home.

Birthday party planning is in full swing. We have a lengthy to do list around here before the party.

Brady is so crazy about his sister. He constantly wants to check on her, play with her, talk with her, or know what she is doing. He is such a great big brother.

It has been a great 11 months and I can't imagine life without her. 1 more month until birthday party time!  Aaaaahhhh!

Happy 11 months Presley!

10 Months

Presley is 10 months old today!

  

She has nudged her way right into our family and I honestly have trouble remembering life without her.

 

Birthday party planning is in full swing. She is in to everything and changing so much every day. She has become a little sponge, observing and absorbing everything around her.

 

At 10 months she is...

• wearing 9 and 12 month clothing. A few 6-9 month things are still lingering
• wearing size 3 diapers.
• nursing about 5 times a day.
• eating table food daily along with baby food and infant cereal.
• sleeping from 8- 6 most nights,but waking up crying around 12pm and 3am when teething.
• has 2 teeth, I expect more to pop through any day.
• pulling up on everything!!!
• beginning to walk while holding on to things and beginning to stand on her own.
• getting lots of bumps and bruises due to her new confidence with pulling up.
• waving Hi and Bye(they each have a different wave), clapping, playing peek-a-boo, shaking head no, and pointing.
• saying MaMa, Dada, baby, no no, and bubba.
•  very vocal!
• can pat, give hugs and kisses, love her baby doll, and mimic some movements.

She and Brady have the sweetest relationship. He is her biggest cheerleader and she is his biggest fan. I am loving the brother/sister thing. (I am sure if I had any other combination, I would love it as well. :) ) When she pulls up or does something new, Brady immediately says, "Good girl! Look at you, you're a big girl!" in the sweetest voice ever!

I can not believe Presley is 2 months away from a year old. Although, 1 year olds are one of my favorite, favorite ages. (I have lots of favorites, but only a few favorite, favorites!) They are a little independent, but still a baby. I am also a huge sucker for one year old baby fat and summer clothes. I can still vividly remember kissing a  sweet 18 month old Brady with his summer baby rolls toddling around in smocked rompers. Now he is a lean, hilarious 4 year old. Ahhh, It just goes so fast!

However, I am so so so excited to enjoy the summer with these sweet kiddos, even if they are growing before my eyes! :) We have so much fun stuff planned!

Happy 10 months, Presley girl!

I suspect a walker or very close by the next monthly post. :o

8 months

Presley is 8 months today!

 

It has really hit me hard this week how big she is getting. I feel like she has changed so much in the past couple weeks. I looked at Caleb the other day and said, "She is almost 8 months, in 4 months will be her birthday!" I really hadn't thought about how soon that is!!!

 

 

At 8 months Presley is...

 

• wearing 6-9 month clothes and a few 9 months stuff. She is short so a lot of things are super long on her. She makes up her length in her chunky thighs. Ha! I love those thighs!!!
• wearing size 3 diapers. I think she will be in them a while.
• nursing 5-6 times a day.
• sleeping from 7pm-5/6am. Occasionally she wakes up looking for her pacifier around 3-4am, but falls back to sleep quickly.
• saying da da, na na, ba ba, ga ga often. She says ma ma when she cries! Ha! Brady also did this. She looked at me yesterday, held up her hand to wave, and said, "Hi!". Not kidding! She did this one other time.
• scooting on her bottom to get what she wants and inch worm crawling backwards! She just recently really picked up on the moving thing and is getting better and better daily. I give her a couple weeks to really get going.
• grabbing EVERYTHING!!!! If she can get it, she will grab it.
• shaking her head no and nodding her head to music. Brady and I have a lot of fun with this.
• waving and clapping.
• screaming, "singing", babbling, yelling, and grunting constantly. She was SCREAMING "da da" in a really high pitch during worship service Sunday night. I had to take her out and walk the walk of shame with everyone church laughing the entire way out. It was so embarrassing.
• eating cereal and baby food. She has had a lot of fruits and vegetables. I have really enjoyed making her baby food.
• has one tooth!

 

She is such a joy. She brings a new element to our life. She can be full of drama, but she can be so sweet and snuggly as well.  We all think the world of her. We love watching her grow and develop. She has the best laugh and sweetest smile.

 

She is the perfect addition to our lives.

 

Here is her monthly comparison!

This is a picture of Brady at 8 months. I can not get over how much Presley and Brady resemble each other! It just shocked me a little. I know they look a lot, but wow! I had to share!

Brady's 8 month post is here.

Brady and Presley side by side at 8 months. 

5 months

Presley girl is 5 months old!

 

A certain big brother grabbed my phone and did his own photo shoot with little sister. This was one of the better ones. Ha!

She has changed so much the last week or two.  She no longer acts like an infant, she acts like an older baby.

 She interacts more and is noticing more and more.

 

Caleb, Brady, and I spend so much time watching, interacting, and laughing with her. We are all so crazy about little sister!

She gets easily distracted by hands and toes!!! :)

 

At 5 months Presley is...

• 

  wearing size 2 diaper. I will move her up when we run out of size 2.
• wearing some 3-6 months, mostly 6 months, and some 6-9 months. Most of the 6-9 is still really big.
• smiling and laughing a lot! She mostly laughs at Brady. She loves to watch and interact with him.
•  sleeping from 8 or 9 until 5 or 6. She had a rough sleeping spell for a few weeks. She was waking early in the morning and not wanting to go back to sleep. She still wakes most mornings, but she is falling back to sleep now. I quit swaddling her and let her sleep with a small lovie and that comforts her to fall back to sleep.
• loves her bath
• loves her daddy. Mommy is still her favorite, but Daddy and Brady are up there. She is also really loving her Sue Sue!
• nursing 5-7 times a day. It is about every 3 or 4 hours during the day.
• sitting up well for very short intervals. She can sit up supported for long periods.
• went to Sunday school for the first time today.
• will start rice cereal tomorrow.
• she is so sweet and happy. Her meltdowns have greatly decreased. I decided to avoid all spicy foods and caffeine and this has made a huge difference. She still has the occasional tummy ache, but they are rare.
• grabbing toys with fingers and bringing to face. She does really well picking things up. She usually drops them after a little.
• She sat in the seat of the grocery cart this week. She loved it! She hammed it up for anyone who would look in her direction!
  
  

  

  These past 5 months have been crazy. Going from a family of 3 to a family of 4 is a huge adjustment. I am exhausted most nights, but end up staying up to get things done and have some alone time. The days fly bye, because someone is always eating, pottying, or needing put down for a nap. I feel like a big, hot mess covered in bodily fluids most days. Even when things are good, it could all fall apart at any moment. I often feel like we live in a zoo.
  
  BUT
  It is all so worth it! She has brought so much to our family. She fits in perfectly and is along for the ride most of the time. We can't imagine our lives with out her. She is right at the perfect age. She can play and entertain herself a little, but she isn't mobile yet.  I can't get enough of her sweet, big thighs and cute belly laughs. When she coos and smiles, I melt into a puddle. She has us all wrapped around that sweet, gummy grin. Caleb, Brady, and I will each do just about anything to get her to show it to us. You don't even want to know how we act trying to get her to laugh.

Here is Brady and Presley at 5 months. Even amidst the chaos of every day, I often catch myself feeling so overwhelmingly blessed with TWO healthy, beautiful babies. I remember this "photo shoot" with Brady at 5 months vividly!It is crazy to me how big he is now. I am so crazy about both of these sweet babies. I am so thankful God choose me to be their Mommy. I take the role of Mommy serious and want nothing more than to please God with this job he has entrusted me with.  I pray I can help mold them into God loving, independent disciples. It is amazing  how much I can love each of these babies at the same time!!!

 

 

We love you, Presley girl!!! Happy 5 months!!!

3 Months

Another month has come and gone with our sweet girl. It is strange, in some ways it seems like it has gone so quickly, but in others it seems like she should be so much older. Our sweet girl just fits so well within our family.

(Ignore the drool in nearly every picture!)

At 3 months Presley is...

• sleeping from 9pm -6am most nights, occasionally she wakes up a little earlier or a little later.
• nursing every 3-4 hours about 5-6 times per day.
• getting one feeding before bed from bottle, so daddy can feed her and I can pump before bed for comfort. She takes the bottle without problems any time I need her to. :)
• always wants to eat around 8 pm no matter what time she just ate. It is part of her nightly schedule, it is pretty funny. It is followed by a bath and bedtime.
• She is a stickler for her bedtime routine. She will grunt and "fake whine" until you put her in the bath, gown, and put her down for bed, swaddled with her noise machine. If we don't listen to her cues to start the routine, we pay with a major meltdown. She loves her bedtime routine.
• on a regular eat, play, sleep schedule.

• wears 3 months or 3-6 months clothes. Some of the 3 months she is quickly outgrowing, but some still has room. Some of the 3-6 months stuff looks HUGE on her.
• in size 1 diapers. I will probably move over to size 2 soon once we are out of size 1.
• holding her head up so well.
• smiling, laughing, squealing, and cooing like crazy.
• loves her brother. She watches him constantly and will just smile and smile!
• a mommy's girl. It is crazy! She loves her Momma. She can tell immediately if I am not holding her.
• so close to rolling over. She sort of rolled over on September 25th, but she hasn't been able to do it again, so I am thinking it was a fluke. She gets all the up on one side and then plops back down on her stomach. It is somewhat sad to watch.
• bearing weight on legs when in a standing position.
• becoming more social. Like I said, she loves Mommy, but she is beginning to let more people hold her. I think the problem usually has to do with being overtired rather than being partial to  me. Weekends are rough on her and that is when everyone wants to hold her.
• napping one long nap in her swing each day, about 2 1/2-4 hours, usually at the same time Brady is napping. She still takes several cat naps throughout the day. She will nap in her crib, but seems to take the long nap better if in the swing. I am totally ok with that, because she falls asleep on her own in her crib at night. I also kind of like her being in sight during nap time. I just work around her and she stays asleep most of the time.
• likes to snuggle for at least one cat nap a day.
• swatting and grabbing at toys. She can grasp them, but when she tries to bring it to her mouth she loses it.
• drooling like crazy and trying to suck on her fingers. She does take a pacifier and likes it.
• a happy, happy girl at home and is so, so sweet.
• making the sweetest sounds.
• losing her hair. :( She had a bald spot right in back and her hair is thinning out all over.

We have all enjoyed her so much these past 3 months, more than I could have ever thought possible. We all adore her!  We are all looking forward to many more months with her!

1 month and 3 month comparison.

Brady at 3 months and Presley at 3 months