Callie: 5 Months!

HAPPY FIVE MONTHS TO MY BABY GIRL!

My baby just keeps getting older and older - and I don't like it!  Can't she just stay a baby?!?  However, I am truly enjoying and cherishing each moment with her.  Here is what Little Miss was up to during her 5th Month:

EATING
As you can see in the picture, Callie continued to eat well. :)  After nursing, she would usually take a 4-6 oz bottle of formula.  We decided to hold off on starting solids - the new recommendations are to wait until six months old, and I figure she's obviously gaining enough weight, so it's not like she needs the extra calories.  So, we'll start that next month.  This month, Callie usually went 3.5-4 hours between feedings.

SLEEPING
In general, Callie still went to sleep very easily and quickly, without crying...which is a huge blessing! She would sleep in other places as long as she was in a bed with a semi-dark room, but usually did not sleep as well as in her own bed.  She was still being swaddled this month, but we are currently working on swaddling her more loosely.

She generally took 3-4 naps this month.  Usually there would be 2 "good" naps (1.5-2 hours), and 2 short naps (30-45 min). She tended to be up about 1.5-2 hours between each nap.

She also continued to be a great sleeper at night.  I only had to get up once or twice to put her paci back in her mouth, so that improved.  Some nights she would wake up between 4-6am to eat, but most nights she slept all the way through.  At night, she generally slept from 7:30pm - 7:00am.

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME
It was during this month that we lost an hour of sleep.  I started two weeks earlier and slowly moved my kids schedules and bedtimes earlier by a few minutes each day.  Therefore, when the time change came, they both seemed to handle it great!  I was very happy that we all transitioned so smoothly!

PLAYING
Callie continued to get better at using her hands this month.  It's so fun to see her reaching for toys, faces, and things I'm holding in my hand.  Usually the object goes straight to her mouth - so funny how young that starts!  Her favorite toy was a little 2-page book that crinkles.  She would hold that, crinkle it, and play with it for quite awhile.

We also introduced her to her Exersaucer this month, since she loves to stand on our laps. She did pretty good, but tends to lean forward.  I think she enjoyed being upright and having a new view. :)  By the end of the month, she was actually playing with the toys on the Exersaucer too.

She also got to where she smiled at Caeden, more than fearing him.  He is getting much better at playing gently with her.  And since she is able to "play" with toys, he feels like he can "play" with her.

TUMMY TIME
Since the doctor told us we need to have Callie do more tummy time, we tried to have her on her tummy during every waketime.  However, she is still not rolling over.  She honestly doesn't mind being on her stomach - she'll stay there for several minutes, being very content.  She just doesn't seem to care to roll over.  What's the hurry, right?  ;)

VALENTINE'S DAY
This was our first Valentine's Day with this sweet girl, so of course we had to snap some cute pictures!

BABY DEDICATION
This was also the month that we dedicated Callie to God....committing to raise her in a way that is pleasing to the Lord.  You can read more about that here.

COUSIN ELISE
As you may have read in this post, Callie's new cousin (Elise Dilworth) was born this month.  We got some fun pictures of them together.  They are only 4.5 months apart, so that will be fun as they get older!

EAR INFECTIONS 
At the end of her 5th month, Callie was diagnosed with her first ear infection.  We spent about a week with lots of crying and screaming, short naps, and a little appetite.  Mommy was exhausted!  After being on an antibiotic for 4 days and seeing no improvement, we made a trip back to the doctor.  Her ear was still infected, so we changed to a stronger antibiotic.  This seemed to do the trick, and resulted in a much happier baby.  We are praying that this is not the start of chronic ear infections (and tubes) like her big brother had...

MILESTONES
This is what Callie started doing during her fifth month:

• Squeal/Scream when she's "talking" - usually because she's excited
• Pull toys to her mouth when she's holding them
• Keeps her head level with body when we pull her up to a sitting position
• Can stand holding onto something or someone

STATS
These are Callie's stats at 5 months old...

Weight: 15 lbs. 10 oz
Length:  Not sure??
Clothing Size: 3-6 months, and 6 months
Shoe Size: size 0  (0-3 months)  *She may be "big," but this girl has tiny feet!
Diaper Size: size 3

Callie,
You are just so beautiful!  Your 5th month was a big one - doing lots of "firsts!"  Mommy hated seeing you sick - I hope you know that I tried everything I could to help you feel better.  I just love holding you, playing with you, and looking at your big smile.  We love you precious girl!

SNOW!

So, I'm a little behind on my blog posts....but in February, we finally had a decent snow.  It wasn't enough to close schools :(, so Daddy still had to work.  But this meant Ella still came over - and she & Caeden got to play together in the snow!  Normally on snow days, school is cancelled and Ella obviously stays home - so they've never got to have some snow fun TOGETHER!  Of course, this meant getting TWO kids ready to go outside so they could play outside for ohhh....10 minutes...?  :)

Ella making a snowball

Caeden trying to get mommy!

Cleaning off the play set

BEST FRIENDS! 

(Caeden wasn't being super cooperative)

Then we came in and drank hot chocolate by the fireplace

Cuddled and watched some movies

And finished the afternoon with Snow Ice Cream

(PS - the brown stuff is crushed Oreo...not dirt)

Although we were super sad that Daddy didn't get to stay home and play, I think Caeden & Ella loved making memories in the snow together.  And unfortunately, that may be the only decent snow we get this year...  So, until next year Snow Days!

A New Cousin!

Last Tuesday night, Caeden & Callie had a new cousin born!  Elise Annalea Dilworth was born on February 26th at 7:50pm.  She weighed 7 lbs 5 oz and was 20 inches long!  We got to make a quick visit to Joplin last weekend to meet this precious baby!

Aunt Ashley holding my first niece!

This big boy has experience holding babies! 

Lovin' on his new cousin! 

Callie & Elise together!

They are only 4.5 months apart!

We attempted a few pictures with ALL the cousins!

Wow - this was a feat!  These were the best shots we got!

So precious!  I already miss her!

Callie's Baby Dedication

This past Sunday, February 24th, we dedicated Callie to the Lord.  We had many friends and family join us for this occasion.  As we stood on stage that morning, we promised to raise Callie in a way that pleases the Lord, and truly surrender her to HIM.  Just as the spiritual meaning of her name is "fortress," we pray that she will always turn to God as her fortress!

Family picture before the service

Praying over her

(Caeden obviously did

not realize we were praying)

Callie: 4 months!!!!

So I'm really behind seeing as Callie turned 4 months a couple weeks ago. But better late than never! Callie's fourth month continued to go smoothly - here's a summary below:


EATING
Callie continued doing both breast feeding and formula. I usually nursed her first (she only took about 10 min) and would then give her a bottle. She usually took 3-5 oz of formula from a bottle, depending on how hungry she was. She still burps pretty easily and rarely spits up. Such a small, but wonderful blessing! During her fourth month, she would usually go about 3.5 hours between feedings.

SLEEPING
Her nighttime sleep was still great! She would usually sleep 11-12 hrs at night, sometimes waking up at 4:00 or 5:00am to eat....and sometimes not. Bedtime was about 8:00 and she would wake up between 7-8am. However, there were usually 3-4 times a night she would wake up crying, and would quickly go back to sleep after mommy gave her her paci.

Naptimes continued to vary. She generally took a morning, afternoon, and evening nap. But if one of those naps was short, she usually wanted a fourth nap somewhere in the day. And the naps weren't at the exact same time every day...it just depended on when she woke up that morning. Her morning nap was consistently good - usually 1.5 - 2.5 hrs.

Also, we still swaddled her.  There was about a week that she acted like she didn't need to be swaddled so we stopped, and she did well for a few days.  But then her naps got dramatically shorter, we started swaddling again, and they returned to normal length.  So swaddling we stayed!

WAKETIME
Callie awake longer this month. After a nap, she was usually awake about 1.5 - 2 hrs (including feeding time). This was fun because we got more time to play with her. She became much more aware of everything going on and didn't want to miss anything. She liked to stand on our laps or to be sitting up. If we were holding her, she liked to be facing out. She's still a big fan of bathtime. She kicks and smiles the whole time, and often gets upset when we get her out. Some things she liked to do during her waketime were:

• talk to herself while in her swing
• try to grab toys that mommy was hanging above her face
• watch Caeden and Ella play (now that's good entertainment)
• be held in mommy's arms while she walked around doing housework
• laugh at the ridiculous faces and sounds that mommy and daddy make at her

Our little Princess

LITTLE SISTER
Callie is still truly adored by big brother Caeden. He loves to love on her and help take care of her. He is getting better at being more gentle with her, but its always a work in progress. :) Sometimes Callie starts smiling and kicking as soon as she sees Caeden coming, and she loves to reach for his face. Other times, she starts crying when she sees him coming. Ha! So we're not sure of her feelings toward him yet. I guess time will tell!

Talking to her

She is already greatly loved by two boys!!

MILESTONES
Some things Callie started doing during her fourth month were:

• laugh out loud
• reach for and grab objects held above her head
• grab toys and pull them to her mouth

4 MONTH DOCTOR VISIT
At Callie's 4 month check-up, she had to get 3 shots again and she recovered very quickly. She even acted normal the rest of the day (unlike her 2 month shots). She was on track developmentally, but the doc said we need to work on her rolling over....I guess mommy wasn't good about giving her enough tummy time each day. :) Here were her stats at the time of her 4 month appointment:

Weight: 14 lbs 6 oz (50-75th percentile)
Length: 25 inches (75th percentile)
Clothing size: 3-6 mos, and some 6 mos
Shoe size: 3 mos
Diaper size: size 2

Callie Ann, 
I'm holding you as I write this.  I love to smell your baby smell, feel your warmth against my face, and listen to all your little baby sounds, even simply your breathing.  I cherish each day and moment we get with you - can't you just stay little forever?  It's so sweet when you'll nuzzle your little face into my neck and "cuddle."  We love your smiles, your laughs, and even your delicate cries. Thank you Lord for blessing us with Callie!

Caeden: 3.5 years old!

Oh. My. Goodness.  The NEXT post I'll be writing about Caeden will be when he turns four - I don't like this - I don't like it at all!  Can't they just stay small forever???

Caeden just turned 3.5 years old earlier in Feburary, so I want to document what things he's doing right now.  A LOT has happened in the last 6 months!

EATING
Caeden is still a pretty "picky" eater - I keep wondering if this will ever end!  We still don't give him choices when it comes to meals, but there are many nights he goes without eating much dinner.  He loves to watch mommy cook and help me cook when he can!

His favorite and least favorite foods seem to change on a weekly basis.  But at the time of this post, his favorite foods are: apples & cinnamon oatmeal, macaroni & cheese, hot dogs, strawberries, RANCH, chicken nuggets, and Gogurt.  Things he consistently does not like are: ground beef & soups.

SLEEPING
His nighttime sleep is still great.  He generally sleeps from 8:30-7:00ish the next morning.  He's had trouble falling asleep the last few weeks - just laying in bed for a long time.  He doesn't talk and play - and he doesn't ever get out of bed - he just lays there.  And Daylight Savings Time is coming in a few weeks - that's definitely not going to help!!

His naps vary - he still takes one every day.  But sometimes they're 45 minutes and sometimes they're 1.5 hours. I'm wondering if he's starting to phase them out - and maybe that's why he's having trouble falling asleep at night??  Several of his friends that are this age no longer nap, but luckily he still does!!

PLAYING
This is what we do most of our days...PLAY!  And since Callie was born, we don't get out as much (especially since it's been winter) - so we just play at home a lot!  If it's warmer than the mid-40s outside, and especially if it's sunny - we're outside burning some energy!

Currently, Caeden's favorite toys are: his trucks & tractors, his basketball goal, and Woody & Buzz Lightyear!  His favorite movies are still Dora & Diego.  He likes all varieties of books - we read a different one every naptime and bedtime.

LEARNING
Caeden is always learning so much!  His speech is wonderful, and very understandable.  Whenever he goes to the doctor, she always comments on how he is verbally on the level of a 4/5 year old - and we believe it - he talks all. the. time. (Not sure who he gets that from....)  He has become very creative lately, both in the stories he tells and in his imaginative play. He can count to 20, identify all the letters, name about 2/3 of the letters, and tell the sounds of about 1/3 of the letters. His weakness is in his drawing/writing skills.  He's great at almost all fine motor skills - but just really shows no interest in writing or drawing.  He can draw a "C" for his name and can draw a line, a cross, and a circle.  But that's about it.  We recently found an app on our iPad called "Letter School" which I highly recommend - it works on tracing and writing all numbers and letters - so that's good....and he loves it!  Maybe we can improve this skill through that app!!

DISCIPLINE
Caeden's behavior has improved greatly in the last six months!  His fit-throwing has gotten much better.  The two biggest things we're working on now is obeying mommy & daddy quickly (when we ask him to), and not hitting.  The only people he hits are mommy & daddy, and most of the time it's because he's playing or trying to get our attention - but it hurts when he hits!  And we don't want him using that to get our attention - so we have been much more strict about this rule.  We are also working on "interrupting" - since he is such a talker, we're trying to model and teach him how to wait your turn when you have something to say.  I know it's hard for me as an adult - so we're being patient with him, but still trying to teach him.

SOCIAL
Caeden & Ella are still BFF!  But it's funny to see how their interests have changed the last few months.  She always wants to play "babies" and Caeden wants to play either basketball OR trucks.  We have the hardest time agreeing all day every day what to play.  It's just interesting to see how the difference in their gender is now becoming more obvious.  Caeden has many friends at "school" (Mothers Day Out) that he tells me about, and has lots of friends through our play group.  However, the only person he really plays "with" is Ella.

 

BIG BROTHER
Since the last time I posted, Callie was born and Caeden became a big brother!  He has done amazingly wonderful with this transition and truly is a great big brother!  He did not regress in potty training or sleep or behavior, so that's great!  Yes, there are times he wants our attention and he makes it obvious - but that's very normal.  And he's usually justified in wanting our attention.  But he loves her so much!  He gets so excited when she wakes up - he loves to hug & kiss on her - and likes to help us take care of her.  Although we recognize they are still young, we are so thankful for this bond!

GROWTH STATS
Weight: 31 pounds
Height: 38 inches
Shirts & Pants: 3T
Shoe Size: 9

Caeden, My heart is so full watching you grow and learn.  I love you more than words can ever express!  And seeing you love on your baby sister creates a whole new love for you!  You are so big and so smart!  We thank God every day for you - please don't grow too fast!  We love you!!!

Playing with Toys

About a week before Callie turned 4 months old, she started actually grabbing at toys to play with them.  The toy flower in this video is her favorite!  It's not the best video - but it's just a short clip.  It's hard to get a "good" video with big brother around. :)  This week, she has also started grabbing things and putting them in her mouth. I just love love love seeing babies develop!