Wes Wild: 4 Months Old

Little brother! You are four months old now! That seems so old, and you are growing like a weed! You celebrated your first New Year's Eve and New Year's Day during your fourth month. You also outgrew your 0-3 month clothes, and I broke out the 3-6 month clothes, even though they are still a tad bit too big on you.

You started daycare this month, and the transition went pretty good except that you've pretty much been sick ever since your first week. You are happy when you are there and you nap good and you seem to be fine with being there. But being around all those kiddos with all their germs has done a number on your immune system. You caught a cold after your first week, which then turned out to be the flu and double ear infections! You got a terrible cough that sounded like a barking seal and made me very nervous. Then once I thought you were getting better, you started running a fever, which thankfully only lasted a couple days. Then Wren got sick and you got sick AGAIN - sneezing and coughing all day.

I really hope you will get over all of it soon! The good news is that it doesn't seem to phase you. You continue to be the happiest baby on the block! Smiling and laughing, kicking your legs and sucking your hands all day long!

This month you definitely found your hands and realized you love to eat them. You're also getting better at grabbing toys and bringing them to your mouth. You get REALLY excited when we show you a toy and immediately bring your arms together in the middle to try to grab it.

You've gotten a lot better at tummy time this month, mostly because they do it with you multiple times a day at daycare, which I am thankful for. We've been putting you in your Bumbo seat for short periods of time and you do like that, until you get too tired of holding your big head up. :)

At your four month check up, you weren't able to get your four month shots because you had just been running a fever. The doctor still does not feel good about the shape of your head, so they are recommending we put you in a helmet when you turn 5 months. I ordered some head shaping pillows to use for this month to see if we can get some improvement. Also, your doctor wants us to get your eyes checked out. He thinks one of them turns in toward your nose, which might mean you need baby glasses. :( We will see what the specialist says.

You started sleeping for longer chunks of time during your fourth month - 5-6 hours at a time! Except when you were sick, then you went back to waking up every 2 hours, which was not fun. Our nightly routine is for me to put the girls to bed at 8pm. Then I put you in the bath, which you love, and I pour water all over you and show you your bath book and you smile and kick your legs and wiggle your body until you're almost falling off your bath seat. Then I get you all lotioned up and in a clean onesie, zip you into your swaddle and feed you one last bottle. You usually fall alseep during your bottle and I can transfer you to your Rock 'N Play, but sometimes you are awake after your bottle. When that happens, I'll put you in your bouncer and bounce you until you fall asleep. Usually I'll watch TV or work on my computer while I bounce you, and you just stare at my face the whole time and when I look over at you, a slow sweet smile spreads across your face and it is my favorite thing EVER!

You are the happiest baby I've ever known, and I am just so happy that you are ours. You are such a fun addition to our family, and I can't imagine our lives without you in it!

Elle Evergreen: 3, 4 & 5 months old

Oh Elle Belle - You are almost 6 months old now, and I am so behind on your monthly updates! What can I say - life moves FAST with two little ones! I will try my best to keep up in the coming months - for now, here is a little summary of all that you learned and all the ways you grew during your third, fourth and fifth months.



Your third month was pretty laid back. You got to meet your Didi for the first time, your hair got even crazier, and your sister continued to think you were pretty cool - but most importantly, we got out your sister's old swing from storage and you LOVED it. You were still pretty fussy this month, and the swing was sometimes the only thing that would make you happy when you were sad.



Your fourth month was a big one because we moved to a new house! You did great with the move and settled in with no problems. We started setting up your room (your very own room!) even though you don't sleep in it yet. I still like having you in our room next to my side of the bed, but we'll probably transition you to your room in a month or so. This month we learned that you love hanging out on the patio - we think you like the heat - which is great because I like it out there, too. We survived our first girls only weekend without daddy - hooray! And we took our first trip of the summer to the neighborhood splash pad. You liked the water and splashed around with another baby your age while we held you in the water. Your temperament went up and down this month - sometimes you were so relaxed that we thought the terrible crying was over and sometimes you cried until we thought we would go crazy. You like to keep us guessing, that's for sure!

You found your fingers and toes this month and love putting them in your mouth every chance you get. You also rolled over for the first time this month, from your back to your belly. You were pretty  happy about that. And you started laughing! (The best sound ever!) You always laugh when we tickle your belly or when we kiss your neck, and you think it's really funny when my hair tickles your face.

Also, during your fourth month, we found out you have torticollis - a condition in which your neck muscles are shorter on one side of  your neck - and we started physical therapy to correct it with a series of stretches and exercises.



Your fifth month was full of summer fun! We celebrated Father's Day by taking daddy to brunch at his favorite restaurant and giving him lots of presents. Your sister got a big girl bed and gave you her old bed, which we transitioned back to a crib for you and you tried it out with a few naps and liked it! Then we set out on our summer staycation, and you got to visit the ocean for the first time (and this might be my favorite picture of you yet!). You took the best nap on the beach in our little beach tent, and we had our best beach day yet! You also were a trooper at Water Country USA and napped all day in the wrap while we played in the water. We went to the zoo, hosted a BBQ and welcomed some visitors (Uncle Andy and his friend Preston).

You really started to like tummy time this month, which is great because it helps stretch your neck muscles out. You tried really hard to roll back over from your belly to your back, but you're not quite there just yet. You continue to love eating your hands, and you love any toy made for chewing, including Sophie the Giraffe, a wooden heart toy and your multi-colored teething ring.

You love your big sister and watch her wherever she goes. You even laughed at her when she was being silly for you one day - the first time you laughed at something that wasn't brought on my physical touch (like tickling).

You are growing up so fast, little Elle! Time is flying by and you are getting bigger, chubbier and happier by the day. Your six month birthday is on my 34th birthday in a few weeks, and I can't wait to celebrate with you, big girl! I love you sooooo much - may all your days be happy ones!

Wren Winter: 3 & 4 months old

My Wren bird! You turned four months old on Sunday (St. Patrick's Day!). I don't even know where your third month went - time is flying by so fast! Your third and fourth month were full of so many new developments. Most importantly - you started laughing!! It's the best sound in the world and completely hilarious, but you don't do it all the time - days go by without a laugh - which makes it that much better when you do decide something is funny enough to laugh at. You've also gained a lot of strength in your neck and head, and you love to sit up and look around. (You get frustrated when we lay you down sometimes, because all you want to do is sit up like the big girl that you are.)

You've also gained quite a bit of hand coordination and love to try to hold your toys, your blankets and anything else you can grab. As soon as you get something in your little grip, it goes straight into your mouth. (What are toys for except to eat, right?) In addition to your toys, you love to eat your hands, too. All day everyday, your hands are in your mouth (even though we try to keep them out, since we're scared you'll become a thumb sucker if you get too used to it) and drool. is. everywhere. You're a messy little thing these days, that's for sure.

You still love your bath time, and you've actually started to not hate tummy time. We got you a mirror to play with, and when you do tummy time in front of the mirror, you're all smiles. (Who wouldn't be with such a cute baby to look at??) You've also started to roll onto your side when you're on your play mat. We like to take your arm and roll you all the way over to show you how it works, but you haven't caught on to the full roll just yet.

Your dad and I think it's so fun to watch you grow and learn to use your little body in different ways (Woah! Are those my feet?! Get those feet in my mouuuth!). We love your crazy arms and your busy legs that are always kicking, and we get so excited every time you show us a new trick. You're growing and changing so fast - I'm so glad you're ours and we get to experience everything with you!

Happy four month birthday, little Wren - and may all your days be happy ones.

1 month old Wren, 2 month old Wren