7 Months Old

Jack doesn't go back to the doctor until February for his 9 month check-up.  According to our scale at home, he weighs 17.8 pounds.  I have no idea about height.  Poor Jack has always been under the 10% in this area, but I have faith he will catch up!  Jack has moved into a size 3 diaper and is wear 6/9 month clothing.  It's hard to believe that he's getting so big.  Jack is starting to look so grown up!!

Jack:

• You love eating real food.  As of now, you have tried sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, apples and apples/oranges, and bananas.  Unlike your sister, I think you would much prefer eating food over taking your bottle. 
• Speaking of bottles, you take 3-4 bottles per day. 
• You have always been a mover, even before you were born, so it it so surprise that you started getting up on your hands and knees the first week of December and by the 11th of this month, you had begun to scoot (see previous post).  We are in big trouble!
• You generally take two naps a day (morning and afternoon).  You go to bed by 7:00 p.m.  Unless we wake you up around 6:45 a.m. to go to the sitter's house, you will sleep until between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m.
• You started experiencing mild separation anxiety at the beginning of December.  If we put you down and walked away, you would let us know that you objected by fussing for a minute or so.
• You are such a happy baby boy!  You always have a big grin on your face, and your temperment is so laid-back and easy going.  How have we gotten so lucky?!? 

Beginning of Trouble...We Have a Scooter

Family Pictures

We had family pictures taken in November.  This is the first time, besides our stay in the hospital when Jack (and who really looks good then), that we have gotten pictures of all four of us.  We are incredibly happy with how they turned out!



Go, Jack, Go!

Jack has rolled from back-to-tummy a couple times in the past, but this was the first time I actually got the camera out to record it.  Mommy fail!!  This was take two days ago, and it's amazing how much better Jack has gotten in such a short amount of time.  He loves moving around.  Such a boy!!

Happy 4 Months!

Little Buddy...here are some fun facts at 4 months of age:

• Rolled from back-to-tummy for the first time on September 15. 
• Discovered his voice on September 16.  He now coos all the time and loves listening to himself talk!
• Loves trying to move around (pretty successfully) and kicking his feet like a crazy little man.  He really enjoys the activity mat, even though he is now constantly rolling off of it.  We are going to have our hands full when this kids learns to crawl!
• Has been having trouble for the past week or so with sleeping through the night.  I think he may have hit a growth spurt, and his last bottle isn't holding him until morning.  Good thing we should be able to start cereal after his check-up on Monday!!
• Drinks 7 ounces every 3-4 hours.  
• Has started getting out of his swaddle so that he can sleep on his tummy for the past couple of nights.  May be giving up the swaddling sooner than later.

Bubble Wrap Princess

3 Months

This past month was a big one for Jack!  At three months...

• Rolled over from tummy-to-back for the first time on July 27
• Slept through the night for the first time on July 29.  Jack did not consistently start sleeping through the night until August 14, the night before my school year started. :)
• Discovered hands the week of August 6.  Needless to say, they are always stuffed in his mouth!
• Started going to the babysitter's for the first time on August 20.  :(  We really do love our sitter!!
• Drinks 5-7 ounces every 3-4 hours.  
• Weighs somewhere around 13 1/2 pounds. 

Jack is an incredibly happy baby.  Seriously, all you have to do is look at him and he lights up.  Our babysitter described his smile perfectly when she said that he smiles with his whole body.  It's the cutest thing!

We Have a Roller!

Jack has rolled from tummy-to-back a couple times in the past, but only because he was mad and upset.  Last Friday (7/27), he started rolling just because or for whatever reason it is that babies roll.  Most of the time now, whenever we put him on his tummy, Jack will roll over.  This video is from one of his first times last Friday.  Enjoy! :)

2 Months

Mommy's Big Helper

95% of the time, Caroline is very sweet and loving to her little brother.  Some of her favorite things to tell me about Jack are...

"Mommy, he's crying.  Baby Jack's crying." 

 "He's so tiny.  Baby Jack, you so tiny."  

"Oh, Baby Jack.  I know, I know."

"He needs his binky, mommy.  Baby Jack needs his binky."

"Baby Jack needs his songs, mommy.  Songs."  

"You talking, Baby Jack?" Me: What's he saying? "He saying I love you, Caroline."

From the time we decided on Jack's name (before he was born), Caroline has always referred to him as "Baby Jack."  Now that he is here, this has not changed.  She never calls him just "Jack."  Wonder how long it will last?  The poor kid is going to be 18 years old and his sister might still be calling his "Baby," but it's adorable. 

These pictures are a result of what happens when we aren't quick enough to get Jack when he cries.  Someone decided she needed to take matters into her own hands.  Good intentions and a good heart...

                                     

All Smiles

Jack first started smiling right at one month.  Unlike his sister, who required a lot of work to capture a smile, all you have to do is look at this little guy and he lights up.  His smile definitely makes all those sleepless nights worth it!

Firework Fun!

Happy Independence Day!

 Caroline and I had fun making flag sugar cookies.  Unfortunately, most of them ended up getting burnt because we were a little distracted trying to get Jack fed.  Good thing someone takes after her daddy and decided to try one out beforehand!

 Caroline was not a big fan of fireworks for the longest time, and I'm still not sure that she is crazy about them.  Joe brought some goodies home from work for us to try out.  Surprisingly, they ended up being a huge hit...so much so that Joe and Caroline make another last minute trip to buy more.

Fun with sparklers.

Watching daddy shoot off fireworks.  It was hot!  Notice the sweaty face.

Look who got to help out.

First Haircut

We took Caroline to get her hair cut for the first time tonight.  I've been talking about doing it off and on for awhile now, so needless to say, it was a spontaneous decision made the same day.  We went to the Hairy Elephant, which specializes in children's haircuts.  They have a bunch of neat chairs for the kids to sit in (jeeps, planes, boats, etc.), and the kids are given a video to watch.  Of course, Caroline chose Dora!  Caroline did a great job sitting still and cooperating!!  You can't tell a huge difference.  The lady only took off about an inch, and Caroline's hair curls up in the back.  The goal is to start evening up her hair a bit more so that the top can catch up with the bottom.

Photos from the big night...

Our Newest Arrival

Introducing...

Jack Edward Brand

May 26, 2012

10:58 a.m.

7 lbs. 2 oz.

19 1/2 inches

Mother's Day Fun

We spent Mother's Day at the St. Louis Zoo.  For the second year in a row, someone (Caroline) woke up super crabby.  She literally laid around in our bed for a good two hours before actually wanting to get up.  We almost skipped out on the zoo again, but decided to give it a shot and get out of the house. 

                                     

Caroline was excited about the carousel at first.  Unfortunately, the first animal we were on didn't move up and down.  I tried switching her to the penguin...BAD IDEA!  She wouldn't let me put her down the entire ride, so this is how we rode (see below).  

Caroline LOVES the elephants at the zoo.  They are probably her favorite animal with monkeys coming in a close second.  Before we left, we took Caroline to the Build A Bear Workshop to make her own Elephant.  

Picking out a heart and giving it to her elephant.

Giving elephant a bath.  Caroline loves her new friend, Ellie!!

This is the best we could get.  Not too bad for a 2 year old who didn't have a nap and a 9 month pregnant lady!

37 Week Comparison



37 Weeks with Caroline

 


37 Weeks

 


Happy 2nd Birthday, Caroline!

It's so hard to believe that it has been 2 years!  It has been so much fun watching Caroline transform from baby to independent toddler.  Underneath the occasional meltdowns, slapping, biting, and scratching that have taken place over the past couple months is a fun, loving, and sweet little girl.

At 2 years, Caroline can:

• spell her name (see previous post)
• identify colors 
• count to ten
• sing the alphabet

Caroline loves reading books and singing songs.  She is currently obsessed with Dora the Explorer.  From dressing up in tutus, having tea parties, and mothering her Bitty Baby, Caroline is very much a GIRL!  

Happy Birthday, Princess!  We love you and can't wait to see what the coming year has in store for you!!

Big Girl Room

In preparation for baby, we spent last night converting most of Caroline's nursery into a big girl room.  The rocking chair has now been replaced with her little pink chair that she got for Christmas last year. 

I ordered some store bin/bookshelf type items to take the spot of the changing table, and she has a new little shelf for some bigger books that we put on the wall. 

Caroline is still in her crib.  We figure there is no sense in converting it to a toddler bed since she doesn't try to climb out and seems (for the most part) to be perfectly content with the way things are.  We will cross that bridge when we get to it.  :) 

It's bittersweet to see Caroline growing up.  It seems like just yesterday we were changing the guest room into her nursery.  Hard to believe it's been almost 2 years!!

Spring Break 2012

Caroline and I had a fairly relaxing spring break.  My family left at different times, so Monday we enjoyed a yummy lunch with Pops, Aunt Jenn, and Chris at Pappy's.  So GOOD!!

I took Caroline to get her 2 year pictures done on Tuesday.  We will see how they turn out because she was not very cooperative.  Not a huge shock, but still...

On Wednesday, Caroline came down with a mystery fever, but was perfectly fine by Thursday.  Joe took off on Friday to spend the day with us.  We went to the zoo in the morning, and we ended up getting poured on!Fortunately we got there early enough to get through the Children's Zoo and see the elephants (Caroline's favorite!) and monkeys.

Smarty Pants

Here is a cute video of Caroline (almost) spelling her whole name.  She has been able to do this for the past couple of weeks thanks to Joe, but this is the closest we have gotten to catching the whole thing on camera.  As you can tell, she gets a bit distracted seeing herself.  :)

Happy Easter!

We celebrated Easter at Our Redeemer.  It was nice to go back and see faces that I hadn't seen in awhile.  Caroline and her buddy, Collin, were especially cute giving each other hugs and kisses after church. 

The rest of Easter was spent having a good time with both immediate and extended family.