Austin Thomas :: 2 Years Old

Just now posting this….but wrote it a LONG time ago!

Again, for my mommy records I want to have all of the major milestones/birthdays documented. Here is the update on our favorite little 2 year old boy:

Austin Thomas at 2 Years old

Height: 36.25inches (94%)
Weight: 24.3lbs (9%) 

The boy is staying true to his baby days - still tall and skinny!
Austin is quite the talker for a 2 year old. He just talks and talks all day long - he'll point out thigns, ask questions, talk to himself or whoever will listen. We love it!


I wanted to write down a few of his Austin phrases at 2. Here are a few things he says:
What is that?
Right there over there right there - he says this when pointing something out
Airplane up in the sky
Oh man
I'm here - One day I was outside visiting and Austin ran outside after his nap and announced to the entire neighborhood "I'm HERE"
That my baba - I reference to his milk
That mine
Meese (please)
Where is my (fill in the blank)? He's always asking..."where is mater, where is my water, where is my puzzle, where are my shoes"
Touch baby Lauren feet
He can count to about 18, which is the number of stairs we have and how we practice counting
He can sing his ABCs but i'm not totally sure that he actually knows what he is singing

Austin's Day
Wake up around 7:30/8
Sippy Cup of Milk
Breakfast
Play around the house or outside (Preschool 9-1 Tues and Thurs)
Lunch
Another Cup of Milk
Nap 1-4ish
Play outside until dinner and bed
Dinner
Milk
Bath and bed 8ish

Favorite Eats:
Carbs(pretzels, chips, goldfish bunnies, Cheerios or cereal in a cup)
Almond butter on a spoon
Bread
Applesauce in a squishy pack
Chick fila
Hot dogs
Will eat peas and carrots but doesn't love veggies
Sometimes likes fruit sometimes doesn't

Favorite Things to Do:
Ride strider bike
Draw with chalk outside
Ride his scooter
Put together puzzles
Play with Cars 
Anything outside
Ride with Dad in Bronco
Books - Favorites right now: Farm Animals and Goodnight Moon
Driving Emmi's Jeep
Play with his Home Depot tool set
Play with Dexter
Play at the splash pad
Touch baby Lauren's feet
Draw : chalk crayons markers
Music - Call Me Maybe is still a fav ;)
Play on iPad

Lauren :: 3 Months

I just FINALLY finished Austin's 1 year book and I am so grateful that I kept notes about him each month. It was fun to go back and re-read what he was doing each month. And it helped me a ton when trying to remember all the things about the newborn days.

So..here's to attempting to keep up with it with Lauren too so she can have a baby book too! 

Lauren Elizabeth, you are 3 months old already, sister! This feels like such a good place to be. You are happy and social and we're all getting more sleep around here. This month you celebrated your first Christmas, your first New Years and you met lots of new friends. It's been a busy, but fun month for all of us!

You are generally sweet, easy going baby! And you are definitely a mama's girl. You are getting better, but for a while you really only liked to be held by me. It seems like you've always been around - it's weird to think you've only been here 3 months! We've had a rough few days here and there but they've generally coincided with the weeks I think babies are typically fussy - during major developmental leaps.

You wear size 1/2 Kirkland (Costco) diapers and wear size 3 month clothes. No doctor's appointment this month, so we don't have official height and weight stats on you, but you seem much more solid than Austin did at this age. You have perfect little rolls on your thighs, wrist and neck even though I think you are probably "petite." 

You have blue eyes still (I'm thinking they will stay blue), a cute little nose, a pouty bottom lip and CRAZY hair like your momma. Your hairline is like a balding old man and what you do have sticks out all kinds of crazy directions - we love you just the way you are, but have huge stash of headbands to help with the hairline :) 

You rolled over for the first time on Thanksgiving and then didn't do it again for a while. At about 2.5 months you started rolling around like a champ. You probably rolled over 10 times the day you figured it out. You are also really good at tummy time - so strong for such a little girl.

You started social smiling a lot and we heard your first laugh just before 3 months! So cute! And it doesn't take much to make you smile.

You also really love to hang out and watch people. You love to watch your brother play and you love to watch me do stuff around the kitchen. You'll also watch everyone talk and interact when we are outside playing or when we have company. Earlier this month it seemed like you had meltdown anytime we had company but that has greatly improved. In the last two weeks your personality has really started to emerge and you are just generally a much happier baby. 

You also like to kick and play on your playmat or on a blanket in Austin's room. You'll kick and talk happily for a while! Or I lay you down on a blanket it my closet when I get ready or am doing laundry and you are so content to hang and kick around. 

You have also gotten way way better with the car seat. You used to scream bloody murder any time we drove anywhere but now you hang out quietly or fall asleep! I have the car seat adapter for the bob and double bob so now I can take you for walks alone or with your brother! This is huge for me, because walks and fresh are are my sanity! 

You also love bath time! If you are fussy and I can't figure out what is wrong, a bath will calm you down.

Your brother adores you and has only body slammed you once :/ He calls you "Baby Lauren" and says hi to you a million times a day. If you are crying, he will ask you "You ok?" Most of the time he is very gentle but he is 2 and has a wild hair every now and then. Dexter also likes to give you drive by kisses and will come get me anytime you wake up crying in our room.

You still sleep in your bassinet in our room or in the downstairs guest room. I've moved you back and forth a few times, but it just so much easier to have you in our room at night. Since you are right there, I can go get you, feed you and then we can both go back to sleep right away.  If I had to go all the way upstairs I don't think I would be able to fall back asleep. Plus, I'm just not ready for you to be far that way from me. 

Your "schedule" is hit or miss. And I'm ok with that. You're too small to be fully predictable, but you follow a similar routine most days"

5:00am - Wake up and nurse.
7:30/8 - Wake up again to eat and wake up SUPER happy and smiley. We usually play in bed for a bit before getting up to start the day and get Austin 
9:00  - nap (usually only 30-40 minutes max)
10:00 - nurse again 
11:15/11:30 nap - This is when I usually go to the grocery store with you or run errands and you sleep in the car seat or bjorn. 
12:30/1 nurse 2 nap (this one is almost always exactly at 2) - again only 30-40 min
3:30/4 eat
5:30 or sometime before dinner catnap
6:00/6:30 usually hungry
8:00/8:30 Eat again if hungry then bed usually around 8:30 - sometimes you go right to sleep, sometimes you cry for a bit to calm down then fall asleep, and sometimes you cry and we can tell you aren't going to stop so we just get you and hang out for a while longer. 
We do a dream feed around 11 (I stay up too late) 
Then you usually wake up only once around 5am so I actually get a good stretch of sleep. Then you will fall back asleep until almost 8am.

Baby girl, we sure do love you! I know each month gets more and more fun, so we are looking forward to watching you develop and grow!

Bluebonnet Pics

Here are a few very non-professional pics from the bluebonnets this year. For those of you non-Texans,  people go CRAZY taking pictures in the bluebonnets when they bloom in the spring. You see crazies stopping on the sides of highways with their small kids just to snap a few pics. Cori found a great patch in someone's backyard locally, so we drug all of the kids out on a hot Friday afternoon to snap a few for evidence.

Lauren :: 6 Months

Sweet, sweet Baby Lauren, you are so the second child. Here we are at almost 6.5 months and I'm just now writing your updates. And we completely skipped the 5th month update. So sorry, girl. You are loved…very, very loved. But…life has been a little BUSY lately…

Stats from your 6 month checkup:
Weight: 13lbs 9oz (9%)
Height: 26 inches
Clothes: Size 3-6 months. You wear a few 6-9 month things, like pajamas, but for the most part your 6 month clothes fit. You petite little thing. We just switched you to size 3 diapers because you were BLOWING out your size 2 ones daily. So, I finally realized we needed to go up a size. You can poop, girl!

You have the biggest blue eyes that sometimes almost look purple. And crazy hair like your mom that I think is going to end up strawberry blonde and curly. Its changed a bit over time and seems to be lightening up.

You are sweet and smiley and usually pretty laid back and go with the flow. Except when you want me (mom), then you scream your little head off until I hold you. If someone else is holding you, you will start crying and immediately STOP crying in the air on your way to me. You've got my number already.

When we are out and about people comment to me that you are an easy baby. I agree - you really don't make a fuss unless you need something - hungry or tired. Otherwise, you are pretty content to hang with us whatever we are doing.

You have a couple of nicknames: LoLo, Lo, Baby Lauren, Sissy and Baby Girl. It'll be interesting to see which ones stick!

You LOVE to watch your brother play. I'm pretty sure he is your favorite. Not me. You light up when Austin is in the room and he loves to entertain you.

Your other favorite new trick is blowing raspberries, especially at your dad. (Dad says they are farting noises. I say they are raspberries.)

You like baths, playing in your bouncer, rolling around on your play mat with toys, and watching the big kids play outside. You also like to chat with us and light up when we cheer for you when you roll over or do something cute!

You started sleeping through the night a little before 5 months and you have a pretty good schedule now! You wake up between 7:30 and 8am, have bottle, a little rice cereal around 9, nap around 9:30, bottle again around 11:30, again at 3:00/3:30, rice cereal and a veggie when we eat dinner, then another bottle before bed around 7:30pm. You're in bed around 8pm and usually have no trouble falling asleep on your own. You found your thumb and it usually goes straight in your mouth as soon as I lay you down.

You started eating small amounts of rice cereal about a month ago and we started introducing solids last week. So far you've had squash, sweet potatoes and a few bites of prunes. We made a batch of homemade peas today, so we'll try those in a few days. So far, you are not picky and you'll eat whatever we give you. We also fully switched you to formula this month and you've adjusted well. You weren't thrilled at first, but now you are content.

You just got the hang of rolling this last week and started rolling over to sleep on your stomach in your crib. You aren't completely thrilled with this new trick when you're trying to sleep, so we've had some issues with you staying asleep through the night. You just gotta learn to accept it, girlfriend.

You're also on the verge of being able to sit by yourself. You can do it if we are right there behind you, but I don't fully trust you not to fall and bonk your head just yet.

This has hand down been the FASTEST six months of our lives! Sometimes I wish I could just make the days slow down a little bit.

We are so grateful for you, sweet Lauren!

Lauren :: 4 Months

Sweet baby Lauren, you are 4 months old already!

Weight - 12lbs 1oz
Height - 25 inches

You wear size 2 diapers and mostly size 3-6 month clothes now. We have a few 3 month items that still fit, but for the most part you've graduated up a size.

This month has been a fun one (mostly) as your personality is really developing. You laugh and smile and love to watch everything going on around you. I can tell that you are really soaking it all in. Tonight, we celebrated Pa's 66th birthday with the family and while we were sitting around talking and laughing after dinner, you were definitely trying to chat along with us.

We did have a few rough days and weeks this last month, but you seem to be through whatever developmental/fussy phase that you were going through. You also still don't sleep through the night, but I think we are getting closer and/or we are about to do some sleep training to help you get there. I'm pretty tired and am back to work, so its time, girlfriend! Do it for your mama!

You have a loose routine. Up in the middle of the night sometime…then awake for the day around 7/7:30. You nap around 9, 11:30 and 2 and nurse or take a bottle sometime around 7/7:30, 10, 1, 4 and 7. Some days you are hungry a little more often, and we just roll with that and feed you when you are hungry. I'm trying not to stress with you about putting you on a firm schedule. Most of your naps are still cat-naps. Just this last week, you've actually slept between 1.5-2 hours at 2pm, but I'm not getting my hopes up about anything just yet.

You still sleep in the bassinet in our room. I know I need to move you to the downstairs guest room or up to your room, but it just seems SO FAR in the middle of the night. My goal is always to feed you and then get back to sleep as soon as possible. I'm thinking we just need to temporarily convert the downstairs room to a nursery for you until you are consistently making it all night long…and maybe until about 1 when you drop to one nap a day.

You are definitely your mama's little buddy. A mama's girl for sure. Sometimes you will not let anyone else hold you besides me. You clearly love your dad, your grandparents and our friends, but there have been a few times that you would have no one besides me. I know there will come a day when you are too cool for me, so I'll soak it up while I can ;)

You LOVE your brother and you love to just sit and watch him play. He adores you too.You are always so happy when we go upstairs in the mornings to wake him up. For some reason, you really love to lay on the ground and kick around in Austin's room and in your room - I think it must be the color on the walls.

You don't mind the carseat anymore and will tag along with me happily to the grocery store, out shopping or out for a walk or jog. You really love to hang out in the bjorn facing out. In the afternoons when we play outside, I always strap you into the bjorn and you watch all of the big kids play until you fall asleep. You also love the bath time. If you are ever really upset a bath will always calm you down.

You are content to hang out with me around the house in your various play toys and on blankets while I do dishes, laundry, and play with your brother. We also spend a lot of time holding you and having "conversations" and laughing with you. And, of course, I love to play dress up with you.

You rolled over a ton a few weeks ago (tummy to back), but you haven't done it again in a while. You definitely have a really strong neck and will happily do tummy time, but for some reason aren't rolling over much any more.

Within the last week, you started to reach out and grab toys purposefully in your bouncer. Its so fun to watch you develop new skills and start to put things together in your observant little mind. I know that fussy phases usually come before new skills emerge, so I'm hoping thats what was going on a few weeks ago.

I know the next few months are going to keep getting better and better and that time is going to keep FLYING by! I'm trying to remember to savor this time with you (even on little sleep) - it goes way too fast!

Lauren :: Newborn Photos

These are long overdue, but here are a few of sweet baby Lauren's newborn photos:

My sweet friend Melissa and my friend and neighbor, Joy, flew out from San Diego to take Lauren's pictures when Lauren was about 2 weeks old. We LOVED having them visit and we LOVE Lauren's photos. Now I need to print and frame them!

Check her out! melissaparsonsphotography.com