One month old!!
So lets’s be honest, Charlie is honest to goodness a second child. I don’t photograph his every waking moment, heck I didn’t even get his big “weekly” moments like I did with Jay. We don’t jump the moment he peeps and if we are being honest with the few dozen or so people that read this blog sometimes we let him fuss… a lot. We know it will pass and that he will survive, all lessons that we learned the hard way with Jay. By the way, we also put him down. I know gasp- he isn’t held all of them time! Another lesson learned the hard way with Jay. However, second child or not, my little Squishy is one month old today and that’s cause for cupcakes and photos!! We even pulled out the blocks for the occasion:) Every time I make the effort to have a “photo shoot” with either of my boys, regardless of the pain it might end up being, I am so glad I did. I know I will cherish them for years to come.
Stats: will update this when we can get somewhere with a working scale… the battery in ours isn’t working
Weight- Charlie is growing like a bad weed, this little one is not going to be in the 10% like my other little guy. I think he has hopes of being the big little brother. He has already outgrown outfits that Jay was wearing past five weeks old and when people comment on how tiny he is I find myself laughing because I think he’s so big and compared to Jay he is!
Height-
A few other things of note for posterity’s sake…
*Charlie is on a pretty consistent “schedule” of eat, play, sleep. He is eating every 2.5-3 hours during the day and 3.5-4 at night. The 4 hours at night has been a little less frequent over the last few nights than it was and he has been taking longer to go back to sleep after his feedings but that has more to do with his cold than anything. His congestion is pretty bad at night and it is easiest for him to breathe when he is in more of a reclined position (half up rather than on his back) so we have been pacing or rocking and using the frog position that he likes so much until he falls asleep the last few nights. This isn’t all bad since frequently I log some pretty good Squishy cuddles by the light of the Christmas tree.
*Other than eating, sleeping and pooping, all of which he does pretty well, there is not a whole lot to report. He still likes to be warm but not swaddled up tight. In fact he prefers his hands to be on the outside of any blanket he is under or wrapped in and will fuss until they are out. He has taken to the swing and likes the sound and mobile to be on while he is in it. He also really enjoys Jenny, Jay’s stuffed giraffe sound machine. We keep it in the cradle for him, that is of course when Jay doesn’t notice it and take it back to his room (btw- Jay never really took to a sound machine so it’s not like he is being deprived in any way).
*Jay has more or less taken to Charlie at this point. He still occasionally has his moments of jealousy but has come to realize that baby brother is here to stay and therefore is making the most of it. Frequently, he gives Charlie hugs or asks where he is. He also wants to help feed him, share his snack/juice or play cars with him. He also is the first to notify us if Charlie is crying and we need to get him- “Baby Charlie cying, Mommy/Daddy- Baby Charlie cying”- this statement is frequently accompanied with a furrowed brow and much concern which in itself is just too sweet.
I think that about covers the highlights. It really is hard to believe that he has already been a part of our family for a whole month now, especially when I can’t imagine a time without him.
Jay is 18 months today- holy camoly!!! I am pretty sure that we have hit the 2′s early with this kiddo and as much as this phase makes me want to pull my hair out from time to time, there are times when I just sit back in awe of how wonderful he is. Jamie and I find ourselves frequently stopping to watch as he learns something new, plants a sweet kiss on one of the animals or runs into your arms to give you a massive hug and wet kiss for no reason.
Since I haven’t officially posted an update in quite sometime I figured we were due, so here you go!
Stats:
22.4 lbs (today was the first time he stood on the scale by himself- such a big boy!)
31 1/2 inches long
14 teeth- SO happy to finally be able to say more than 12, those last two took 2.5 months to come in and we are still waiting on the other two eye teeth!
Likes:
*CARS!! Pretty much anything with at least two wheels right now is a car; whether it be a car, truck, van, mack truck etc. However, he does not discriminate and loves them all. It makes riding in the car especially fun, specifically when we get to pass a big one on the road. He will play with his matchbox cars (and his other cars too) for the longest time- they are constantly everywhere throughout the house and he is always making car noises. Jay has also taken to the Pixar Cars movie (Cars 1- we are not taking an 18 month old to the theater.) We will sit mesmerized by it if it is on. This is also a great time to get some snuggles in!
*Water- Jay loves water in all forms. He loves the pool (the small one out front and any big one), the sprinkler, the hose (which he drinks from) and the bath tub too. It’s not an infrequent occurrence that Jamie will call to me from the bath to show me one of their new bath games or tricks.
*Playing outside. Regardless of the heat, Jay loves to be outside. He will trek around the backyard or courtyard for what seems like hours and usually is none too happy about having to come in again.
*Chores- haha, had you going here but honestly Jay loves feeding Piper in the morning and at night and is a great help when picking up his toys. To watch him with Piper is pretty hysterical. He tells her to “sit” along with a hand motion that vaguely resembles the hand motion that we use with her, carefully carries the cup of food (that Mommy or Daddy fill) to her bowl, and pours it in. He usually drops a few pieces so he picks them up one at a time and puts them in her bowl and then tells her “ok” which usually needs to be repeated by me or Jamie since it doesn’t really sound anything like “ok”.
*Laundry baskets, empty plastic buckets or random boxes. He will push them all over the house- empty or full- and has a blast doing it. This makes folding the laundry more difficult, since the basket is NEVER where I leave it, but it amuses him and that’s what counts.
*Shoes. He loves to wear his shoes and frequently we find him putting ours on (remember the pink shoes?). He will walk around the house with ours quite a bit and he usually gets them on the right feet :)
*1, 2, 3 GO! Frequently, Jay is running… he is on the move constantly and doesn’t like to sit still. This being said, one of his favorite games is “1, 2, 3, GO”. Which is when he says 1,2,3, go and then runs to the other side of the room. The funny part… he usually starts counting at 2 and has already started running by the time he says go.
*Buckles. He loves to clip buckles these days- especially the ones on the changing table, on his car seat and Pipers’ collar. Fortunately for us he is satisfied with simply buckling them and has yet to try to unbuckle anything but bless us the day he learns that…
*The word NO. I know that this comes with the age but man do I hate it. We were pretty lucky to avoid the word for so long (thank heavens for creative ways of telling him no) but now since he is testing every boundary imaginable we have had to use it more often and therefore are hearing it more often. Oh well, this too shall pass- right??
Other things of Note:
* Jay mimics just about every word out of our mouths right now. It is great but we also really need to watch what he is able to hear these days ;) One of my favorites is when he declares “MEN!” (amen) then smiles a huge smile at the end of the blessing at dinner time. He is also stringing a few words together from time to time- usually only three at a time (Mommy, juice please) but it’s a start!
*He doesn’t sit still- AT ALL! He is constantly on the move and usually running some place. It makes the days long and exhausting for me but I was warned that little boys were usually this way. Not sure what I am going to do with two to chase…
* His little manners are so sweet! He has started to “say” (sign) thank you and he usually uses please (especially since he knows it will get him things he wants).
 Jamie's favorite from today ;)  hunting for acorns  success!! 
 1, 2, 3, GO! 
 more acorns  airplane!  giggles 
One year old!!
I know I have already posted today, however; I couldn’t miss posting this one too!
How exactly did this happen? Where does all the time go? I am allowed to say this, I promise you, it’s my right as a Mother of a one year old. Seriously, I am pretty sure I blinked and the whole year passed us by. That being said, we have had the most amazing year and I wouldn’t change one bit of it (that goes for those low points and sleepless nights too).
Stats: (not official ones, we don’t go to the Dr for another week but here’s what Jamie and I got this morning…)
Weight: 20.5 lbs – Daddy will be turning his car seat around now!
Height: 28.5 inches
Teeth: 7- that 8th one is really holding out on us!
Things of note:
* Jay has taken a few steps on his own but isn’t walking yet. His balance is great and he is full on cruising but he just isn’t ready to walk yet. Right now he knows he can get anywhere he wants- and fast- by crawling so he isn’t in a real hurry.
*Most mornings and after most naps he is super excited to see us (Jamie or me) when we come to get him from his crib. He all but does circles in his crib out of excitement and usually looks around his crib for something to point to or show us- a paci, stuffed animal, a real animal that has followed me in the room.
*He is pretty shy. He hardly goes more than two feet away from me or Jamie when we are around a group of new people and he will rest his head on my shoulder when someone he doesn’t really know talks to him while we are out. If we are home however or around people that we know we can’t get the kiddo to stop jabbering. Sometimes it is so loud that we have to yell to be heard over him.
*He isn’t really talking yet although, we are pretty sure that he says Mama, Dada, kitty and possibly Bella. It’s just so hard to tell how deliberate each of those are.
*He is super curious about everything still. He points at the birds and the airplanes and is constantly saying “ooh” when we are outside. He loves to look at things and will all but crawl out of my arms and over my shoulder to take a look at something. He also will flatten himself out to peer under things. It really is adorable to see him smooshed up on the ground with his face pressed to the carpet and his booty in the air looking at or for something.
Likes:
*Blueberries!!! They are by far his favorite food right now. Jay knows the bowl that we keep them in gets excited and starts clapping as soon as he sees it come out of the fridge. Kiwi makes for a close second, he has an extra stomach for fruit and can’t get enough of it. As for eating, he is still a good eater and has added mullet dip, homemade yogurt, apples, french fries and cauliflower to his long list of likes.
*Balloons!!! He has a huge thing for balloons right now; honestly, we can’t even get into the check-out lane at publix before he is eyeing the balloons, pointing at them and then looking expectantly at the cashier. He is happy as a clam as soon as he gets one (he doesn’t care what color either) and can play with it for days. They only go away when I get sick of it and toss it while he’s napping- seriously- he had on in the bath one night since it was just easier not to fight it.
*He still loves the bath, he splashes around and would probably stay in there until he was super pruny and cold if we would let him.
*Playing with your toys. Jay has a corner in the family room that houses a good portion of his toys. He will go to town most afternoons there; taking everything out and tossing things over his shoulders. So far he really likes the drum sticks and egg shakers from his music set and his alligator pull toy best. He also loves the bbq tongs, mini loaf pans and measuring spoons from the kitchen and a basket full of old DVD’s and pens from in the office- none of these are exactly toys but we don’t care, we’re just fostering creativity here.
*Crawling in and around things. Jay loves to play in Piper’s crate and the laundry basket. He also loves to crawl around and through the legs on the dinning room and kitchen tables. If you add a balloon or alligator pull toy to drag behind him into the mix we have one happy, happy child!
*Peek-a-boo is still a favorite game and hide and seek has started to become fun as well. Although, I must say that Jay isn’t a stellar hider just yet.
Dislikes:
*Sitting still for anything! Getting his diaper changed, getting dressed, waiting for his juice before nap time. I have gotten really talented at quick diaper changes and putting diapers on a standing child after baths. We also have left a pile of things by the changing table to help distract him for just a few seconds while we change him.
More pictures because I can…
 my shoot helpers consulting with Jay  sharing- he will pass things that he likes to you now instead of just showing you them 
 relaxing a little bit...  standing  love that smile!  such a big boy and not easy to do on the squishy bed  looking for Piper after the shoot
I should probably say 5 days ago I was… but we’re not really counting. Jamie, Jay and I have been unplugged for most of the Christmas holidays and it has been so nice! So please excuse the tardiness of this 11 month post, it doesn’t mean that it was any less appreciated or celebrated.
Stats:
Height- 28.5 no change from last month
Weight- 19lbs 2oz
Teeth- 7, one more than last month and oh so close to 8!
Things of note:
*Jay has always taken great interest in the things around him and has been quite the observer. However, now he is points things out to us. Frequently, we will hear this sweet “ohh” come out of his mouth while he points at something. It’s adorable and I love, love, love it!
*I told you a while back that we were going to work on baby sign language well we have (although not as much as I would like) and Jay now knows the sign for juice, airplane, and more and can sign fan and milk. I am sill working on finished- I think that would be far more useful than fan…
*Jay has started dancing just within the last week or so. It is adorable and it cracks me up. He bobs up and down along (kind of) with the music- I love it. He also bobs up and down when he gets excited over things.
*Jay has always loved peek-a-boo however, he has started playing it ALL of the time now. Anything that can be held in front of his face or that he can hide behind is fair game. I especially love when he holds up things that he can see around or through and he still thinks he is hiding. Jamie and I are frequently wondering “where’s Jay?” and it never ceases to entertain him and therefore we continue to look for him.
*His balance has improved by leaps and bounds this past month. He is constantly standing on his own and he now bends and squats while standing and maintaining balance. He is also quite the cruiser right now. He still prefers to crawl (it’s faster); however, he can walk around and between furniture/walls/etc.
*He talks loudly and frequently. Jamie and I sometimes find ourselves yelling over him just so we can hear each other.
*He has started playing shy with strangers. When people talk to him in public he will rest his head on my or Jamie’s shoulder and snuggle in- something that both of us hate ;-). He has gotten to where he will smile back at them but it does take a minute for him to react.
Likes:
*Food- honestly he loves most everything that is put in front of him (as long as it has flavor); however, his current favorites are Chili (he loves it spicy too), blueberries, yogurt, prunes and gingerbread cookies (yes- he was spoiled over the holidays).
*Wagon Rides- these still remain constant at the top of his list. He loves to be outside!
*His animals!! He seriously gets excited every time any one of them (Dolce, Bella or Piper) comes in view and he will follow them until they can’t be seen anymore and when they get out of view he crawls, strains, pulls up etc until he is able to see them again. Our furry children are a constant recipient of his “ohhs” and finger pointing. He has even started hugging them- he will put his head down on them and pat them a little. So, so precious!
*Crawling through the chair and table legs in the kitchen and dinning room. He loves the obstacle course that they provide for him and it is even more fun if he has something that he can drag through the course with him.
*Balloons- this will be a must for his birthday party- thanks Nan and Leyton for the introduction to them!
Dislikes:
*Sitting still for diaper changes or getting dressed- basically sitting still in general.
*Being hungry. This little boy can pack it away (10th percentile- ha!) and he can get pretty darn mad when his belly is empty.
 love those toes  sharing his toys with Daddy (whom you can't see)  love those lashes  I just think this one is funny- Mr. Cool...
Okay here are the stats, you all can stop holding your breath :-)
Height: 28 1/2 inches long
Weight: 18 lbs It seems as though he didn’t gain five pounds after being on the cruise even though he ate his weight and then some in food…
Teeth: still just 6. Man do they have a way of tricking you- I thought for sure that the other bottom two would have popped through by now
Hair: still red, still curly and getting longer as we speak.
Here’s a little video from after the 10 month shoot. I will warn all that are not immediate family or gushing grandparents- it is not a wondrous or spectacular video (actually it might be quite boring for some); however, you don’t have to watch – we’ll never know. It is being posted for those of you who don’t get to see the day to day and so I can look back later and be amazed at how little he was…
It’s a little bit of silly noise making, crawling, playing with Dad, laughing, waving, staring out the window and pointing- enjoy (and please excuse the background laughing)!
We hit double digits today!! Jay is 10 months old (hard to believe, hard to believe…)and keeping both Jamie and me really busy!
Stats:
I don’t have any stats for today’s post (I’ll try to get them up tomorrow); however I am going to say in my defense that we just got back this afternoon from a week-long cruise and I still managed to get the monthly pictures- which in my opinion is pretty impressive…
Things of Note:
*Jay has become quite the eating machine! He is eating everything in sight and has apparently gotten his Daddy’s appetite and metabolism- lucky him! He has tried everything that we have given him; we have been following the Doctors orders to just let him try anything from our plate and it has been a hit. He prefers things with flavor and or spice (beans from Chili, squash with chili powder and other spices, hot Italian sausage off of our homemade pizza etc) and squeals when he wants more of something. We are currently working on the squealing (I don’t think it is a polite way for him to request anything) but we’ll see how that goes. I would say that he has quite a few things on his list of favorites; however, fruit (of any kind) and ice cream (yes he was spoiled on the cruise) are high on his list- and I can’t say I blame him ;-)
*We have been working on baby sign language with Jay so that he will have a way to communicate with us before he is able to speak. He has already developed his own nonverbal cues for when he wants to be picked up, when he wants something and he points at things of interest; however, there are many times that he gets visibly frustrated with his lack of communication. Although, he hasn’t actually signed to us (and I am not expecting it to happen any day soon) we have high hopes that it will work and help with the squealing and frustration.
*We are officially “cruising” now. He isn’t on a huge roll yet (which I don’t mind) but he is definitely walking along the furniture. I keep thinking that it won’t be long now before we have full out walking, although I really don’t mind that he is still just crawling.
*Along with cruising he is standing on his own, unassisted, for longer and longer periods of time. His balance is great and he seems to love his mini leg work outs!
*Jay has been talking up a storm lately- chattering on and on about anything and everything. Before I get too far, let me clarify that although he says Mama, Dada etc they aren’t yet intentional but he is getting closer and closer each day. I think it’s so funny to hear him talk, especially when some of his “words” sounds like responses to our questions.
Likes:
*Airplanes- Leyton, Jay fully understands the fascination! He looks up, points to the sky (even when we are inside) and has a huge grin on his face whenever he hears one. It really is sweet to watch him follow the airplanes across the sky…
*Mobility- he has loved being able to move on his own and to get where he wants to go and get there fast! He can be pretty exhausting throughout the day but it’s been fun chasing him around.
*Little people- Jay has become quite the people watcher lately. Anywhere he goes he gets engrossed in what is going on around him and the so interested in the people that surround him. This being said, little people are his favorite to watch. He would sit in the grass at the park for hours and watch the other kids play if we would let him.
Dislikes:
*Sitting still- this has made diaper changing, toweling off after baths, dressing him and cuddling rather difficult lately. All tasks are quite the feat as of late and have forced Mommy and Daddy to get creative and super fast at all of the above :-)
Well I think that pretty much sums up my little butter bean for the most part. Each new phase we have entered with Jay has brought with it a new set of challenges; however the laughs and the joy that has filled our house since the day we brought him home far out weigh anything else we have faced. We continually are excited to watch him grow, learn and explore the world around him.
 Excuse the crazy hair- he was playing with Daddy while I set up and I forgot to fix it before pictures but do take note of the shirt. We were sporting our FSU gear and cheering them on to victory today »»---------> GO NOLES!  love the smile that he had for my photo assistant aka Daddy 
I blinked and month 9 happened upon us! Seriously month 8 flew by; maybe because I spent the majority of the month trying to keep up with this cutie patootie!
Stats:
Length- 28 inches- 50%(an extra inch longer than last month)
Weight- 17lbs 6oz- 10% the Doctor said that it was normal for some kiddos to go down in weight at this age and not to worry at all about it. My guess is that he was lucky enough to have inherited his Daddy’s genes- the skinny kind.
Head- 45cm- 50% Not that this is real important but I have the info so I will share it.
Teeth- 6 although he is trying really, really hard to get his other bottom two to pop through
Hair- Red and Curly- the longer it gets the more curls he grows out the back, it’s sweet- so sweet
Things of Note:
*I know I said Jay was fast last month but seriously this kid can move! He has gotten to be one fast crawler. He can get anywhere he wants and quickly now- I am pretty sure watching him play in the family room resembles somewhat of a time lapse video sped way up.
*We are pulling up on everything we can get our hands on right now- tables, couches, cribs, dogs, trash cans (eww- his is currently sitting up in his wagon right now so he can’t get to it), toilets (yuck- but they do make really great drums with the lids down), etc. He cruises a little bit, taking a few steps at a time but hasn’t gotten too adventurous yet.
*We are deliberately waving now. He will wave right at you after being told to “Wave Bye” or “Wave Hi”. He also waves randomly- maybe he’s hinting that he is done with whatever the task at hand is or doing it just because- I am not sure. He is still clapping but the wave is his only prompted trick to date, we are working on others…
Likes:
*Kitty and Puppy Food Dishes- He will make a mad dash for these every time he is in the kitchen and thinks he can get away with it. I mean they are really fun- especially the kitty ones that shower you with all kinds of little “prizes” when you dump them over (Piper’s are always empty when he gets to them).
*Shoelaces, Ribbons, Strings, Cords- actually anything long and skinny- frequently he drags our shoes around the house by the laces or will stand at the coffee table with them dangling at his feet. This is all well and good, except for when he gets excited and is holding a string/ribbon/etc since he effectively turns himself into a crawling kitty toy.
*Humming and “talking” while his ears are underwater- he loves the sound and we think it’s pretty funny too
*Watering the Garden with Daddy- flaps his arms up and down in excitement (true Jay Bird style) when his Daddy gets home and takes him outside. I mean what could be better- hanging out with Dad, being outside or um… both?
*Our new carseat- we sit higher, we can see out the window more- enough said. Seriously, we have one curious, curious little boy on our hands.
*Mama’s Singing and Dancing- he will stop just about anything that he is doing and smile when I start singing. I think it’s because he loves the sound of my voice; you can choose to think otherwise just don’t tell me! He also thinks it is absolutely hilarious when I dance- seriously he would have fallen out of the highchair multiple times already from laughing if he wasn’t buckled in. Both of these things make the lunch and dinner hours much, much more fun.
*Feeding himself- Jay really enjoys feeding himself right now which is fun and new but can be rather messy. Especially when he grabs the spoon from my hand (he has quite the death grip folks) and bangs it on the tray over and over again. This is usually the point during his feeding that I give up and let him have the spoon until he is done playing drummer boy and we can resume eating. The Doctor gave us the go ahead today to try anything that we wanted with Jay food wise (aside from things that would be choking hazards, Nuts or Nut Products, Shellfish and Egg Whites). He basically said that we could look at our plates, ask ourselves what Jay couldn’t have and let him try anything else that was on it. Yahoo- let the taste testing begin!!
Dislikes:
?? Again I am not really sure what to put here although he is starting to dislike when we take things away from him that he shouldn’t have. I have started using the word “No” much more frequently now- this is going to be an uphill battle I am sure!
 I wish, I wish, I wish you all could hear his laugh during these pictures- it just gets me!  helping Daddy put the blocks away after the shoot and two from the Doctor’s appointment today…
 Daddy helping to entertain Jay while waiting for the Doctor 
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