Asher: ten months old

Growth/ development: Two weeks ago, at 9.5 months, Asher weighed 22 pounds, 4 ounces and was 30.5 inches tall. His head was about 18.5 inches in circumference. He wears size four diapers and size 12-18 month clothing. Because he wears cloth diapers, he needs extra big clothing. :)

This month Asher has been taking bottles consistently, and seems totally happy to get pumped milk from the bottle, instead of only nursing. It's been a long six weeks of trying to heal my skin where his teeth cut, but hopefully things are on the mend. I would really love to get back to nursing regularly, but we will see. For now, I think we will try to keep nursing for the first feeding of the day, but during the day and at bedtime it just seems easier to do bottles. 

Asher is a crazy fast crawler! He figured it out on vacation in Colorado, and hasn't looked back. I love to hear his little hands clapping the hardwood floors as he maneuvers around the house. 

He's also mastered pulling himself up! He loves to stand in the bathtub, and next to the couch, and on the play kitchen. He can't always get himself back down easily, though, which presents a problem when he's standing sobbing in his crib:

Sleep/schedule: Drumroll, please.... Asher no longer nurses at night!!!! It only took nine months ;) but it's totally amazing. He doesn't even wake up most nights, but if he does cry, Joel goes in and talks quietly to him for a minute and comes back to bed. Night weaning/ sleep training this month was a lot easier than I expected, and I'm so relieved!

Asher is still going to bed around 7pm. He wakes up pretty early (usually around 6am), and he takes his first nap around 8am. His second nap is almost always around 1pm. Both his naps are consistently at least1.5 hours, but sometimes they are two full hours!!

Asher likes: crawling!!!, standing up, following Charlotte around the house, touching things, dumping out toys, WATER!!, snuggling/ hugging, chewing everything, "reading" books, and so many more things. He is a really happy, easygoing baby. 

Asher doesn't like; diaper changes, getting dressed, waiting for milk, and getting his sleep sack on. The moments before sleep time are his worst all day! It's kind of hilarious to me, because it's like: "dude, you've been getting zipped into your sleep sack multiple times a day for your whole life... Get used to it!" :) 

Parenting: this month has been a whirlwind!! I think the word change sums up Asher's tenth month of life. One week he started crawling, the next week he night weaned, and the next week he started dropping nursing sessions!! It feels like a lot to me, and I've been pretty emotional about how fast it's all gone. I also feel really, really sad to be giving up nursing him already. I love this baby so much and it breaks my heart to not get as much quiet time with him as I used to have. 

Asher is a totally delightful little boy; he lights up our world!! 

Charlotte: 2.5 years

What a wonderful 2.5 years it's been since Charlotte Adeline joined our family.

We are so proud of our smart, imaginative, independent, delightful girl. She brings us such joy!

Charlotte is tall and slender for a two and a half year old. She wears size 2T shirts & shorts and 3T pants. Her shoe size is 8. She wears size four diapers, the same as Asher! We had a quick attempt at potty training back in the spring, stopped after two days (ha!), and expect to try again in the next few weeks. She is very aware of her bodily functions, but is not at all interested in taking the time to sit on the toilet. We will see what the coming days hold :) 

Two things stand out when I think of Charlotte at this age. First, singing. Second, mothering. 

She loves when we sing to her, and has a TON of songs she knows and likes. Lately, if she has a quiet moment, she will start singing aloud herself. It's the absolute sweetest thing. I love her little voice, and I love that she's really picking up on both the tone and lyrics of songs we sing. Her favorites are Amazing Grace, Jesus Loves Me, and "Lord song" (... the song about the Lord telling Noah to build him an arky, arky ;) ) 

Charlotte also spends a lot of time mothering her stuffed animals. She feeds them food and gives them a bottle of milk, pushes them in her stroller, changes their diapers, carries them in her little ring sling, and puts them to bed. I love to watch the way she cares for them so tenderly, and how she imitates the things she sees us doing. We also catch her mothering Asher sometimes, saying, "It's okay, Asher, I right here with you," or, "Asher, do you need sometin'? I can help you." 

We regularly hear her whispering to her animals quietly, "oh, my girl." At first we thought she was expressing frustration and saying, "oh, my gosh," but then she was talking to Bear and said, "oh, My boy." So now I'm confident she's mimicking a phrase I say regularly to the kiddos. Adorable! 

A few months ago we had a lot of difficulties with Charlotte's sleep schedule. I was afraid she was needing to give up her nap (horrors!!) But we persevered, and waited it out, and tried our best to remain consistent. These days she naps for 1.5 hours each afternoon- usually from 1-2:30, but it's flexible based on what we are doing that day and/ or what time she woke up. She goes to bed around 8pm and sleeps for roughly 10 hours. She often plays quietly in her bed for 30-60 minutes, but she isn't getting out of bed or crying or screaming... Just hanging out alone :) 

Charlotte continues to be a pretty good eater, though she is definitely expressing her preferences more and more. She could eat fruit all day long, and is pretty good at eating vegetables, too. She doesn't eat much meat, but will almost always try new things once before deciding she doesn't want any more. Lunch is definitely her favorite meal! Dinner is usually okay, too, but breakfast is a challenge. Lately I've not been pushing breakfast, I just try to give her a big, healthy snack around 9:30 or 10am. Usually we're out and about at that time and for some reason snacks are more appealing at the park or in the car seat, or on a hike ;) Toddlers, man. Her absolute favorite food is macaroni and cheese, but she also likes French fries, donuts, ice cream, sweet peppers, cucumbers, cherries, and frozen blueberries. 

A typical toddler, Charlotte has strong opinions about what she wears and how she spends her time. She likes to be independent and gets SO frustrated if we try to do things for her that she has proven able to do herself. A funny example: 

Today at lunch she said, "I want some cherries. Dad, please pass 'em to me." 

Joel said, "I need to take the pit out, right?" Then he reached his hand into the bag of cherries to grab a couple for her.  

She yelled, "No, Dad!! I can do it! Please pass bag to me!!" :) I calmly told Joel that Charlotte knows how to remove the pit from her own cherries, and he passed the whole bag right over. :) :)

Being this lady's momma presents some challenges, and I lose my patience regularly. By bedtime I am exhausted and I start each day feeling the weighty responsibility of raising her well. But Charlotte is absolutely amazing, and I love her so much. 

Little worm, you are my best girl. You are fun and funny and kind and brave. Your smile lights up my world, and I cannot imagine life without you in it. Xoxo, Momma. 

Asher: nine months old

Growth/ development: Asher weighs 21 pounds, 2 ounces. We don't know his length. He wears size four diapers (same as Charlotte!) and his clothes are mostly 12-18 months. 

This was a big month for Asher's mobility. He can now army crawl all over the house!! Just this week he mastered going from sitting, to laying on his tummy, back to sitting again. One morning he wasn't falling asleep for his nap so I went in and found him sitting up proudly in his crib, after I had laid him down on his belly. So cute!!

We think Asher is starting to wave. He uses his right arm and waves it in the air happily, often upon greeting someone. 

Asher also "says" HIIIIIIII, and DADADADA and MAMAMAMAMA. ;)

Sleep/ schedule: this was the best month for sleep, I'd say. There were a few nights with significant interruptions, but the naps were just so, so good. Once our boy transitioned to two naps, he has been very consistent. Normally he naps from about 8:30-10 (earlier if he wakes up before 6am!!) and then again from 1-3pm. He goes to bed by 7:00, but once he got the two nap thing down he didn't need any more 6pm bedtimes- what a relief!! 

Asher likes: being mobile, playing outside, eating food at the table, chewing things, splashing in the baby pool (or sink! Or tub!), talking to people, following Charlotte around, taking things out of boxes or baskets, and so much more. 

Asher doesn't like: I can't think of much he doesn't like. Maybe being contained when he wants to move around...? I think that's about it. 

Parenting: being this boy's mom is the best thing ever. He is the sweetest, happiest, funniest babe in the world. I love him so much it hurts. 

One very difficult thing this month has been nursing him. Due to a poor latch, his bottom teeth have done quite a number on my skin, leading to some really deep, nasty cuts. I'm feeling ready to be done with nursing, because it's causing me such pain, but it's such a huge part of both of our days (and nights) that I can't imagine not breastfeeding him. He did start taking a bottle of pumped milk for me last week, so that could help the process a bit. It's frustrating and sad to me that things have taken such a bad turn recently because the first eight months of feeding Asher were so smooth and easy. 

Other than that, parenting Asher is an absolute gift. Happy nine months, baby boy. We love you so very much! 

Favorites: books (June 2016)

We have an unbelievable number of books in our house. 

When moving across country last summer I would estimate that at least 1/3 of the packed boxes were books. Joel used to sort of roll his eyes at all the picture books and chapter books I had accumulated- at that point we didn't have kids, ha. Now we have two children and our book collection has grown even more since they came on the scene. 

I must say: there are a lot of really lame kids' books in print right now. Not all children's books are created equal- some are quite terrible. 

But, in case you are on the hunt for some good ones, or a few to add to your child's rotation-- here are our current favorites. 

1. Knuffle Bunny. And Waiting is Not Easy (Charlotte has this whole book memorized! She loves it!). And Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late. And The Pigeon Needs a Bath. Basically- all of Mo Willems' books.

 

2. The Llama Llama series. We have one in board book format, and I recently borrowed this one from our library. [Not sure why, but I wasn't utilizing the library for picture books, but then I started to get bored with our giant collection so I began checking out new books every few weeks. The library books are the ones Charlotte chooses at bedtime 9 times out of 10.]

3. The GoodNight series. We have them for Michigan and Rhode Island, where the grandparents live, and we bought the Philadelphia one last summer after we moved. 

4. No, David. 

5. Olivia. (By Ian Falconer)

6. This is Sadie. 

7. Not a Box. 

8. Owen (by Kevin Henkes)

9. The Belly Button Book (and a few others by Sandra Boynton) 

Asher's favorite: That's Not my Monkey (It breaks my freaking heart when we read this-- he stares intently as I read and turn each page. On the last page he gets this GIANT grin on his face and grabs the book to touch the monkey's fluffy tummy. Turns me to mush, I tell ya.) 

So, please share: what do your babies and toddlers like to read?! 

Chats with Charlotte 6

"Mom, stay here. I go get Asher." .... 

"Hi, bud. You woke up." 

Me: "Joel, come here for a minute. Look what Charlotte has."

Charlotte: "Joel!! Come here!!" 

"I put Bear bed." (Leans back against the wall, covers herself with blankets, lifts her shirt, and holds Bear to her chest while making sucking noises.) 

"Asher, do you see that? Look out your window, Asher. It's a crane!"

"I relaxing. I stretching."

"Put Blue Rabbit bed. Blue Rabbit little. She a baby."

Me: Charlotte, come inside. It's time to eat dinner. 

Charlotte: No, Mom. I lay in grass. Look at sky little while. 

"You okay, Mom? Can I help you?"

"Uh oh! Lily fell down. Can I help you, Lily?"

" I see squirrel. Just like my squirrel. Squirrels love me!" 

Me: Charlotte, do you want a cracker?

C: No, Mom. I still licking my lollipop.

"Hear Mr. Will's truck. Be loud. I be little I drive Mr. Will's truck. Go airport. Dad sit in back, you sit in back. I drive you." 

"I nursing Blue Rabbit. Then I put him bed." 

Something exciting: Wildly Co.

I have four favorite pieces of clothing in Charlotte's wardrobe.

One is a red shirt with a white mitten state outline, which she got this past Christmas, and which reminds her (and me) of her dad's background and family in Michigan. 

The other three are from Wildly Co. 

She has a purple swing top, a blue T that says "home is wherever I'm with you," and a pair of dark skinny jeans. She wears the shirts at least once a week... more frequently if I get the laundry done in a timely manner ;) The clothing has held up amazingly well, despite frequent wearing and washing/drying. There has been no fraying, fading, or stretching. The no fading part is especially impressive considering the deep, dark purple of her swing top (see below). 

Two other great things about these pieces are their softness, and the classic design. I LOVE solid colored clothing on kids, especially now that my toddler is starting to express some opinions about what she wears. When I look at the Wildly Co. Website, I'm struck by how easy it is to mix and match their items-- all the T shirts go with all the pants, and there are limitless combinations that can be made. 

In addition to the great look and quality of the clothing, I've recently become a bit more aware of how clothing is made. The great deals that I get on the clearance rack are probably costing some person (or family!) a lot. I don't pretend to be an expert on the subject, but the fashion industry isn't one that's very impressive in terms of being transparent or holding fair labor practices. Almost every single article of clothing my family owns is made overseas. I don't know anything about the people who make our clothes, and that reality is starting to bother me. (Embarrassing, I know. I should have paid attention long ago. This isn't something I'm proud of.) 

Wildly Co. is committed to making clothing here in the United States, and to being honest about how/where each part of the process takes place. (See more here) Additionally, they place value on paying their workers a fair wage. Yes, the Wildly Co. clothing costs more than some of the items I find on the clearance rack. But that's because it costs more to have high-quality pieces produced in the U.S., and to pay the people who make those pieces enough money to actually live. 

To look at it one way, my baby currently has four hoodies. Four hoodies! For a baby! And two of them I purchased myself! If each hoodie cost between 5 and 10 dollars (on sale!), that's more money spent than just purchasing one high-quality, ethically made hoodie from Wildly Co. #perspective 

I'm sharing about Wildly Co. here for multiple reasons. First, because I respect the company's mission and practices and I LOVE the style and quality of their clothing. Second, because just this week they launched their full summer line, including a collection of amazing capsule wardrobes for kids!! (I love capsule wardrobes!!) And third, because I recently signed up to be involved in their affiliate program, so it's part of my responsibility to spread the word about how great this company is. 

Asher: eight months old

Growth/development: Asher still isn't quite crawling but he can scoot backward quickly and he loves to spin around in circles on his belly. He can go from sitting to laying on his tummy. He never stays on his back-- always immediately rolls to his belly. I remember Charlotte rolling every which way at eight months, but Asher is pretty content to hang out in one place.

He has his two bottom middle teeth now, and it seems as if a top tooth is on its way. Even with his Amber necklace, Asher has been drooling a bit this week. 

We don't have an official measurement for Asher, but he weighs about 21 pounds.

Schedule/sleep: This month Asher dropped his third nap, so we have had some hard days where he is miserably tired before bedtime. Some days he goes to bed at 6:15 pm because he's exhausted! Unfortunately, this is a vicious cycle because then he wakes up multiple times at night and then is ready for the day before 6 the next morning. 

Asher nurses 6-9 times a day, roughly every two-three hours during the daytime. He eats solids at dinner and sometimes for snacks. He's very interested in trying whatever anyone else is eating, but does NOT like to eat food when he is tired! He gets frustrated really easily and just drops it all on his tray-- poor babe! 

Asher loves: his momma, Charlotte, and his dad. He's started to show serious excitement when Joel comes home from work-- kicking, bouncing, waving his arms, and grinning the biggest grin. It's freaking adorable. 

Asher also loves being with other kids, drinking cold water from a glass, swinging C playing with non toys such as cloth, paper, whisks, running watches, toothpaste tubes, etc. He loves loves loves his stuffed monkeys and snuggles them so tightly when he goes to sleep. 

Asher doesn't like: waking up at night on his back, being left alone, being hungry or tired. 

Parenting: being Asher's mom is a total delight. Naturally, there are many challenges... The biggest being sleep deprivation. The second biggest being that he is the second child and so much of my time and energy are spent parenting Charlotte, too. I have had a lot of doubt lately about whether I'm doing a good job, or whether choices I make for him are the absolute best. 

This kid, though...? He is amazing! His sweet smiles and giggles make me think I could have a million more babies. 

We love you so much, eight month old boy!