Ridley Eloise - Five Months

Ridley Eloise officially turned five months old today! She is the light of our lives and the happiest little bundle of joy that I ever met. Between turning four and five months, she truly has changed so much...it's amazing. 

Ridley is wearing size 0-3 month clothing, which she will be in for a while longer as some items are still baggy on her. She is also wearing size one diapers. She is a little nugget but I almost love that she is staying little for so long. She's precious! 

This month has been huge for milestones. She is laughing! She laughs at funny noises, funny faces, and when we tickle her belly or neck. She gives away her smiles so easily now too which is adorable and she is also babbling and squealing more often. She just started getting up on her hands and knees and pushes her legs forward so we expecting that she will crawl within the next couple months. She can actually sit up unassisted for a few seconds too! She has never really done the tripod sit since her arms are so short but she can actually sit there regardless which is impressive. We are still using her Bumbo throughout the day. Her favorite activity is rolling around on the ground. She goes from one end of the living room to the other in seconds...she's quick! 

She is taking around five ounces per feeding every two and a half to three hours. She tries so hard to hold her bottle and can hold the four ounce Dr. Brown's on her own but needs help with the big eight ounce bottles. 

Her favorite things include: Sophie the giraffe, her bunny chew toy, her brother Lachlan, mommy, daddy, spending Monday's with Gigi, playing at the pool, taking long naps in the afternoon and being sung to. She is absolutely the cutest baby ever! We love her so incredibly much. 

Favorite

One fact about Lachlan is that he has a favorite blanket. It is a blue soft blanket with turtles on it that we have had since he was born. He even calls it favorite! It has two turtles and two fish on the front. Lachlan always tells us that mommy and daddy are the turtles and he and Ridley are the two little fish. He never sleeps without it and he carries it around with him. It's so special to him! 

This evening Ridley fell asleep randomly while playing on her activity mat. Lachlan saw that she had fallen asleep and ran to get favorite and brought it to cover her up with. He tucked her in and left favorite there without us even mentioning it to him. This was really incredible to witness because this was truly a selfless act by my three year old. Anyone that knows Lachlan knows how serious he is about this blanket...he gets upset if we even touch it. Ridley really must be special to him for him to do that. 

As Lachlan and Ridley grow up, I hope that he continues to love and care for her as fiercely as he does now. He makes me realize that we have done something right in parenting him because of the way that he treats her. They are both such amazing little people! 

Lachlan's Life Lessons

Tuesdays are my day home with the kiddos. I take this day off in exchange for three short hours in the office early on Saturday morning...I think it's a fair trade off. This particular Tuesday was the day after Ridley had her four month shots which caused her to be extra cranky and she really didn't want to nap or even relax at all. Lachlan woke up and immediately came down the stairs ready for the day. Lachlan's life motto is "The sun is out so there is no resting!" He loves to remind of us this each morning. Ridley had just fallen asleep and I was just hoping he wouldn't disturb her and wake her up. I was too nervous to move her upstairs to her crib where I could guarantee that it would be quite so I let her sleep in her bouncer downstairs. Lachlan was starting running around and talking loudly in the living room and I asked him to sit down and use an inside voice so Ridley could rest. I found myself getting annoyed that he was being so loud when all I wanted was for my fussy baby to nap for half an hour. He ended up waking her up and while I was going to pick her up to try and console her, he sat down and had a really sad face. I asked him what was wrong and he told me, "I was just trying to be funny because I thought I could make you laugh but I wasn't funny and I woke up sissy." My heart sank and I just hugged him in the tightest hug possible and told him that he ALWAYS makes me laugh. I love my sweet funny boy so much and that entire morning I was so mad at myself for getting annoyed when he was just trying to make ME laugh. He is the very best part of me! 

He asked me to take this picture to show him as a super hero! He's hilarious! 

Lachlan Winston, my best boy.

It is difficult for me to put into words what exactly makes Lachlan, well Lachlan. He is so charming, energetic, intelligent, and loveable. He may actually be the very best part of me and I am constantly thankful to have him and his little sister as my children - they are so amazing! 

I started this blog a couple months ago to write about my little family and to serve as somewhat of a digital scrapbook of my children. I find myself yearning to keep Lachlan small as I see him growing so quickly. It is incredibly bittersweet for me to see hear the things he knows and to see the things he does. He is growing up so fast...

Lachlan has the sweetest voice when he speaks to his sister. My heart bursts when he says "My baby is sleeping over there. She is so sweeeet!" And when he says, "Ridley is my best girl." He just loves her so much and it is one of his best qualities - he has the biggest heart! 

One hilarious thing about Lachlan is that he does not understand family relationships. For instance, he will call me his brother and he calls his cousins his grandchildren. He even calls Ridley his husband. It makes me laugh and reminds me just how little, at age three, he really is.

Lachlan is a really good story teller. Recently, he has been telling us the story of how the moon was formed. He is actually really accurate and knows the facts, too. He loves to tell the story about how Ridley was born and he will say, "Dr. Wozniak had to catch her when she popped out." He actually never stops talking for more than a couple minutes but his stories are really impressive. He is so incredibly smart! 

Kyle and I have always said how well Lachlan fits our family. He has characteristics from each of us that makes him a perfect little person. Lachlan inspires, loves, and entertains me every single day and I couldn't ask for better. 

Ridley Eloise - Three & Four Month Update

The third and fourth months with Ridley have been amazing! She grew out of the sleepy newborn baby phase and into a baby girl with so much sass and personality. It has been incredible watching her grow and change so much in the last two months. 

Ridley will officially be four months on Monday and she is wearing size one diapers and mostly size 0-3 month clothes but with some size newborn mixed in. Although she is still very petite, the hubs and I have so much fun talking about how she has gotten too tall for some outfits. 

Ridley is eating 4-5 ounces each feeding. She can be difficult during some of her feedings so it seems like she has some problems with reflux like her brother did as a baby. Overall, she really doesn't puke much at all. She does spit up quite a bit but nothing that I am concerned with. 

She can now roll over from back to front and front to back pretty easily. She started this process during the second month so I may have mentioned that in her last update but regardless, I want to remember everything she does these days. She smiles all the time now too - no laughing just yet but we are oh so close! She cries with her lower lip out which is so precious. She grabs onto everything and holds on her giraffe teether throughout the day to chew on. She has already pulled my hair once too...ouch! She loves being held and rocked to sleep. 

Speaking of sleeping, she sleeps through the night which is pretty amazing! Our schedule right now is that we feed her around 6 PM and she normally falls asleep after that feeding then we feed her again at 9 PM, before we go to bed, and then she will sleep the entire night until around 6 AM. She's such a rockstar! 

We just love our petite princess so incredibly much! I am so blessed to have been able to give Lachlan a sibling and I know that he loves her more than anything. Their relationship has been one of the best things to experience. It seems so unreal that we have spent four months with this little girl but she has been able to make our lives exponentially better during that time. 

Fourth of July

The Fourth of July has always been one of my favorite holidays. Between the parade, the family cookout, and the fireworks; I just can't get enough! This year was no exception and was actually a bit more fun because we celebrated as a family of four and it couldn't have been more perfect. We actually started celebrating on July 3rd, which is when Rantoul does their fireworks. It was chilly out that day but we totally underestimated how chilly it would be. Luckily, we brought a bunch of blankets and sat all bundled up surrounded by my family. Lachlan got to run around with his cousins before it got dark out and he loved his freedom! The firework show was somewhat of a disappointment: only lasting about fifteen minutes but it was so cold by this point that we really didn't mind.

After the fireworks we headed home and got the kids put down for bed. Ridley was already asleep in the car on the way home so that part wasn't too difficult at all. Kyle and I stayed up and prepped for the next day by making a dip that we were bringing to the cookout and getting french toast casserole in the crockpot for breakfast. We woke up pretty early on the 4th and headed over to my mom's for my french toast casserole and bacon...so yummy! Afterwards, we walked down to the parade and met up with the rest of my family. This was the best parade Rantoul has had in YEARS! It was nice and long and very enjoyable. The weather was perfect so that helped, also. Lachlan loved every second of collecting candy and even brought his drum to play along with the band. I swear this boy is so cute! 

That afternoon we headed over to my aunt's house for a family BBQ. We made homemade macaroni and cheese which turned out so good! After the cookout we headed home for a quick nap before heading out to the Champaign Urbana fireworks at Memorial Stadium, just us and the kids. We brought our blankets to lay out in the grass and bought some Krazy Korn (mix of cheese, caramel, and kettle popcorn) and just enjoyed the event. They had a band playing and were selling glow sticks and swords, which of course Lachlan got. The firework show itself was really great this year! They played patriotic music and had the fireworks going off with the music which was really cool. Ridley stayed up through his entire show. I think both kids were pretty amazed! This was the perfect way to celebrate the fourth. 

The next day was back to work for me for a couple hours so I was back to reality pretty quickly but that night we continued our weekend of fun by playing with sparklers and eating s'mores out on the patio.

 I hope you all had a great holiday! I am so proud to be an American and to be able to celebrate such an amazing day. 

My first day back // A weekend in review

Well, today was my first day back to work. It wasn't nearly as bad as I imagined. I was sad to be away from home but my coworkers are all super sweet and made me realize why I love my job. I am glad, however, to have tomorrow off work to spend the day with my babies. We will have so much fun! Kyle sent me pictures of the kids while I was at work and my favorite was this one of Miss Ridley. Apparently she loved holding her Sophie all day long! 

This weekend was a lot of fun even though it flew by, like always. On Saturday we had a play date with Lachlan and Ridley's friends. They each had a friend that was their age. The big boys didn't get along very well the whole time but the babies loved being together! They are so cute. 

On Sunday Kyle took Lachlan to play at the splash park while my mom, Ridley and I went to the outlet mall. I have officially finished Rid's 0-3 month wardrobe thanks to some awesome sales at Carter's. I also got an adorable wallet from Coach and some new work clothes. We also found some cute new headbands for Rid, which she loved modeling. 

We finished off the weekend by relaxing at home while it stormed. I am really looking forward to this weekend because we are going to try to head to the dunes for some sun and sand as long as the weather is nice. 

Quick Update // Mommy Guilt

Well guys, it has been while since I have stopped in here to say hello. As of late, we have been enjoying the little time I have left on maternity leave as a family. We made a trip down to Nashville to spend time with Kyle's family and it was a nice little getaway. I head back to work this Monday and to say that I am dreading it is a serious understatement. I am thankful to have a job and to be working in banking which is truly something I love but the thought of leaving my babies each day is almost too much. Right now, I am feeling serious mommy guilt. I know that things will be fine here because my husband is going to part time so he will be home with the kids most days and I will be off on Tuesdays so that gives me am extra day home...regardless, leaving them all day is the last thing I want to do. On a happier note, we are almost ready to transition miss Ridley into 0-3 month clothes which is super exciting!

So for now, here's to the weekends and be on the lookout for new posts as I am currently brainstorming new topics! :) Also, enjoy a quick "photo dump" of my favorite people...

Ridley Eloise - Two Month Update

Miss Ridley officially turned two months old as of yesterday! It seems impossible that she can be growing so fast. She is doing new things every single day and continues to amaze us! 

Ridley is still a little nugget weighing in at just 8 lb 1 oz and at 20 3/4 in long. She is still below the fifth percentile for height and weight but she is growing at a really good rate so we are happy. She is still wearing newborn size diapers and is now able to wear pretty much all her newborn size clothes. We just try to stick with outfits that get reviews of running small. ;) Her tiny little feet are still too small for size 0 shoes but I am anxiously awaiting the day she can fit into her little baby sandals! 

                

She is taking 3 ounces of formula at each feeding. She actually takes a little bit less than that overnight so we are thinking it won't be long until she will want to sleep much longer stretches without waking up to eat. She actually does sleep pretty well and on most nights will sleep from 10:30 or 11:00 PM until 3:30 AM so I can't complain about that! 

She actually got her first cold last week and we were really worried about her. She picked up a virus that her brother had gotten Easter weekend but she was barely eating and with her small feeding amounts we really can't have her eating any less. She was having a hard time breathing so we took her in for a visit with her pediatrician. We were on the verge of being admitted due to her becoming dehydrated and her oxygen levels below 100% but she decided that it would be best to support Ridley at home to keep her away from the germs in the hospital. I ended up staying up most of the nights with her to make sure that she was breathing fine and suctioning out her nose. Thankfully now she is back to normal and eating fine...I'm praying she doesn't get sick again anytime soon! 

                  

Over the last couples weeks Ridley has started smiling more especially when I talk to her. As soon as I whip out my phone to get a picture though she stops smiling which is a bummer! She also has amazing head control and can sit in her Bumbo seat for a long period of time now. This morning she was able to sit up while we read around 4-5 books. She also started cooing and making sweet little noises over the last couple days also which is the cutest thing I have ever heard! I forgot how sweet baby sounds are. 

                     

Recently her favorite things are the owl that plays music on her play seat and her brother, Lachlan. He always talks to her in this sweet little voice and she smiles the biggest at him. I love that they are so good together! So also still loves being held at all times and I am more than happy to snuggle with her. 

I am so happy that I have been home with her each day to experience all the new things she does and just be able to be with her all day long. By the time she turns three months old, I will be back to work which is unimaginable to me right now. I can't wait to see what this next month holds and am excited that I still have a few weeks at home. I absolutely love my sweet girl and her awesome brother! 

Summer Bucketlist: Toddler Edition

I am so excited for this summer with my kids, especially Lachlan. At three years old, he can be so much fun and has endless amounts of energy. He is so inquisitive and always asking great questions. Winters in Illinois are brutal and really limit the amount of activities we can do. He loves to be outdoors so those activities are his favorite! I have made a list of activities that I want to do with him by the end of summer. Some may be simple and already included in our daily activities whereas other are more complex and new but this will help set the tone the amount of fun we will have as a family over the next couple months and hopefully give you ideas for fun things to do with your toddlers as well.

1. Blow bubbles
2. Draw with chalk
3. Go to Jarling's Custard Cup
4. Walk down the new bike path to Gigi's house
5. Play at a new park
6. Take swimming lessons
7. Catch a firefly at night
8. Make s'mores
9. Play with sparklers
10. Play with water guns
11. Spend the day at a beach
12. Fly a kite
13. Take a trip out of state
14. Eat at a new restaurant
15. Go to see a movie
16. Watch fireworks
17. Play with a water table
18. Go swimming at the pool
19. Plant flowers
20. Visit a zoo

These are the first twenty activities on our summer bucketlist. I plan on adding new and fun activities to this list each week. Feel free to leave suggestions for a fun summer activities that you plan to do with your child(ren) so that Lachlan and I can add them to our list as well. Here's to a fun-filled summer of 2014!

Our Weekend in Review - Mother's Day Weekend

I am almost certain that every Sunday night I sit and think that our weekend went by way too fast. With Kyle working during the week, we try to squeeze as much into our weekends as possible. I love our time as a family of four but it always feels like we are on the go. After a busy weekend like the one we just had, I am thankful to still be home with my babies this week and that means that we will *fingers crossed* have a nice relaxing day at home tomorrow with no big plans or places to be.

Our weekend actually started on Thursday this week, as Kyle had the entire day off of work. We started off relaxing on Thursday morning and I actually got to sleep in for a few hours. We even got Chinese takeout, Lachlan's favorite, for lunch. That afternoon, we attended a ceremony for my mom who was getting inducted into Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. We are so incredibly proud of her accomplishment! During the ceremony, Ridley slept and we were armed with snacks and books which kept Lachlan still. Lachlan found another fun activity to keep himself entertained which was repeating the names of those called during the ceremony - it was pretty funny! After the ceremony and reception, we went out to dinner to celebrate. 

On Friday, Kyle actually headed into work for the day so the kids and I were on our own. We headed into town that afternoon to run some errands before Kyle got off work. We made a stop into Toys R Us and Lachlan got a new water table to play with outside. He was so excited! After we picked up Kyle from work, we managed a quick Target run before heading home. I picked up the cutest sandals while we were there! Once we got home, Lachlan and I made homemade individual pizzas. I decided to let him try it all by himself and his pizza turned out really great! I am so proud of his independence.

Saturday morning we were outside bright and early so Lachlan could try out his new water table. We even ate our breakfast outside on our back patio while he played. It was a little chillier than ideal but really sunny so it was nice to be outside and enjoying the weather. The new water table kept Lachlan entertained for about an hour straight, which is like three hours in toddler time.

Saturday afternoon, we attended my mom's graduation. Although she finished classes a couple months ago, this was her official graduation ceremony. Ridley slept throughout most of this ceremony as well and Lachlan was a terror but we managed to make it through with the help of fun snacks and a couple toys. My mom graduated with a Masters of Science in Nursing. Again, we couldn't be more proud of her! After graduation, we went for dinner with our entire family at the Beef House Restaurant in Indiana. Such good rolls! We ended up getting home pretty late and headed to bed immediately. After a long day of driving, trying to keep a toddler entertained and keeping up with Ridley's feeding schedule - we were tired! 

Today was Mother's Day! It's so crazy to me that this was my fourth Mother's Day, although it was only my first Mother's Day as a momma of two. Sweet Ridley sure did made it more fun! She has started smiling at me more and it's the most amazing thing ever! We had a pretty lowkey day - we went to breakfast, played at the park, did some shopping and then got Mexican food for dinner tonight. I am so thankful to have spent the day with my sweet little family!
 
Overall, our weekend was busy but so much fun! I am so glad we got to attend the different ceremonies for my mom and celebrate her amazing accomplishments. Lastly, I am wishing all the mommas, soon-to-be mommas, and hopeful to one-day-be mommas out there a very happy Mother's Day! I am so glad to have the next five days home with my babies but am also looking forward to next weekend when we get two days with their daddy at home!

It's The Little Things

Hello!! Today I am linking up with Ashley from Words About Waverly for an "It's the Little Things" post. I have been following this series from week one and thought it would be fun to participate this week. Following the approach that she did this time, I thought it would be interesting to also share some random facts about myself.

I met my husband, Kyle, when I was in just seventh grade. We dated all throughout high school and got married on November 21, 2011. Marrying him is the best decision I have ever made. He's the best daddy to our children and works so hard for our family. I really love him!

I currently work as a personal banker and really love my job. Although I would love to be home with Lach and Ridley everyday, I love what I do and feeling like I truly contribute to my family. I have a lot of responsibility in my position and always feel like that pushes me to do my best. I am also extremely lucky to have wonderful co-workers AND my own office! Although it's so sad that I have only one more month left home on maternity leave with my little nuggets, I am so lucky to be going back to a job that I actually enjoy doing.

I am extremely close with my mom. I love that we live within about three minutes of each other and I talk to her every single day. She's so amazing and does so much for me. Plus I know she reads my blog, which I love!

My husband and I love watching tv. Once Lachlan goes to bed for the night, we almost always have a show to watch. It's our way to unwind after a difficult day. We currently love The Following, Chopped and House. We just finished watching all the seasons of The 4400 on Netflix which was really good too!

We currently reside in central Illinois but ultimately want to end up in Tampa, Florida! It's been our dream for years to live close to the beach and to live in a bigger city. Plus it would be nice to get away from Illinois winters. We love vacationing in/near Tampa too and I cannot wait to go back!

Last but not least, I love my babies! I am so obsessed with Lachlan and Ridley. Lachlan is a charmer and a ball of energy! I get worn out just watching him because he is constantly running but he's also very loving and sweet. Ridley is the sweetest cuddler and I love seeing her personality come through more and more each day. Lachlan holding or feeding his baby sister just melts my heart and I really hope they have a good relationship growing up!

Thank you to Ashley for starting this link up! So much fun to read and participate in! I'll definitely be back for week fifteen.

Weekend Recap

Happy Monday, everyone! This weekend flew by so quickly! It's funny because while I am working I dread Mondays because it's the start of a long work week but now even being on maternity leave I still dread Mondays because it means Kyle has to head back to work after having him home for two days in a row. It's such a bummer!

This weekend started on Saturday with my sister-in-law's baby shower. My mom came over to watch the kids which was amazing because they were much happier being home with her. Anyway, it was such a nice shower and I was so happy to be able to attend and celebrate my future niece and her momma! After the shower, we went to dinner with Kyle's brothers and both of their wives. We had such a good time! We don't live close to either of them but we always have so much fun when we get together. I just wish it could be more often! Here is a picture of the six of us.

After being up with a fussy baby most of Saturday night, the hubs took care of the kids in the morning so I could get a few hours of much needed sleep. Sunday afternoon we headed over to my grandparent's house to visit. My mom and brother came with too so we had a really good time! We ordered pizza for dinner and played a few rounds of Scrabble while Lachlan ran around like a wild man and everyone got to snuggle with Ridley including her great-grandad that has never held her before. I'm so glad we got a picture!

This entire weekend was so much fun and spent entirely with family which made it better. I just wished it could have lasted longer!

Newborn Favorites

There are so many things you need for taking care of a newborn baby. From the crib, to the car seat, to all the clothes - it seems like SO much. I have complied a list of my most favorite products for newborn use...things I could not live without. Also, these are all Ridley approved so you can be sure your baby will love these too. 

First, Dr. Brown bottles. The first time around we used Avent bottles. These worked out great for Lachlan and we never bought another brand. Ridley was more difficult to feed and we had to try a few different kinds to find the ones she would eat best from. We ended up getting a pack of Dr. Brown bottles from Target (which happened to come in pink) and Ridley really took to them. I was hesitant about these bottles because they have extra parts which is essential for keeping extra air from going into baby's tummy. I think this helps keep Ridley happy...which keeps us all happy! I would say these bottles are definitely essential because to this day, Ridley still won't eat from another brand of bottles. You can purchase these bottles here.

Related to feeding, I love our Aden + Anais bibs. We have ones that can over your shoulder as a burp cloth but also have a snap in the back to put on like a bib. We only put these on Ridley while she eats to keep her outfits nice because she doesn't drool yet an has no need to wear a bib at other times. I think that these are nice because they are so absorbent and keep formula from getting on her and the material is so soft. These actually get softer as you wash them and it is important to me because I know it's not uncomfortable for her to wear. These are awesome in place of standard burp cloths that are just a rectangle of fabric. You can purchase these bibs here.

Next on my list are swaddlers. We got a pack of Swaddle Me swaddlers as a gift when I was expecting. We use these daily and I don't think Ridley would ever want to go without. These can be bought in different fabrics but we have the cotton ones which are nice since it's getting warmer in Illinois this time of year so it ensures that she does not get too hot. A microfleece option is also available if that is something you would want for extra warmth. These work by always giving the perfect tight swaddle. My husband is gifted with being able to create the perfect swaddle with any blanket but I am not as gifted so these are an essential for me. These can be bought anywhere that sells baby items including Wal-Mart, Target and Babies 'R' Us. You can also purchase online here.

Along with using swaddlers to ensure that Ridley sleeps well, we also use a Fisher Price Rock 'N' Play for her to sleep in at night. We use this in place of a traditional bassinet. I love this because it folds up and doesn't take up much space at all. It also vibrates which many babies like. For Lachlan we did have the traditional bassinet but I just find that the Rock 'N' Play is an improved and modern version of a bassinet and Ridley sleep great in hers! You can purchase a Rock 'N' play online here.

There are so many varying opinions on the next product. For Ridley we use Pampers Swaddlers. We have always been faithful to Pampers and never had any leaking or blow outs. These diapers are extremely soft and absorbent. We do change Ridley every three hours as she doesn't sleep through the night so we haven't tried them for a longer period of time yet. I think it's important to find the diaper that works best with your baby. For both our babies we have always had luck with Pampers so for me the Pampers Swaddlers are definitely a necessary item for sweet newborns. Diapers can be purchased almost anywhere but I love ordering from diapers.com because they always have amazing coupons and offer free 2-day shipping on all orders $49+. You can purchase these diapers online here.

Although there are so many products that we love for our sweet new baby, I would say that these products are definitely my top five favorites. I consider all to be essentials and believe that these are Ridley's favorites too. I do really enjoy dressing her up in little outfits with matching headbands but figured her outfits could be for it's own post. Hopefully you found this helpful! I will now leave you with a picture of my sweet girl from earlier today...