Maggie: Four Months

Likes/Dislikes: Maggie is loving tummy time, sitting in her bumbo, being talked to and sucking on her hands. She's still not liking having her bottle taken away to burp or being over tired.

Development: We, okay Emma, got Maggie to laugh out loud giggle for the first time. You forget how amazing that sound is. It was the sweetest thing that had us all laughing and both girls with hiccups from all the laughs. Maggie's head control and just overall body control has become a lot stronger. She is SO close to rolling over that I'm actually shocked it hasn't happened yet. Grasping toys and blankets is also a new development that she enjoys. Maggie's learning to coo more and more and can't stop smiling when she does.

Sleeping: It's funny how much can change from month to month. When you think they will never outgrow something or sleep, they prove you wrong. Last month she was only napping in her rock n' play and adjusting to sleeping to her crib. This month she solely sleeps in her crib and hardly sleeps in her rock n' play anymore. We also are about two weeks in of breaking her of the swaddle. She did AWESOME with that transition. It was a struggle with Emma, but with Maggie it was an absolute breeze. She's still consistently going to bed around 7:00 p.m. and waking up once in the night. We have had a handful of nights of her sleeping through the night, which is heaven.

Eating: Maggie's eating was about the same during the month: four ounces every three to four hours with one middle of the night feeding. Since she turned four months, we have upped it to five ounces.

Family Update: Matt headed to Spain for 11 days in August and so it was just the girls and I. We did surprisingly well. Maggie was a rock star and Emma did good, but started pushing boundaries and was really missing her dad. Thank goodness my parents are down the street for help when I needed it. Football season has started and that means Matt's weekends are now spent working again. I took the girls tailgating for the first game of the season. They made it for about two hours (in 90 degree weather) before my mom took them home so I could go to the game. Both girls are doing really well for my mom and their one day a week at daycare. We are lucky to have such amazing care for them.

Maggie: Three Months

Likes/Dislikes: Maggie likes watching ceiling fans, putting her hands in her mouth and kicking her legs. Dislikes are tummy time and having her bottle taken away to burp.

Development: This past month Maggie has really found her hands and loves to chew on them or bringing a blanket up to her mouth to chew. She's also found her voice and "talks" to you. I love the little coos of her voice. When she's real excited, she kicks her legs and big sister Emma finds this so funny. She socially smiles back to you if you smile at her. It is the best!

Sleeping: Naps are going well in her rock n' play, but terrible in her crib. Not sure why she can sleep in it at night but only 30-40 minute stretches for naps. To be sure she gets some solid sleep, we put her in the rock n' play for naps. She seems to be getting too tall for it, so we know that we won't be able to rely on that much longer. Maggie's wall has officially been "hit" at the end of the day between 6:45-7:00 p.m. Once it is hit, she lets us know. We quickly change and swaddle her, give her a bottle and rock her to sleep. It takes just a few minutes after her bottle before she is out cold. She then sleeps (in her crib!!) until around 3:00 a.m., eats and goes back to bed. The second stretch is harder for her to sleep in her crib for too long, so usually ends up in the rock n' play before waking up for the day between 6:15-7:00 a.m.

Eating: She's eating really well and still taking four ounces every three hour with the last bottle of the day between 6:45-7:15 p.m. Her reflux seems to really be under control with just mild spitting up and overall more content with feedings.

Family update: We have been busy! I started back to work full time on July 30 and we are really getting into a groove. Last month I shared that we were switching daycares, but after a second visit to the home before the girls started, something still wasn't feeling right and I was unsure. I then contacted Amanda, who watched Emma when my mom was out for 12 weeks last fall, to see if there was any chance she would have an opening for one day a week. Low and behold a couple days prior a family told her they were leaving and Amanda wasn't going to fill it. She and her family know/love Emma and know how well she fit in with the group, and agreed to take on Maggie and Emma on Fridays! I seriously cried tears of joy. Amanda and her family are fantastic and I am elated to know our girls will be in her care. They have had one day there and did really well. She said they were both joys :)

Celebrating Emma {Twice}

Lucky girl Emma got to celebrate her birthday not once, but twice!

Her first celebration took place a couple weeks early while we were in Minnesota. We had Matt's family over to his parents for dinner, cake and presents. It's fun watching her open gifts now, she gets so excited showing us what she got. She was equally excited being sung to and her Bubble Guppies cake that grandma and grandpa Shoultz bought for her.

We celebrated Emma's 2nd birthday all weekend a few weeks after the first celebration. That Friday she had a special lunch outing with just mommy and daddy to Panchero's and on Saturday we went to Dairy Queen with Nana and Papa. On her actual birthday, daddy went and got her a sprinkled donut (that she wanted cut up to eat with a fork) and chocolate milk. She was on a sugar rush.

It was a beautiful, hot day that we spent outside running through her new sprinkler and playing her pool. She loves water and being outside, so the sprinkler was the perfect present.

We ended her birthday with Nana, Papa and aunt Alaina joining us for dinner (a taco bar), cake and presents. Nana made her Bubble Guppies "Molly" cake. Again, blown away with how talented she is. Emma loved it and knew exactly who was on the cake. The highlight of the weekend was us singing "Happy Birthday" to Emma. She lit up. Like was genuinely tickled and touched that we were singing to her. In fact, she was so excited that it looked as if there were tears welling up in her eyes. We all agreed that moment and her expression will forever be a permanent memory of her. Emma was a lucky little girl and received her first American Girl "Bity Baby" from Nana and Papa. Matt and I ended the day by writing notes to Emma in a journal we started last year on her birthday. It was a great way to reflect on the past year of her life.

It truly was a wonderful month celebrating our sweet little girl. I can't believe she is already two! I feel like I blinked and she is now becoming more and more of a little girl and not a baby anymore. 

Emma: Two

Eating: Emma's favorite meal of the day is still breakfast. The girl can inhale her breakfast food and even asks for seconds and thirds. She's also quite the grazer throughout the day - loves to snack. If she had it her way, she would have a snack cup filled at all times. She is also obsessed with cookies and asks for one at least twenty times a day. Lunch and dinner she kind of picks around, but does a pretty decent job. Is not a fan of sandwiches. Usually have to bribe her to take a few bites.

Sleeping: Still taking one nap that is usually two to three hours in length. Going to bed around 7:30 and either falls right to sleep or takes 45 minutes to fall asleep. Either way, she is so good with bedtime and usually says "okay" when we tell her it is time for bed. She is stalling though and wanting lots of books read, prayers, multiple drinks of water and lots of kisses. Good thing she is so cute that we usually don't mind :)

Development: At Emma's two year check up, she weighed in at 25 pounds 6 ounces (33rd percentile) and 35.5 inches (93rd percentile) in length. Since my last post when I thought Emma wasn't learning more in the talking department, she has taken off big time. Learning new words daily and repeating more after everyone. I can't believe I was ever concerned on that, how silly.

She's becoming more coordinated and likes to walk up and down stairs like an adult and can kind of throw a ball/catch it. She's also good at putting together puzzles. Now if only we could get her to learn numbers (other than one and two), colors and her name.

Likes/Dislikes: Her dislikes are pretty typical for her age: when she doesn't get what she wants. Ha. She has perfected the fake cry and whining. If we cave in, she usually does this evil-ish laugh that is kind of her way of saying "Haha, you suckers!".

Emma LOVES playing kitchen, like seriously does it all day long. She pretends makes food for everyone and acts like she washes her hands/dishes. She's also still loving on her baby dolls and being very motherly. She feeds them, burps them and walks around the house "ssshhhing" them to sleep. It's absolutely adorable.

Emma's {Almost} Two Year Pictures

We had one of Alaina's good friends take Emma's two year pictures. Lauren is just starting out and going to school for photography/design and wanted to build her portfolio. While I warned her that nothing will be posed because we have a busy girl on our hands, she was all game and captured Emma's personality perfectly: silly and sweet.

4th of July

Swimming pool. Ice cream. Grilling. Can't get much more patriotic than that, right?

Maggie: Two Months

Two months young and starting to show us glimpses into her personality!

Likes and Dislikes: Maggie is loving baths now that she is big enough to sit in the mesh bath seat. Also likes laying on her play mat, listening to daddy read books to her and Emma and watching the projector on her ceiling at night. For the most part, she doesn't mind so far the constant kisses from her big sister or being Emma's patient so she can use her doctor kit ;) She's not liking when she needs to poop and lets us know it or when she has to go to bed for the night.

Development: Our serious, chill girl finally gave us a smile, and boy is it sweet. Though they are few and far between, we soak them up whenever we can. Maggie always looks so serious and chilled out, it's like she is just sitting back watching life happen and soaking it in. That, or she's looking at her sister and parents thinking "You guys are nuts"! As far as a health development, Maggie was finally diagnosed with reflux. She was spitting up large amounts at least 15-20 times a day and though she seemed okay for the most part, there were times it really seemed to bother her. She's now on Zantac twice a day and seems to be doing good so far. She's also 25 inches in length (100th percentile) and 14 pounds and 4.5 ounces (95th percentile). But put her weight and height together for her age, Dr. Patten said she is actually in the 45th percentile.

Eating: She is drinking four ounces of formula every three to four hours with her last feeding of the day around 7:30 p.m. before bedtime. After trying regular formula, we switched to gentle for her tummy and it has been night and day difference.

Sleeping: Maggie is still sleeping in a rock n' play in her room. She takes four naps during the day with a catnap at some point and another in the evening and then two longer naps typically in the morning and afternoon. She's going to bed between 8:00-9:00 p.m. and waking up between 11:30-1:30 and again between 3:30-5:00 a.m. Her night sleep stretches are usually three to four hours, but this week she gave us TWO nights in a row with a six hour stretch and only one night feeding. It was glorious and I can't wait for another night like that!

Family transition/life update: We are doing well as a family of four and it seems like we are slowly getting into a groove. This groove will really start/adjust as I start back to work in a couple of weeks. We made the hard decision to switch daycares from Victoria's to a new in-home starting in August. We LOVED Victoria and her family and I cried many times about switching, but we wanted somewhere with kids the girls age and a little closer to home. Michele has an early childhood development degree and has spent the last several years working at a daycare center. Though we will especially miss the Smith family, we are looking forward to Emma (and Maggie) having others their age and going through similar things development wise.