Ellia's 2 Months

How are you possibly 2 months, sweet E??  It feels like just yesterday we were bringing you home from the hospital!  We love you more every day little lady!  Thank you for being a light in our lives!

I couldn't wait to photograph Ellia in one of my baby gowns;

These pictures are something I'll treasure forever! 

Love her to pieces :) 

Weight: I will have to confirm this at our appointment next  wed. but Ellia is about 8 lbs on our scale! 

Height: will update after appointment

Clothing size: NB 

Diaper size: NB

Feeding: Breast feeding.  I'm literally a milk machine.  We've also been supplementing Nutramigen when Ellia's tummy pain is really bad.  Everything upsets her poor tummy and a bottle or two of Nutramigen gives both her and us some relief :)  You're eating 2-3 oz now every 2-3 hours.

Milestones:  
-You are SMILING!  I've captured a few smirks on the camera & I cannot wait to finally capture your sweet smile!

-You're also cooing and you just have the sweetest little voice :)  I love our morning conversations.
-You're holding your head up like a champ and also grabbing for toys while you lay in your play gym
-Sleeping through the night was wishful thinking... You may have done it a few times during your first month, but you sure aren't doing it now, stinker!  Luckily we get a 5-6 hour stretch where you sleep soundly.  It's generally from 9pm-2am & then you're up every 2-4 hours.  

Loves: Being held (especially in our ktan baby carrier) snuggles while you nap & being swaddled tighter than a bursting chipotle burrito (something you and your brother have in common :))

Mommy loves dressing you up for pictures and luckily, you don't seem to mind :) 

Dislikes: If you didn't get terrible tummy pain, you would be one content little lady! You'll be snuggled up, sleeping soundly & will burst into tears because of your tummy troubles.  It's absolutely heart breaking!  You're also not a fan of being 'alone'.  If you're awake, you want to be held or be able to see me sitting next to you.  Unless you're sleeping, your not a fan of being left in the mamaroo.

Adventures: You've celebrated your first Christmas (you were the star of our party) and your first New Years!

Mommy and Daddy could not get through the month without: Nutramigen.  So expensive, but so worth it.  The bouncer, mamaroo, triple paste, and aden + anais easy swaddles have been my top picks this month. 

Beckett's 16 & 18 month updates :)

18 Months

Age: 18 Months!

Stats: ALMOST 22 lbs ;)  

Clothes: 12-18 months and a few 18-24 

Favorite Foods: Meatballs, banana's, and you've become as obsessed with waffles as I am!  Smart boy :) 

Favorite Words: Hello, Dada, Lola, Ellia (which sounds like Elyah lol)  You will say other words, but only on your time, you refuse to repeat something after you've said it, stubborn much?  Oh yeah, and you still will only yell mom or mama over the baby monitor, NEVER to my face, it's making me crazy! 

Favorite Activities: Building with blocks, vrooming your cars around, reading, organizing mommy and daddy's bath products in the shower, organizing the water bottle cabinet, chasing the dogs, and playing in your play room :)  Daddy installed a video camera in the playroom, so now you can play in there all by yourself while I feed Ellia.  You absolutely love the independence & I love the peace and quiet during feeding time ;)

Least Favorite Activities: Having your diaper changed... You throw a fit 9/10 diaper changes.  You're far too busy... ain't nobody got time for that ;)

Favorite Things: Your blocks, car toys, Cars the movie (you bring the case to me asking to watch it at least once a day), dance parties with Daddy in the bathroom, bath time, your teepee, & giving kisses (which is one of my favorite things)

Signature Moves: You like answering other peoples phones, you've answered grammies a few times and had some lengthy conversations with her friends haha

You love to give hugs and kisses!

You have some of the cutest dance moves I've ever seen.  You can't help but bust a move if there's music on!

You're still obsessed with your paci clip... Something about it is so comforting to you :) 

Mom's 'Proudest' Moment: I seem to be forgetting diaper bag essentials on just about every outing we make... Whether it be forgetting your sippy, paci, diapers or wipes, there always seems to be something missing!  Let's blame it on pregnancy brain ;) 

Dad's 'Proudest' Moment: Daddy showed you feeding the dogs...  Now we have to kennel them during dinner time, otherwise, you take it upon yourself to feed them a second dinner!

Other Milestones: You learned how to climb up to the window sill in the family room... We have Lola to thank for that!

16 Months
Little Beckett Bean you are the light of my life.  Your sweet little giggle and your precious little grin are just a few of the things that make me smile from day to day :)  I can't help but take a few minutes every night before you go to bed to just hold you.  The last few nights you've let me rock you just like how I did when you were itty bitty and words can't describe what it means to me.

The highlight of your day, every day, is when daddy get home.  You cannot wait to wrap your little arms around his neck :)  It is, in fact the sweetest thing I have ever witnessed!  Lately, you and daddy work on learning your letters for about 30 minutes a night and I truly think it is your favorite part of the day!

You're so independent for a little guy, you want to do EVERYTHING on your own.  It's made for a few power struggles, but nothing we're not able to work through :)

You also love your animals!  The dogs never fail to put a smile on your face and I can't help but laugh when you laugh at their silly behavior!  I love seeing that our dogs bring as much joy to you as they do to me :)  You are also a huge fan of Grandma Jojo's kitty.  You just love to snuggle up and rub your face in her fur :)

Beckett bean, in just 2 short months you're going to be a big brother!  And we just know that sweet baby Ellia has the best brother out there :)  We love you baby boy!

Age: 16 Months!

Stats: 21ish lbs  You're a little guy :)

Clothes: 12-18 months

Favorite Foods: FRUIT.  BANANA, watermelon, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are you all tim favs.  You also love waffles, just like your mama and never turn down a bowl of cherrios with yogurt.  You also like green beans, sweet potatoes, any kind of meat and when you're teething you can't get enough popsicles!  They're your favorite :) 

Favorite Words: Hello takes the cake!  You say 'heh-woh' about a million times a day :)  That and 'bubble'... I'm not sure how that became a favorite, but if you're speaking, chances are you saying Heh-woh or bubble, which really sounds more like babble ;)

Favorite Activities: Climbing EVERYTHING.   Throwing stuff, chasing the dogs around in circles, talking on the phone (and you use just about everything you own as a phone... from a book to a block) 

Least Favorite Activities: We have established the word 'NO' and you hate to hear it.  It sends you into a toddler sized tantrum, which is far from enjoyable.  One morning you decided you didn't want your socks and shoes on, so you screamed for 25 minutes straight.  I'm fairly certain you forgot why you were mad and ended up crying just because you knew you were mad about something.  Hoping these incidents become less frequent!  We know our reactions to these outbursts will shape your future behavior, so we are doing our best to keep our calm :)  

Favorite Things: Tiger, your A&A Dream blankie, any car toys, building blocks, popsicles, throwing food to the dogs when you think we aren't looking, your swing, answering the phone, and ripping all of your clothes out of their drawers.

Signature Moves: 

Everything is a phone to you!  You name it, remotes, blocks, the baby moniter... if it slightly resembles a phone, you pick it up and ever so sweetly ask, "heh-woh??" And the few times you've actually gotten your hands on a phone you have managed to call Grammy Sally... We're still not sure how you figured that out!

You will refuse the paci if it's given to you without it's ribbon clip because you HAVE to tuck the ribbon in between your nose and paci and rub it.  It's adorable :)  You also love your Tiger and Blanket for bedtime.

When you get mad, you walk or scoot backwards and it is the funniest and cutest thing ever!  

Mom's 'Proudest' Moment: I gave you sweet potatoes one night without realizing they had gone bad.  You got so sick and I felt like the worst person in the world!  You got even with me by vomiting all over me right after I had gotten out of the shower.  

Dad's 'Proudest' Moment: Daddy taught you how to climb out of your pack & play... He was very proud, until he realized we won't be able to use it as a short term babysitter anymore!

Ellia is One Month Old!

 Sweet little Ellie Bellie, how can you possibly already be a month old??  You have fit so perfectly into our lives and there are no words to describe how much we love you :)

Weight: We see the doctor Wed. so we'll know then, but I'm guessing our sweet girl is finally back up to her birth weight and maybe even closing in on 6 lbs :)

Height: Will update after dr appointment

Clothing size: Premie shirts and leggings, but you've gotten too long for your premie sleep & plays, so you've moved up to the NB size, even though they're pretty baggy...  There's a few nb outfits (mostly Baby Gap) that look HUGE.  I imagine you'll be in the NB size for quite some time.

Diaper size: Newborn

Cutie Pa Tootie :)

Feeding: Breast milk.  Breast feeding has gone completely differently this time!  Unlike Beckett, Ellia immediately latched on and we haven't had any problems.  I will try to write a post on our breast feeding experiences in the near future, but right now all I can say is heat compressions have been a saving grace!

Milestones:  Sleeping through the night!  Because of your size, our pediatrician wants us waking you every 4 hours at night to make sure you're getting adequate nutrition, but there have been a few nights I've been so exhausted I've forgotten to set an alarm and you slept 6-8 hours.  Talk about amazing!  & let it be known, you don't appreciate being woken for your nightly feedings.  Most nights it takes a good 20 minutes for me to wake you up enough to eat.  Hoping we get the okay to let you sleep through the night at our next appointment!  

You are also holding your head up like a champ!  Even at our appointment 2 weeks ago our pediatrician commented on your strength.  

You are so alert!  You love looking around and I love watching your surprised & curious expressions :) 

For a baby that was classified as a premie, you sure are making big strides!

Loves: You are such a little snuggle bug!  As long as you're being held, you're a happy camper :) You love being carried in the KTan, being swaddled up tighter than a burrito & I just know you're going to love all the hugs and kisses you get from your big brother :) 

Dislikes: You aren't particularly thrilled about not being held.  Generally, as long as you're in someones arms all nice & cozy, you're a happy camper :)  You also don't like the paci... You would much rather use me in place of it lol although, that's not a habit I'm okay with you developing!

Adventures: You went to meet Santa, went Black Friday shopping & helped me make some sales at a craft show!  For a one month old, you've ventured out quite a bit!

Mommy and Daddy could not get through the month without: Your grandparents! :)  They've all been so helpful through this first month!  & a shout out to my mom, who's helped me with laundry, washed more dishes than I care to share, and helped keep Beckett entertained on days that I feel like I need a break.  We're so fortunate to have your grandparents in such close proximity to us :) 

those forehead wrinkles, swoon!