this much [5 months] | Joelle and Jonah

this month, the twins just get instagram photos :)

Jonah:

My sweet Jonah bear! He is now wearing all 6 month clothes and some 9 month ones! He rolled for the first time 2 weeks ago. He still loves to talk and his favorite chew toy is his own fingers. Verbally he is more advanced than his sister, although she is more advanced physically.

It's a LONG story, and not worth going into the details, but after some recommendations and research, we decided to take Jonah to a chiropractor. Pediatric chiropractics are a hot topic right now, and to each their own, but we decided it was worth it for us. After just one adjustment, Jonah was able to hold his head higher than before and he rolled!! These were both a big deal for Jonah bear. 

His disposition has gotten even better since the 3 adjustments and he is such a smiley baby. He seems much more comfortable in general. Sleep-wise it hasn't helped that much, but we also have been traveling. We shall see if it helps him find a more comfortable position to sleep in. 

He has fairly good hand control and can bring toys to and from his mouth. He is still VERY ticklish and has the sweetest giggle. His favorite thing to do is watch his brother, he will lay there for an hour straight and watch Jarvis, it's adorable!

Joelle:

Oh my goodness, this girl. She is such a little charmer! Joelle has the biggest smile and she loves being around other people. Although she decided on our trip to fuss anytime she saw someone new, I think she got a bit overwhelmed. 

She can hold her head up so well and loves the bumbo or exersaucer. She rolls like crazy from front to back, and can nearly roll back to front. She can now grab ahold of her feet and is trying her hardest to get them to her mouth. She has excellent hand/arm control and is always reaching out for something. She can hold her own bottle some of the time and it won't be long now before she will want to all of the time. She does NOT like you to take her food away!

She has started talking alot more, mostly when she is angry! She has a very loud fuss/screech when she can't get whatever toy she wants in her mouth. When she talks, she always sticks out the end of her tongue, it's hilarious! 

She is now in 6 month pajamas, but they are still too long in the arms and legs, she's just so little! Her eyes are still a very light blue, but I'm not sure they will stay... She still adores sleeping and gets super angry if she doesn't get her 'beauty' sleep!

and just a few more pictures for your enjoyment!


this is what Joelle does with her tongue when she's talking! silly girl...

this much [30 months] | Jarvis

I know I say this every month, but I just can not believe how blessed we are. This boy, my oldest son, has such a sweet and loving nature. I am constantly blown away by him. 

It seems like every month his verbal and cognitive skills nearly double! He speaks in complete sentences and is learning to use correct grammar. He understands nearly anything we say, and as a result, we have taken to spelling quite a few words! He can now follow a conversation and pick up on tones and feelings. And he will repeat just about anything you say to anyone! 

He fell in love with swimming while we were in Texas and spent nearly every day in the pool. He can kick his legs and blow bubbles, but holding his breath is still questionable sometimes! He just needs to get his arms working and I think he would be swimming on his own! Floating was still a foreign concept though! He did work up his courage to jump off the top step into someone's arms, but not the side of the pool yet. He learned to 'crawl' around the edge of the pool by holding onto the side and walking his feet on the side. However that resulted in some sore fingers and toes!

He had such a wonderful time in Texas visiting family, but I do have to say that the grandpas/uncles were his favorites. He really enjoys all of them. He has so many grandpas and uncles that he insisted on knowing their names so he could call them 

Grandpa ___. 

He has wonderful manners and it is so nice to see our hard, consistent work paying off. He will now say 'no, thank you' at least 80% of the time instead of just screaming no. This has made my days so much more enjoyable!! He is so sweet with his brother and sister and always shares toys with them and comforts them. He always says, 'it's ok, it's alright' if one of them is crying. It made me so happy to see him behaving and showing his real, sweet self in Texas. It makes my heart swell with love to hear people tell me he is a joy to be around.

home[pre]school update: He can count up to 13, and knows many numbers above that, although not in order. He know nearly all his letters and most letter sounds. He has several sight words and we have been working on rhyming. He is starting to recognize colors, and I think he knows most of them, but I'm not sure he understands the concept of shades. I have an activity planned to focus on that this next week. We almost have our first bible verse memorized and hope to move onto another next week!

this much [4 months] | Joelle and Jonah

almost 4 months old!!

my babies are growing like weeds!

They are such little sweethearts! They both have started sleeping 11-12 hours at night, but they like to rotate nights, so far we haven't had a night where they both have slept the whole night! They will get there though! They typically go to bed around 6pm, one of the them wakes to eat around 2/3, and then they get up for the day around 6am. I really have no complaints, they are doing awesome. We usually have to go in once of twice for each and soothe/give them a pacifier, but if they fall back asleep quickly then I know they aren't hungry. If they are hungry, they let you know :)

They had a checkup last week and they are little chunks! They are both growing very well.

Joelle: 

Weight: 12lbs 4oz, 26th percentile

Height: 22inches, 0th percentile

Height vs Weight: 93rd percentile

Jonah:

Weight: 13lbs 7oz, 27th percentile

Height: 23.75inches, 17th percentile

Height vs Weight: 59th percentile

Jonah has better head control than Joelle now, but they both are enjoying tummy time and time in the bumbo seats. They are now on a combo 3.5/4 hour eating schedule and take 3 naps, anywhere from 2.5-1.5 hours in length. Neither one has rolled over yet, but they are both pushing off with their feet, can't wait until they do! They both love grabbing things with their hands and pulling stuff to their mouths. They giggle and talk a bunch. Joelle is such a smiley baby, she adores any attention and would love if someone just held and smiled at her all day long. Jonah is very curious and loves talking to his toys. 

Just a few more pictures to enjoy!

this much [28 months] | Jarvis

This boy, oh my. He is one little bundle of energy!!

This picture isn't perfect, it was a bit underexposed and blurry, but it sums up Jarvis right now. He is two extremes. A screaming, tantrum-throwing toddler, and a sweet snuggly little one claiming, 'I want my mommy!' 


I asked him for a hug, and he gave me one, but it was complete with a nose bite!


Although 2 is alot of work, I am loving his age right now!!

this much [3 months] | Joelle & Jonah

(picture taken by my brother, Chris Ray)

Three months. How in the world are they three months already???

We are all surviving, taking it day by day! The babies are finally staying awake a bit longer in the afternoons and we are getting to go on walks and play a little more.  Here's their general schedule (although there is up to an hour sway some days, this is our goal though!)

6am- feeding, about 50 min total waketime (some mornings this is closer to 5am), 2 hour nap
9am- feeding, about an hour total waketime, 2 hour nap
12pm- feeding, about 70 min total waketime, 2 hour nap
3pm- feeding, about 75 min total waketime, 45-60 min cat nap
5pm- up, about 80 min total waketime, feed at 545ish, bed around 630pm.
12am-2am- they have one feeding anywhere in this time range.

Like I said, that's a general time frame, but the waketimes are pretty consistent and they are fairly good nappers. They appear to finally be coming out of their wonder week. Overall, I would say Joelle is a better napper than either Jonah is or Jarvis was at their age. But Jonah is still much better than Jarvis was at 3 months.

Jonah is a little smiley baby, although its hard to get on pictures because he only smiles at people. He is getting some hand development and grabbing at things. He particularly loves the play gym and is reaching out and batting toys. He is not a huge fan of bathtime, the sun, or wind. He seems to be very sensitive to his senses. His hair is all growing in the same length, and it stands straight up, just like his brother and dad's hair. He does resemble Jarvis physically, but he is changing some. Personality and habits-wise though, he is a carbon copy of Jarvis. He is starting to put on some little chub.

Joelle is out sweet little chunky girl. She is so petite but has so much chub, I love it! She is defiantly a snuggler and loves to be held. She has a sweet smile and smiles with her eyes. She likes to be sitting up and looking at things. Her hair is very soft and she has this one long curl right on the top. She adores bath time and being naked and smiles like crazy the whole time. I'm still not sure who she looks like, but I think she has my mom's blue eyes!

And here are just a few more recent pictures of them!

this much [2 month] Joelle & Jonah

a little early this month, but there was perfect lighting, time, and happy babies... i gotta get it when i can!

[this much] 2 months with the twins. 

my sweet Jonah, he's really not a grumpy bear... this boy is a smiley little talker when he's awake, he's so content and loves to look around and is mr. independent. but when the lights go out and it's nap time, he sure can fuss and boy is he addicted to his pacifier, just like his big brother! 

(this was really overexposed, but I loved it anyway!)

Joelle, my tiny little chunker. This girl is so small in every way, small head, ears, nose, legs, hands, feet; she's so little. But boy, oh boy, the fat rolls on this girl, they are soooo yummy! She is such a good little sleeper. When it's time to nap, a little pacifer and she's out, no fussing and a good little sleeper!

 However, if she's awake, she little miss needy. She wants to be held and needs to be able to see someone. Such a sweetie.

big brother's coming up soon....

linking up with styleberry blog for her [this much] project

this much [26 months] Jarvis

First up... our picture for this month... (he's eating a special treat... haha! and you get mommy with no makeup and a ponytail...)

I am LONG overdue for an update on my big boy. So here goes...


He has been doing remarkably well with the babies joining our family. We have had a few jelousy issues and a few more temper tantrums, but seriously, he is doing AWESOME.


He adores the babies and has the cutest little 'awwww' sound any time he sees them. He loves to 'help' hold bottles and burp the babies. He gladly brings us the boppys or burp cloths. He loves singing them songs and wants to check on them all day long. He knows their names and even recognizes their faces. 


He is learning his colors and letters. He knows most of the colors, most of the time, and he knows at least 10 letters, sometimes more! He even has a few sight words that he can identify. He has had a language explosion in the past 6 weeks. He went from a few phrases to full sentences. He now will try to say anything and he is communicating extremely well. He does an excellent job of being patient and repeating what he's saying over and over again until we understand. He wants us to repeat what he says so he can make sure we get it right, haha!


His pretend play has taken a dramatic leap lately. He loves to pretend to change his stuffed animals diapers or pretend to put clothes on them. His trucks and race cars play together and he makes up stories and interacts with all of his toys. He is using 'tools' to fix his cars and substituting play items for real ones (using socks as oven mitts). This is by far my favorite play stage so far, he is such a joy to watch! 


We still haven't made any progress on potty training, but mommy isn't really at a place where she can focus on it, so we aren't worried right now. We are having to explore larger cloth diaper options, since he has just about maxed out the one size fuzzibunzs. 


His concept of time and location is developing and he is understanding key words relating to both of those. He adores playing outside and doesn't care how cold it is, he wants to stay out as long as possible. 


Once again, we just can not get over how AMAZING this little boy is. He is such a blessing and joy to be around!!

this much [1 month] Joelle & Jonah

Do you know how hard it is to get a picture of your face next to a one month old's when you are alone in the house??? Yeah, apparently very hard, especially when there are two, and they only are awake for 45  minutes and it takes 40 minutes to feed/change them both... 

so yeah, you get what you get... but I still love them...

and by the way, who said my babies could be a month old??? TOO FAST!! Slow down sweet babies!

(check for Jarvis' *this much* post tomorrow!)

Horrible lighting in the nursery and missed focus, but I love this one of her :)

Ahhh, Mr. grump face!

Linking up with styleberry blog for her *this much* project!

this much [25 months]

Hey, hey- check it out! I'm early this month!! That's because on the 6th (Jarvis' birthdate) I will be having 2 MORE babies! Be watching for their 0 month one!




This boy, my eldest, he's amazing.




Don't ever forget how special you are, sweet boy. I will always, always love you. Thank you for letting me be your mother.

linking up with styleberry blog for her this much project...

this much [24 months]

hahaha... this is becoming late every month, haha! Oh well, if it gets done while he still in that month, then I will consider it good!


Like I mentioned before, I spend most of my day sitting down. And our favorite thing to do right now is to read books on mommy's lap. This is not comfortable in the least. Like at all. There's not enough room for 4 of us in that chair. But I love it. So we spend hours with him running to get more books off the shelf to read. It's awesome.


Oh, and those of you who have said you are proud of me for still 'dressing cute,' this is what I actually look like at home. Comfy pants, shirts that never cover my belly (because only like 3 still do), and a ponytail. I save all the cuteness for when I go out :)


So here's some more bare belly for you, complete with stretch marks and a popped belly button, haha! But this, this is real, this is me, and my boy.

linking up with styleberry blog for her this much project...

this much [23 months]

Oh my.... this is VERY late.... However, I am going to put part of the blame on the fact that my (year and a half old) laptop up and died on me... boo.... Hubby bought me a new one though, so we are up and running, I have quite a few catch up posts for this week, so check back!




23 months... when did that happen?? I can not believe that my little baby boy is about to turn two... wow.

This is from the Santa Fly In up at the squadron (more pictures later)... and it pretty much sums up this age... he has begun to understand fear, and apparently, Santa is SCARY... Poor thing...




linking up with styleberryblog for her *this much* project...

this much [22 mos]

(Project 52 will be posted tomorrow- I'm playing catch up right now)

Jarvis, 22 months, kissing and hugging the babies. He does this several times a day. Out of no where, he runs up to wherever I am standing or sitting, clings to the belly and gives the 'babies' a big kiss.

I love it. 

He's going to be such a good big brother.

linking up with styleberry blog for her this much project.

this much [21 mos]

I get so behind on this... a week behind to be exact. But here it is. 


He turned 21 months last week. That seems SO close to 24 months, 2 years. But it's funny, the twins will be here by the end of January, and that seems so far away. Funny how time is perspective.

21 months. And 21 weeks 5 days. My babies.


It's getting harder and harder to pick him up, and hold his heavy little body. But he's still a baby in so many ways. 


He's talking in phrases now, connecting thoughts and expressing his feelings. He weighs in at 25lbs 7oz and uses a fork and spoon like a pro. He's still an awesome eater and sleeps 12 hours at night, with a one to two hour nap. He's getting better about us leaving him in daycare settings (bible study and church). 


He still wakes up every morning and nap asking for dada. The puppy is his BEST friend and must be released from the crate first thing every morning.  He is getting more and more gentle with the kitty and is getting to pet her more often. He loves kissing and hugging the 'babies' and thinks all their 'gear' is pretty awesome. 


Dada gave him his first taste of soda, and now he opens his mouth like a baby bird anytime he sees one of my drinks.


Sharing is still a challenge for us. Especially since playgroups are usually at his house and they are HIS toys. 


He's wonderful.




Linking up with styleberry for her *this much* project.

this much [20 mos]

Ummmm, it's now the 12th.... and I am JUST NOW posting this... at least it was taken 2 days before he turned 20 months, haha!

 (settings and editing by me, taken by my mom- I'm training her!)

This was taken as we headed to the airport after two *HOT* weeks in Texas with almost all of our family. And seriously, al.most.all. We have big families, and it's awesome. Especially since most of them live within 3 hours of Austin. 

The trip was great, it really was. I don't think anything brings me more joy than seeing all of the grandparents, great-grandparents, uncles and aunt interact with Jarvis. I am so proud of that little boy, and seeing how GOOD he was with everyone, how loving, and playful, and friendly.... it made my heart melt every day. It was worth every penny and every day of leave to be down there. And a big thank you to everyone who makes it a home away from home while we are there.

However, visiting family always makes me appreciate the time we have as our little family. Sometimes I hate living so far from our family, because we love and enjoy all of them. But I've begun to realize that since we spend most of our time just us, that we have been able to figure out how WE want our family to run. We are solid and know exactly how we want to parent and run our home (for the most part, haha). It was so nice to get back home and get back to us. Because let's be honest. 2 weeks with over 12 immediate families within 3 hours and ALL of our middle/high school friends and some college friends nearby is NOT a vacation.  It's worth it, and it's how we want to spend our money and time, but it's not very relaxing!

So for this month's *this much,* it's us, our little family (even the twins peeking out there), because ultimately, THEY are the reason I do anything. 

this much [19 mos]

Kisses. 


He's blown kisses for quite a while, but in the past month, he's learned to lean in and give REAL kisses.


It's heaven. He melts my heart every time! 

I am finding that I am trying so hard to treasure and savor the next 4-6 months of him being an only child. I'm sad for him, but I'm also so excited! He loves babies and other kids, and I know he will love the fishies!


Linking up to styleberryPHOTO for this much!

this much [18 mos]

The main thought running through my head lately is "SLOW DOWN!!" This child is growing so very fast!! We hang out with alot of older kids (the youngest is just 2 months younger than Jarvis) and it seems like every single day he is learning something from one of them. He climbs on playgrounds like he's been doing it for years, not 2 months. He slides down the big slides all by himself, and adores the water slides into the pool. 


He is most definitely NOT a baby. We are full-on into the toddler years, tantrums, challenges, and ENERGY. The best way to burn that energy while Daddy is TDY? A couple hours at the pool!

(both taken by my good friend Stacy)

And us coming out of the water slide, if you looks closely, you can see the colors of our swimsuits!

this much [17 mos]

saturday morning. 7am. pajamas. family time. truck book.

These are the moments I love. No make up, slept on hair, baskets of laundry and sewing piled on the couch. But non of that matters. All that mattered was the sweet little boy holding a book up patting his lap. He can get me to stop anything I am doing to sit down and read. Hubby grabbed the camera and snapped a few pictures, they are noisy, but I love it. This is us.

His favorite books are the ones filled with trucks, of course. And I have read Roadwork at least 10 times a day in the past 3 weeks. I could probably read it in my sleep!

linking up with styleberry blog in her *this much* project.

this much [16 mos]

I never thought I would be able to name every type of construction vehicle and it's purpose, but thanks to this cutie, I can. And do. daily.

My child has an obsession with vehicles. And by obsession, I mean over the top, crazy LOVE of 'tucks,' as he calls them. He will be playing with a toy in the yard and will stop everything he is doing to point at every single car that comes by. He gets especially excited over the big UPS or Fedex trucks. Or the street sweeper (which yes, runs constantly up here because they dump dirt on the roads to melt the snow).


We dropped the morning nap before our trip. And as freeing as it is to be able to go places in the morning, that 7am-1215pm stretch can get REALLY long. He seems to get the fussies around 1000, when he gets bored of his toys and mama. 


Lucky for him, and me, they are continuing the constant construction up here, and there are ALWAYS construction vehicles working on the houses up. the street from us. So pretty much daily, now that it's warm enough, we walk down and sit across from the construction zone and watch trucks. He will sit for 30 minutes solid, pointing at the trucks, just mesmerized by how big they are. We talk about what they are doing, where they are moving the dirt, and all the noises they make. In this picture, he was pointing out a small bulldozer across the street. 




I love my life. Construction trucks and all!





linking up with styleberry blog in her *this much* project.

this much [15 mos]

When exactly did it happen?

Because I seem to have missed it.

When did you go from a helpless little baby...

to a toddler with a strong mind of his own?

You may not be talking yet, but you know how to use that sign language.

And you've learned signing 'please' often gets you what you want.

Like getting to walk and 'push' the stroller instead of riding in it. 

But as trying as that independent I-can-do-it mind can be...

I love seeing your personality develop.

We went to the Big One craft fair an flea market, and like any spoiled boy, you made out with some new *old* toys, but your favorite part was running around flirting...

I just love watching Daddy watch you do your magic, 

you are much too cute for your own good!

linking up with styleberry blog in her *this much* project.

this much [14 mos]

My little big boy is a big eater. As in, he probably eats more than I do on any given day. And he eats the good stuff too- me, well, still working on that!


He's only awake for 9 hours total (after naps and nighttime sleep), and nearly half of that, a good 4 hours a day, is spent with him in the high chair stuffing his face. An hour for breakfast, 30 min for snack, and hour for lunch, 30 min for another snack, and an hour for dinner. He spends the entire time CONTINUOUSLY eating. non. stop. eating. I love it.


So I thought it was appropriate that this month's this much project should be of him in the high chair. So during his afternoon snack today (whole wheat, salt-free rice cakes with all natural peanut butter), I snapped a few of us.

He thought the whole process was a blast, adorable boy...

Just can't believe how big he's getting....

Planning a 'milestones' update later this week! Check back!

linking up with styleberry blog in her *this much* project.