March Madness

It's been a good, yet busy month for us. We've started t-ball practices, gone back to work, learned our new normal and have tried to stay awake in the evenings. Even working part-time, I find myself exhausted most afternoons because there's so much to do at work and at home. And isn't it funny that I can have the house cleaned up semi-nice on Tuesday and by the end of the week it's a mess again. Ha!

I have made some progress with getting Charlie to nap in her crib during the day. She still sleeps in our room in a bassinet and I think I'll keep her there until around 6 months. She's still being swaddled too  so we're trying to figure out how to ween her off of that. She's really enjoyed spending time at my mom and dad's and I'm fairly certain that she's NEVER laid down when she's with them. She's really a happy baby and we're enjoying her so much.

Luke's having a lot of fun too and is doing all kinds of big boy things. He's started up at tball and we're working on listening and patience. Two things which aren't his strong suit. But at every practice I can see his ability to throw and catch get better and I know he's making progress. Poor buddy is just so dang active. He can't sit still and just wants to run everywhere.

We're also super into dinosaurs right now. One day while he was napping, Dillon and I turned on Jurassic Park just to watch something and when Luke got up from his nap he was hooked. I spent an hour today in our storage trying to find his toy dinosaurs that he hadn't had much interest in. We've watched Jurassic Park no less than 10 times this week and while I thought some parts would scare him, others seem to really entertain him (Like the part where the dinosaur grabs the man off the toilet.) Dillon's thrilled about his new obsession because this was one of his favorite topics when he was a little boy.

I honestly can't believe that Luke turns 4 in less than a month. It honestly seems like yesterday that we were awaiting him to arrive and the past four years have been such a blur. I think I may have said this already, but instead of a party this year, we're taking a day trip to Dollywood (Luke's choice). I think I may still get him a little cake and such but we're forgoing the whole big party.

We're so excited for spring and warmer weather. It's always nice to be able to get outside and do things and not be cooped up inside.

Luke and his guitar!

Josie came over to hang out the other night! We had fun in the tent and sandbox!

The Creggers also brought over the exesaucer which Charlie's tried out. That things been through 4 babies now. 

Evil guitar face

church time! 

When Charlie hits her witching hour in the evenings, Dillon pops her in there and she's good to go.

First hit at the tee!

She likes to sit up but doesn't have the stamina so far for the high chair. So I fed her in her "sit me up" chair this week.

Funny story about this... When Dillon was a little boy he had this character called "Monkey Man" and he'd put gloves on his feet and run around the house. This week, Luke found a pair of gloves (without knowing this story) and put them on his feet and said "Hey, Look at me, I'm a monkey man!" Like Father, like son.

How I found the asleep last night. Ha!

3 Months

Wow! 3 months have come and gone since Charlie arrived (actually I'm a day early, but I have to work tomorrow and will be too tired to post then!)

Charlie's growing quite quickly and I can't believe that I'm back to work and that she's a quarter of a year old already. You blink and they change.

She's made some really fun developments this month and has started to notice her hands and feet. Bright patterns interest her greatly and she focuses super hard on these things. She's started to grab a hold of toys on her play mat and her seat and she can even get them to her mouth sometimes. She's very close to rolling over from her back to her front. She swings her legs back and forth like she's practicing for the day when it actually happens! She's wearing 3/6 month clothing and I'd say in a few weeks she'll be in her new 6 month summer wardrobe. I hope there's not too much more cold weather because her 6 month clothes are mainly short sleeves! She's moved up to taking 5-6 ounces of milk now (up from 4 ounces last month) and last week at an impromptu pediatrician's appointment, she weighed a little over 12 pounds! She's growing so well and is such a healthy baby! The only minor issue is she still has some drainage from a clogged tear duct. We're trying warm compresses to try and open it up so that we don't need to see an eye specialist for it.

Things that Charlie likes:
* Being held for nap time. She'll take one nap in the morning in her rock and play and sleeps all night in her bassinet, but she really prefers to be held. I'm typing this now as she sleeps in my arms. I may be spoiling her, but I'm soaking in all the baby cuddles while I can.
* Getting changed. For some reason, when I put her on the changing table to change her diaper, that's when she's happiest. We talk and laugh and she thinks it's the funniest thing. Her little smile is so sweet so I make diaper changes last a little longer.
* Being swaddled. This is quickly coming to an end though. :( It's the best way to get her to sleep but when she starts rolling over we'll have to stop and her feet aren't quite fitting in the swaddle anymore.
* The Ergo carrier. I've been using the Moby and when I use the Ergo, I had to use the infant insert, both carriers used this way are a huge pain. Last weekend we had to run into a store and Charlie was tired of being in her seat so I popped her in the Ergo without the insert and voila. So much easier. Her head control is good so I think we're moving on up to the regular carrier. Since she's a baby that likes to be held these carriers are a life saver.
* Bath time. At first, Charlie wasn't a fan, but now she likes the warm water and to use the water sprayer on the sink like a shower.

Things that Charlie doesn't like:
* The car seat. We're still contentious on this one. She likes it as long as we're moving, but stop for one minute and she's upset. She hates red lights because our car isn't moving!
* Feedings. So this one's a weird one... she'll eat half of her bottle and then she'll get mad. She'll cry and fuss and won't take the bottle. We take a 10 minute break to rest and then she's back to eating. She does this a few times so I'm not sure what's going on. I've tried to change the nipple sizes but that seems to make no difference. Who knows?!

And there you have it! Ms. Charlie at 3 months. She's still an easy baby and we're looking forward to all that comes next!

3 Months old!

And some outtakes... I was having trouble with my camera settings!

And these were from the other day... I just didn't like the lighting on them as much.

Snowy Sunday

We have survived my first week back at work! It really wasn't that bad since I'm back part-time. I'm working Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays so Tuesdays and Thursdays my days are spent at home with Charlie. It was nice knowing that I'd have a day off following working one day and I accomplished so much in the two days I was at home. It gives me a chance to straighten up the house, keep caught up on laundry and in the afternoons to catch my breath for an hour or so. Plus, I get to spend the day taking care of the baby which is always fun. I will say that the first day back felt like a long 8 hours, but I'm looking forward to being back in the swing of things.

Luke had his first t-ball meeting where we got to meet his coach, Hunter, and Luke's pre-school teacher Ms. McKenzie is the co-coach. We've got his bat, glove and baseball pants ready and are just waiting on the cleats to come in. He's still so little that I've had a hard time locating baseball clothes that fit him. I've ordered a size 10 cleat from Dick's and am hoping and praying that they fit. He's supposed to have his first practice this Monday evening. We'll see if it happens though because it's supposed to be cold and rainy. I'm thinking it may be next Saturday before he gets to hit the field. He's very excited to get going!

Today, we had our typical March snow storm. It seems like every year, February teases us with warm spring like temperatures and then in March we receive one last ditch effort at winter. I haven't minded this storm. Maybe because it wasn't too bad or maybe because I know warmer weather isn't too far off, but it was fun to get outside and play one more time in the chilly snow. It's warmed up so much that the snow is actually almost all gone. Good thing we got out this morning.

I hope that the weather warms up soon because all of the 6 month clothes that I've bought Charlie are summerish and she's on the verge of fitting into them very well! Be on the lookout for her 3 month update coming up this week!

snow bunny!

warmer weather this week so we wore our cute sun hat!

Snow shoveler!

We got to play with Hannah! 

Laundry basket lounging

Ma and Peepaw came for lunch!

My mom sends me picture updates all day while I'm at work. I ask for a pic every hour or so haha

Babies were happy after my first day of work

Charlie's glowing from sunshine and bright pink