4 Months Old

Well, Isla keeps getting bigger and bigger.  It's hard to believe and I really wish I could somehow just freeze time.

(January 11th)

At four months old Isla:

-Recently dropped her late night feeding - she now eats for the last time around 8:30 and then goes to bed for the night.  She eats 6 times a day. 

-Started sleeping for shorter amounts of time at night, so we had her cry it out for a few nights.  She did great and after 3 nights she was right back to sleeping for a good chunk of time - around 7-9 hours or so.  She got a cold around Christmas which has kinda messed her up a little bit and sometimes she wakes up twice now before she is up for the day around 8:30.

-Is a kicker!  She lays on her back and just kicks and kicks.  She brings both legs up into the air and then thumps them down onto the ground.  When we put her to bed you can just hear her up there, 'thump, thump, thump!'

-Likes her binky, but is starting to want it less and less.  She doesn't use it to fall asleep anymore but will take it when she is awake if she is a little fussy.

-Sucks on her hands like crazy.  They are all red and chapped from all of her sucking.

-Is sooo happy and smiles and giggles all the time.  You can especially get her to giggle by tickling her or singing her a song.  She loves when Marcus sings 'up on the housetop' or chants little cheers with her.  She giggles and giggles.

-Still takes a bottle like a champ.  She usually gets breastmilk but we still have continued giving her formula a few times now and then.

-Loves laying on her playmat and just reaching up and playing with the little toys.  She is completely content there and will lay and play for an hour at a time.

-Enjoys sitting in her bumbo.  She is really good at it and will usually sit in it on the table with us while we eat dinner together.  

-She is really good at church. She'll lay on the ground and sleep in her carseat.

-Is getting really good at slowly reaching up and holding onto things like little rattles.  She grabs it and then immediately puts it into her mouth.

-Sometimes takes three naps and other times four.  She seems like she is ready to not take her last nap of the day, but if we go anywhere in the carseat she is likely to fall asleep.

-Usually sleeps on her side.  Pretty much as soon as I lay her on her back she rolls onto her side.  With all of her leg kicking she gets herself all moved around in her crib.  She'll change directions or move to the other side of her crib.  I'm never surprised where I find her in there anymore.

Four Month Stats:

Weight: 13 pounds 3 ounces (45 percentile)

Height: 25.5 inches (90 percentile)

Head: 15.7 inches (20 percentile)

We love you baby girl!

A Name and a Blessing

Isla was blessed on December 7th and it was a beautiful day.  Our family and a few friends were there to celebrate with us and I couldn't help but be emotional all day as I thought about how beautiful it was to have this precious baby girl in our lives.  Marcus gave her a wonderful blessing and she was a little angel all day long.

Her beautiful dress was her cousin Stella's blessing dress that her grandma made for her.  I am so grateful to Katie for letting me use it for Isla's special day.

LA

November 19-23

We took a quick trip to California to visit Scott and Julie for Marcus's birthday this year.  It was low key and relaxing since Isla was still so new, but we still spent a lot of time at the beach and saw a few new things.

Venice Canals were gorgeous!

Asher is seriously a dream at the beach.  He is so happy and would be there all day.  It was warm, but definitely not hot...so it surprised us when Asher wanted to change into his swim suit and run around in the ocean.

We hit Santa Monica Pier and Beach (and the super cute tiny aquarium they have there), Manhattan Beach, and Redondo Beach.  It was so nice to enjoy the warm beautiful weather and so much fun to visit Scott and Julie.

3 Months Old

3 Months!  We love our little Isla baby so much.

And I am late on updating but I took these notes right around 3 months.  

(December 11th)

At three months old Isla:

-Still eats 7 times a day.  She eats every three hours, starting at 7:30 and ending at 7:30.  Then I'll wake her to feed her just before I go to bed, sometime between 10-11.  She usually wakes up around 4 to eat and back to sleep until 7:30.

-Is the best at napping.  I swaddle her up (arms out of course!), give her a kiss and lay her in her crib.  It is rare that she doesn't fall asleep.  She naps 4 times a day, about an hour after she eats.

-Just started rolling from her back to her stomach.  She always rolls onto her side, but has rolled all the way to her back several times now.

-Can't roll from her tummy.  When I put her on her tummy she usually just relaxes and only sometimes tries to even lift her head.

-Smiles and coos all the time, especially if you talk to her in a baby voice or make big facial expressions.

-Is so responsive and follows our voices.

-Loves her big brother.  Now that she is less floppy he loves to hold her and she is usually pretty happy while he holds her.
-Got her first haircut.  All the hair she had left was her grandpa mullet so we trimmed it off.
-Really likes sitting in her bumbo and being up where we are, but gets tired of holding her head up after a few minutes.
-Is so happy and content and often is the happiest when she is laying on the ground looking around and kicking her legs.

-She recently started wearing size 2 diapers and 3-6 month clothes.

Asher started calling her Baby Boo and it's quickly becoming his (and ours) nickname of choice.  

The other night Marcus was talking to Asher about if he loves having his baby sister around.  Asher said yes.  Marcus asked if he liked it better before she was born, or now that she is born.  (Kinda a risky question...)  Asher didn't even hesitate before saying that he likes it waaaay better now that sister is born.  It's pretty sweet because I know that he means it.

2 Months Old

At two months old Isla:

-Still loves relaxing on her tummy.  Especially if she is fussy or upset.

-Wakes up once a night.  I wake her to feed her between 10-11 before I go to bed, and then she wakes up once to eat before waking for the day around 8:00.  

-Is doing really well at taking naps in her cribs.  Right around five weeks she started doing this.  She will sometimes be fussy, or making little sounds before falling asleep.  Other times, she is louder and needs us to put her binky in a few times.  And other times she will just lie awake quietly for up to an hour.  I remember Asher doing this same thing.

-She is so pleasant and loves smiling back at you.  Asher still just loves getting her to smile.

-Prefers to nap in her crib, but will still fall asleep in other people's arms.  She rarely will fall asleep in mom's arms though.

-Will take a bottle with no problem, and has been taking about one a day with pumped breastmilk.  She has taken formula once and had no problem with it.

-She still wears size 1 diapers and is in 0-3 month clothes, although some are getting too short for her.  She is a long, skinny little thing.

Two month stats:

Weight: 10 lbs 14 oz (50 percentile)

Height: 24 inches (95 percentile)

Head Circumference: 14.8 inches (20 percentile)

She hated her shots so badly.  She cried and cried until finally falling asleep in the car.  She was pretty miserable and sad for a good day after getting them.  Poor little thing.  Asher was so sweet and nearly in tears when they gave them to her.  He kept telling me he wished they didn't have to do that. 

Time usually goes by so quickly, but I feel like I can't remember a time when you weren't a part of our family.  We love you so much and have loved these past two months so much.

Halloween

What a fun Halloween we had this year! From the very beginning Asher was dead set on being a ninja turtle. It seemed so random to me considering he has never seen a show or had any of the toys, but he definitely knew what he wanted. He also wanted to be the blue one. At first I gave him other options and tried to come up with a family themed costume but realized that's what he really wanted so we went with it. 

Halloween night was so amazing for Asher. We met up with his two cute buddies, Kylee and Madsen and we trick or treated together for hours. I couldn't believe how long they lasted. Poor Asher couldn't even walk the next morning his feet hurt so bad. 

Christine took these cute pictures of the three of them together. 

The day before we got to trick or treat with Ryan and Theo at T's work. 

We got Isla all dressed up and then she got super sleepy. 

Wednesday night was a trunk or treat at the church. I dressed Isla up but she slept away in her car seat. Asher thought it was tons of fun and couldn't believe how easy it was to get so much candy. I thought he would be more scared because he's been quite timid lately and talks about how scary things are. He really only got scared once though and I can't say that I blame him-it was at a super spooky Halloween house where a goblin creature of some kind jumped out at everyone. 

Twinsies! 

Happy halloween! 

One Month Old

Isla has been such a little sweetheart for this first month of her life! It is amazing to see how much a baby changes in their first month. She is much more awake now and so alert.

At one month old Isla:

-Absolutely loves her baths and sits so calmly and even smiles through them.
-Is such a smiley baby, in her sleep and when she's awake. I swear she smiled at me and Asher (on purpose) for the first time just the other day. Maybe she's too young for that, but I'm sure she was smiling in response to us.  She did it again twice since then.

-Doesn't mind being on her tummy but often falls asleep that way. In fact, when she is fussy in the evening, that is her happiest way to lay.

-Loves falling asleep on Marcus' chest.

-Does not like her arms swaddled in. We learned that when she was only a few days old. Every time we put them in she screams and screams until she gets them out. Now we just leave them out and she's much happier.

-Sleeps really well at night. I usually feed her for her last time around 11, she eats around 3 or 4, and then again around 8 or 9. Sometimes she wakes up twice in between though, but has also gone as long as six hours a couple of times.
-Is losing her hair.  Just like her brother, she has a major receding hairline and is starting to look like a grandpa when she doesn't have a bow on.
-Just started wearing size 1 diapers and 0-3 month clothes

One Month Stats:

Weight: 8 lbs 12 oz (40 percentile)

Height: 22.8 inches (90 percentile)

Head: 14.2 inches (25 percentile)

Isla, you are sure loved.  Mom and dad love you to pieces, but your big brother absolutely adores you.  There has never been a time when he has had a problem with you, but constantly wants to know where you are, what you are doing, and loves to be near you.  He still talks to you in the sweetest voice and is constantly talking to you.  I know that he is going to be one protective, amazing big brother.  You are truly adored.