Josie's Firsts: Teeth

First teeth - two on the bottom! We've been introducing solid food but she's not super excited about anything she's tried yet. She prefers chewing on cardboard, toys, or my hair (gross, I know).

Josie 6 months

6-month old Josie is so much fun. She's smiling, laughing, holding toys, rolling, sitting up (with some support), interacting with Oliver and with us more... I love it and love her! She has gotten 2 teeth (on the bottom) recently and that disrupted her sleep (and ours too, of course). We had several rough nights but things are a little better now. She continues to be a good napper luckily, taking 2 naps that last about 1/2 to 2 hours. She's still swaddled for naps and overnight, but has been breaking out of it a lot lately so we're going to try and wean her off the swaddle soon.

Her 6-month check-up isn't for another week so I don't know her stats, but she's now in size 3 diapers and wears mostly size 9 month or 6-12 month clothes. She likes to be carried in the Bjorn carrier and does pretty well in the double stroller next to Oli too. We've actually had some decent weather this month and gotten out on walks and to the park which is so awesome after a long winter. She tried avocado this month but wasn't a big fan. We'll probably try some more solid food again soon but she doesn't seem too interested at this point. Sorry I don't have more time to elaborate or share lots of pics, but I've been super busy with work and Chris has been filling in for a colleague at work so we're all busy and really looking forward to summer! Mostly she is awesome and we love her tons. Happy first half birthday Jo! xoxo

More photos after the jump.

Oliver 2 1/2

I wish I had more time to do regular updates on both kiddos, but for now, 1/4 year updates will have to do for Oli. Oliver turned 2 1/2 on March 20th, the spring equinox, during our roadtrip to Kansas City, MO and Austin, TX. What to say about him at this age? He is full of life! Lots of smiles and laughs and some screaming and crying too (he is 2!). He loves music and dancing, is still a picky eater, sleeps great overnight (50/50 on naps), and says the funniest things. We got him some board games (Hungry, Hungry Hippos, Candyland, and Richard Scary's Busytown) and he has started playing with those a little bit which is fun. A few weeks ago we took him out of the crib and let him sleep in the "big bed" in his room. He had been asking for awhile but since we were planning to travel (and he's outgrown the Pack n Play), we knew it was time. I'm happy to report it has been going really well! We let him pick out some new sheets on the first day so he was excited about his new red sheets. He has been doing great with it. He gets up occasionally during nap time but usually gets right back in bed. He saw his first show, Sesame Street Live, in Minneapolis recently thanks to a friend who gave us her tickets. Chris took him and they went with our friend Scott and his daughter Julia. They all had a great time!

I'm hoping to do another post on our roadtrip, but just a few notes here about Oli. He did great overall. He was really good in the car (unfortunately Josie wasn't as happy about the car) and slept really well. I was even able to take him from the car and lay him in a new bed a few times and he went right back to sleep! He had a blast playing with his cousins Molly and Matilda and our friend Carly's daughter Miriam. He loved being outside enjoying the warmer weather (as did well). He had a few meltdowns as usual, but overall was a happy traveler. Overall this is a super fun age. He's energetic, funny and sweet, giving Chris, Josie and I hugs and kisses daily. Love you sweet pea! Happy 2 1/2!

his smile is the best
(and those eyebrows too!)

Lots more pictures of Oli from the last 3 months after the jump.

Josie's Firsts: First Park & Swing

Spring in Minnesota means there is still a lot of snow on the ground, but on Sunday the temps hit close to 60 so we put the kids in the double stroller and walked to the park. This was Josie's first time at the park and in the swing. She's still a little wobbly so we didn't push her too high, but she loved it! I truly love seeing my kids experience things for the first time. It's one of my favorite things about parenting.

Josie's first swing from Melanie Ayres on Vimeo.

And Oli's first park!

Josie 5 months

5 months already?! Her development this month was pretty similar to last month with no big changes. She continues to be a big baby and I especially love her chubby thighs. She is wearing 6-9 month clothing now. She has been rolling a little more and sleeping a little less this month. We got her her own high chair and although she's still exclusively breast fed, she can sit in it pretty well to play with toys. She's usually happy and she's smiling and laughing more. She likes to be carried facing out in the Bjorn carrier (just like her brother did). It's been especially fun to see her interacting with Oli, her trying to make him laugh or vice versa. We just got home from our spring "break" trip to Kansas City and Austin and overall she did really well. Her first really long road trip! She wasn't a fan of the car but as long as I sat in the backseat, she did well. She got to meet a lot of family and friends for the first time on our trip which was great. I've been busy with work but trying to really enjoy her babyhood as I know from Oli that it goes so quickly. Love you Jo!

And a look back at when Oliver turned 5 months.

Oli says

Oli is so cute and funny these days. I love to hear the things that come out of his mouth. Here are a few recent ones. 

"Dad goes to work. And mommy goes to work too. And I go to... Costco!"

Oli: "Carry you (meaning me) mommy." Me: "Where do you want me to carry you? Oli: "Into my arms my beamish boy."

Oli: "I have a question mommy." Me: "yes Oli?" Oli: "I love sandwiches!"

"Mom, you have beautiful eyes... And I have beautiful dinosaurs on my Jammies. Orange ones, blue ones..." 

Ah, I love this kid. 

A day in the life (with two kids)

I did one of these posts about 2 years ago when Oliver was about the same age as Josie is now. These day-to-day things are so easy to forget and so I wanted to do another one. This one is a day in the life with two kids (ages 4 1/2 months and 2 1/2 years), complete with blurry iPhone pics. This was a Saturday (yesterday) when Chris was at work. The first weekend Chris went back to work Josie was about 6 weeks old and I was struggling to figure out how to take care of two kids by myself. But now, a few months later, it's much more manageable. It's still tiring but we're finding a bit of a rhythm which is nice.

Josie has been waking up really early lately, between 5-6. Today was no different. She was up at 5:30. She nursed and then Chris took her for awhile since he was up getting ready for work. He left for work at 6:45 and Oli was up shortly after that.

hanging out with me in the bathroom while I shower

The three of us read stories for awhile and then Josie went down for her first nap around 7:30. While Josie was napping Oliver and I had breakfast, played and danced to music, and played pretend. Click below for more.