Miss Kate is 4 months!

 I had good intentions of doing a 2 month post for Kate and obviously never got around to it because she is 4 months old as of yesterday.  I'm doing a horrible job of recording all of Kate's milestones and cute little things that she does so I'm gonna do my best to remember them.

At 2 months:
For the first couple of weeks of Kate's life she had her days and nights a little confused.  She would sleep so much in the day that she had a hard time going to sleep for the night until around 2am.  And then it was hard getting her back to sleep when she'd wake up for a feeding.  She slowly figured it out and now sleeps much better at night.  FEW!

Kate first smiled at me when she a little over a month old.  She has the most adorable little dimples that are going to steal a man's heart someday.

She isn't a huge fan of her carseat.  She isn't like Trey who pretty much slept away the first few months of his life in that thing.  It was a lifesaver.  For Kate, not so much.  She often will cry in the car.
Kate was born with "stork bite" on her forehead.  It gets really dark when she cries or is pooping. :)  The doc says it will most likely go away by the age of 2.

If you talk to Kate for long enough she will usually start cooing back at you.  She loves when give her attention and talk to her.

Kate has had a few 8-10 hour stretches at night which is amazing for a 2 month old, but alas, like every good thing, it doesn't last.  But I can't complain.  She is generally a really good sleeper and will only wake up once or twice in the night.  

She got her first cold when she was 3 weeks old.  Poor thing could hardly breathe, but we got through it and she was such a trooper, didn't complain much.

Kate LOVES bathtime.  She has only cried once when she has been bathed and that was the very first time.  She isn't so much a fan when we take her out and get her dressed.

She doesn't like to have a messy diaper.  She cries if she's poopy for long.

Kate loves to be cuddled and loves to be held, but can also be pretty content for long periods of time without being held.  She loves her swing and spends a lot of her day in there.  When we are out and about Kate mostly hangs out in the bjorn since she only lasts for a short period of time in her carseat.  But she sleeps great in the bjorn so I don't mind.

2 Week Stats:
Weight ~ 10 lbs 2 oz.  90%
Height ~ 21 3/4" 90-95%
Head ~ 15"  90%

2 Month Stats:

Weight ~ 13 lbs 3 oz.  90%
Height ~ 24" 90%
Head ~ 16 1/4"  90%

Kate at 1 month

2 Month pics

Almost 3 months...

3 Months

Almost 4 months...

 

At 4 months:

Kate is such a joy to have around.  She is so easy going and will just go with the flow.
I don't have Kate on any sort of schedule.  I kept debating whether I should put her on one, but have enjoyed so much not having to stress over any sort of schedule that I don't know if I could go back.
She sleeps when she's tired, eats when she's hungry, and goes to bed whenever I feel like putting her to bed.  It's kind of nice.  With Trey I was always worried about when he needed to wake up, when he needed to go to sleep, and how often I needed to be feeding him.  I kind of like the no schedule thing.  It works for her.
Kate is such a smiler.  It doesn't take much to get her to smile.  Especially if you're her mom! :)
The best word I can think of to describe Kate is SWEET.  She really is the sweetest little thing.  And most people who have met her will tell you the same thing.
Kate has just started blowing bubbles and making noises with her tongue.  I often can get her to mimick me and it is pretty darn cute.
Kate was born with a clogged tear duct in her left eye.  I felt like I was constantly having to wipe it with a warm washcloth to clear all the goop out of her eye.  It would get a lot worse when she was sick.  I kept wondering how long it would take to unclog and a couple days after I got back from Utah I noticed it was better.  Yahoo!!
Kate LOVES to have a soft blanket next to her face when she is going to sleep.  She nuzzles her little head right into it and will often go right to sleep.  I'm so glad I figured that trick out so early on!  Occasionally I get nervous because she will often have her whole face covered by the blanket, but that's just how she likes it!
She hasn't been very consistent with sleeping at night (I guess that's what I get when I don't put her on a strict schedule)  But I'm not going to complain because she always goes right back to sleep.  She typically has her long stretch first (anywhere from 6-8 hours) and then will do either one or two 3 hour stretches after that.  I hate to admit it but I've currently kicked Jeff out of our bed and replaced his spot with Kate, we got sick of having the pack and play shoved in the corner of our room for showings so she's now in my bed until we move and have an actual room for her.  I kinda like my sleeping buddy... for now.  (It's weird because Trey never slept in our room past day 2 of being home from the hospital, funny how things change from kid to kid)
I've been lucky (knock on wood) getting Trey and Kate to nap around the same time.  It has been my only sanity during the day if I can at least have a break or (most of the time a nap) sometime during their naps.
Kate generally takes a 3-4 hour nap during the middle of the day sometime and then 2 or 3 other shorter naps that range from a half hour to an hour.
Kate loves when I put her in the baby bjorn.  It has been a lifesaver with a toddler!
She is good at taking a bottle (again, knock on wood) as long as you make sure it's warm enough!  She's a stinker about the temperature!
Kate loves her binki.
Still not a fan of the carseat or driving in the car.... 
Still loves her baths....
And loves her older brother.  She is pretty entertained by him.
Her first airplane ride she was 3 months old and she did great!  Slept the majority of the time.
Got another blasted cold right before she was 3 months.  I'm blaming it on her older brother!
Overall, Kate has been such a joy to have around.  She has definitely been easier than Trey was in a lot of ways.  Don't get me wrong, she has her fussy moments for sure... but then, what baby doesn't!?

4 Month Stats:  (still waiting on this)
 Weight ~ 15lbs 8 oz.  (80-85%)
Height ~ 25 1/4"  (85%)
Head ~ can't remember but I know it's in the 95%

My friend Carlee captured this picture one day and I just LOVE IT!!
I mean... seriously!?!?

Best attempt at 4 Month Photos...

I've decided it's nearly impossible to get them both looking and smiling at the same time... I need a camera that takes pictures faster than a point a shoot I guess...

 AND.... this is the point where my camera died.  Literally.  Dead.  Guess it's time to get that new camera.... ;)  (I WISH!)

 

gotta love the phone pics.

Kate appears to be so serious in most of these photos but she really is a smiley baby, I just have a hard time getting it on camera!

The BIG 2!!

Well I'm just getting around to Trey's 2 year post.  I'm starting to wonder if I will ever catch up.

Some things I want to remember:

Trey is such a good older brother.  I worried about how he would change when Kate was born, but aside from a few more tantrums and an occasional jealousy, he really has adjusted better than I expected.
He is so cute with Kate and is very protective of her.  He tries to give her her binki when she is crying or will even share his favorite blankets with her.  He has never been rude to Kate or intentionally hurt her.  If he does accidentally throw a ball at her head or perhaps land right on top of her while she's sitting in her carseat (this has happened on more than one occasion) he always feels so bad and is so quick to say I'm sorry. (In sign language of course)  He loves holding Kate and thinks it's so funny when she smacks his face or touches any of his toys when she's laying by him.  I'm excited for the stage when they can actually play together!
Trey is one smart kid.  He understands way more than we give him credit for.  We are often surprised at the amount of things he seems to understand.  Now if we could only get him to talk!
Speaking of talking.... he is one stubborn little boy and despite our many efforts, he refuses to talk.  It is getting frustrating for both him and us because it is resulting in a lot of whiny behavior.  I'm convinced Kate is going to talk before he does!
Trey still likes to be rocked before bed.  His bedtime routine consists of a bath, a couple of stories, and then Jeff or I will rock him for a couple of minutes while we sing to him.  Then if we are lucky, he goes to bed without waking up 2 or 3 more times for us to put back on his socks, give him ANOTHER drink of water, sing him ONE MORE song, or tell us that he has peed in his diaper.  Yeah, we understand way too much considering he doesn't talk!  And he is learning far too early how to delay his bedtime.  He's a stinker, and we are suckers!
Trey LOVES puzzles.  He is so good at them too.  I really can't believe how fast he picks up on things.  He can put together 24 piece jigsaw puzzles all by himself, unless you are sitting by him and then he acts like he doesn't know how to do it.
He still has an obsession over trucks and buses.  We finally got him to sit in the firetruck at the fire station for the first time!  He was pretty excited about it.  And every time we see a bus he tells us that he wants to go on it by pointing to himself and then pointing to the bus.
Trey is very particular about things, probably a little OCD at times.  He puts things back just like he found them, he doesn't like to be messy or have a runny nose, he has a certain cup for certain drinks, he is very orderly when he puts away his toys and books,  he has a set routine at night just the way he likes it.  For example: he won't get in bed unless he has socks on (he gets mad if we don't put socks on after he gets dressed too), he wants you to have his blankets a certain way when you rock him or he won't lay down (2 on one shoulder, one on the other), and then is particular about the way you put his blankets on him when you lay him down (he wants all of his blankets on him and then will take certain ones off when you leave the room).
The other night we got a babysitter and left her with no instructions on how to put him to bed because we figured we'd just put him to bed when we got home to save the babysitter the hassle.  She ended up bathing him and putting him to bed anyway and relied solely on Trey's instructions.  He told/showed her everything to do just the way he likes it and she understood him.  We had quite the laugh when we got home.  We don't always give in to all of his commands and will often try and convince him otherwise, but sometimes it's just not worth the fight.

We love our little guy and all of his weird quirks, especially when he showers us with all of his hugs and kisses.

Trey's stats at his two year appt:
Weight ~ 31 lbs  80%
Height ~ 36 1/4 in  90%
Head ~ 20.5 in above 95%

 Pictures from February:

I found Trey like this in both of these pictures.
I laughed pretty hard when I saw that he had climbed in Kate's swing.

Love the sleeping photos

Pictures from March:
Trey went through a phase where he was REALLY into cars.  He would line all of them up often and always be carrying his two favorite (of the day) in his hand.  He still likes them but doesn't play with them as much.

Still loving basketball...

Trey on his Birthday.
I can't believe how big he's getting!

Trey 2 years and Kate 2 months

This was the best picture I could get.
Kate looks like she doesn't have any ears.  Oh well.

Random pics over the past couple of months:
(taken from my phone so not the best of quality)

Apparently I should have bought this playmat for Trey....

So far the terrible 2 phase has had it's ups and downs, but overall our little guy is so much fun.  He makes us laugh on a regular basis and really is pretty obedient.  He does have his fair share of tantrums and quite often has his whiny moments (but I'm attributing that to the fact that he doesn't talk).... crossing our fingers that he figures it out soon!  We truly couldn't ask for a better kid!  We love him to pieces!!

Friends come to town

Our friends came to visit us for a few days last week.

We had a great time together and are so glad they made the long drive from Indianapolis to come see us!

They got here Sunday evening around 6 and we had dinner and then headed up to Mt. Washington to show them the view of the city.  I wonder how many pictures I have from all the visitors we have taken to this spot.

The kids enjoyed watching Baby Einsteins with Kate... who'd a thought?

Monday morning we took the kids to the science museum.

We came home for naps, cleaned our house for a showing, and then met up with them at there hotel.
We grabbed a bite to eat and headed back to the hotel to swim.

(Notice our child standing outside the pool?  He has decided he doesn't like swimming and was perfectly content to stay on the sidelines and throw the ball back and forth to Jeff.)

Tuesday morning we took them to Schenley Park, and then they took a tour of the Cathedral of Learning while we came home and put our kids down for a nap.  The rest of the day we hung out here... ate some dinner, took a walk, and then they hit the road.

Don't think a park is just for kids.... we had fun with these things!

These two were so cute together.  I think Trey may have found himself a little girlfriend!

Trey had a blast with all of their kids.  I'm glad we were able to spend some time with them before we move!  Thanks for coming guys!

These past few months have flown by!

 We've kept busy the past few months...

{A lot of the photos were taken by my phone and is the reason for all of the blurry pictures}

We took Trey bowling for the first time.  It was fun, but a little more money than we wanted to pay for such a quick game.

We've gone to the Science Museum a number of times over the past few months.  Trey seems to be quite entertained.

Celebrated passing boards by a night out with our friends at Chili's
(forgive the horrible phone pics)

Lots and lots of basketball games... Trey seriously gets so excited when we tell him we get to go watch Daddy play basketball.  He loves it and will actually watch a good portion of the game.
He even cheers when they make a shot!

 We watched his intramural games on Tuesday nights and church ball games on Saturday mornings.
It's a bummer basketball season is over.  I also enjoyed going to his games.

Trey's little basketball buddy...

Speaking of buddy... how cute is this pic!?

Trey is really going to miss Mr. C.  They've become good friends over the years... good enough that they don't always get along great when it comes to sharing toys, but they really do love each other. :)

Play dates at the park and riding bikes with all of his little friends.
(They are all trying to "jump" in this picture)

Jeff and I went to the Chris Daughtry concert when my mom was in town and able to watch the kids.

We also finally got to see Hunger Games.  Didn't disappoint.

We took Trey to a bounce house and met up with some of his friends.  What appears to be a lot of fun was NOT.... for Trey.  He was such a stinker.  This kid has some real fears, and apparently the slides at the bounce house was one of them.  I'm tellin you though.... this would have been a dream for me as a kid!
{this just gives you an idea of what it was like there}
fun right!?

 And although I did get a smile in this picture, this was not his typical reaction to coming down the slides.  He would practically be shaking!

 Once we'd get down (because we could only force him to go if we'd go down with him), I'd say, "weee!!  that was fun!  should we go again!?"  and he'd look at me with wide eyes and shake his head no as fast as he could.  so funny.

 Instead Trey stayed in his comfort zone.... all by himself.
Go figure.

We put our house up on the market in March and cleaned one too many times for all the showings.  I was about to lose my mind.

The good news is we finally got an offer and we're crossing our fingers it all works out!!

When the girls are away, the boys will play!

Jeff was such a good Daddy while Kate and I were in Utah.
I was worried Trey was going to be sad that Kate and I were gone and wonder why I took Kate with me and not him.  But I don't know if he even gave it a second thought.
He loved hangin with his Dad!

Jeff had the whole weekend planned for him and Trey.

They played basketball at the church...
Went to a dollar movie...

(Apparently they pretty much had the theater to themselves, so Trey decided he'd go up and sit a couple rows ahead of Jeff)
He lasted about an hour and that was enough Alvin and the Chipmunks for him!

They went to the Natural History Museum...

Jeff claims his favorite part of the museum was the school buses they saw on their way out that were there for a field trip.  That kid loves school buses!  Every time we see one he wants to get on it.

He took him to the zoo...

They went to Taco Bell... (a new favorite for Trey)
Played more basketball...
Washed the car...
And did whatever it is that boys do...

No wonder he didn't give me a second thought!
He was having too much fun!

Jeff took this picture of Trey in nursery.
I love it!

I guess I need to leave the kids with Jeff more often!
Although I'm not sure they'd want to stay home with me anymore after a weekend like that!

My kids are lucky they have such a great Daddy.
I chose wisely. :)