Scarlett and Clark - 6 Months

6 months! I can't believe we're already half way to a year. The big day was actually on the 28th of last month, but we spent the beginning of the month at the lake, so I'm just now getting around to posting. These two had a big month! First real foods, sleep training, first time to child watch at The Y, first time in the pool, first outdoor movie night, first downtown festival. They just roll with whatever we throw their way, and they're pretty happy regardless of how much we change things up.

We have been working really hard toward getting them to a consistent schedule.We have seen defintite progress in the nap department, and our days are now a little more predictable. Most days look like this:

7-7:30am - wake up

9am - nurse and nap

10:30-11am - wake and nurse

1pm - nurse and nap

2:30-3pm - wake and nurse

5pm - nurse possible third nap (if we are out and about they skip the third nap or doze in the car)

7pm -  nurse and bedtime

11pm - wake up for quick nursing session and back to bed

2am - Scarlett is up to nurse, Clark usually sleeps through

5am - possible nursing session and snuggles in bed

As you can see from their schedule, they eat a lot! Pretty much every two hours throughout the day and still a couple times at night. I would love to get down to just the 11pm or 5am feeding, but am not going to push that too much for another month or two. They have tried a handful of fruits and veggies. Avocado, banana, zuchini, apple, and green beans were all tried before we went on vacation. We aren't doing purees and they still are working on figuring out how to sucessfully hold onto their food on their own. I've been giving them whole food, just in small bites and it's working really well so far. Once they get picking up food figured out a little bit better, we will really let them go at it full baby led weaning style. They definitely want to eat. If they are sitting on your lap any you aren't sharing, they get upset. They usually join us for dinner and will occasionally share breakfast.

They are both all about their twin. There is constant face touching, hand holding, open mouth kissing. Any and all types of physical contact. I don't remember H and B being so touchy feely, but that could just be my loss of memory due to sleep deprivation. Their play time usually starts on the floor. Once they tire of the play mats, they move the the exersaucer, jumper, or piano. They rotate between the three, but I think the exersaucer is the favorite for both babies. The bumbos get used occasionally, but mostly sit on the sidelines. They do still use the bouncy seats when I take shower, otherwise they are a thing of the past. They both weigh enough that the one seat almost touches the ground when we put them in it. 

Scarlett

• loves to click her tongue
• has loved all foods except bananas
• is doing much better now that she's on Zantac
• still ruins outfits on an almost daily basis
• loves Harrison best
• goes by Scarlee and Spitty Face (Thank you Harrison)
• weighs 18lbs3oz
• is 26.5" tall
• wears 9 month and 6-12 month clothes
• has almost outgrown size 3 diapers
• has realized the bathtub is a fun place to play with toys
• still wakes multiple times per night to eat, or con me into an all night snuggle fest
• is finally taking naps longer than an hour. 2 or 3 per day
• is putting all of her weight on her legs when practicing standing
• rolls all over the place when she's left on the floor
• thinks dogs are absolutely hilarious
• is starting to have some eye color changes. I'm pretty sure she's going to have mine and Brooke's eyes
• loves Sophie the giraffe
• likes playing with Clark's hair when they are laying next to each other

Clark

• says ma-ma-ma-ma-ma whenever he gets really upset. We figure it's the start of mom or milk
• is pushing up on his arms and rocking
• has a backwards crawl/scoot figured out as a means to move around
• can roll both directions, but will rarely roll from belly to back
• has one chapped finger from frequent sucking
• Weighs 19lbs6oz
• is 27.5" tall
• wears 9 month and 6-12 month clothes
• is ready to move up to size 4 diapers as soon as we finish this case
• puts everything in his mouth. Still no teeth though
• is definitely a mama's boy
• loves Brooke best
• has a nasty case of eczema on his stomach and legs
• goes by Chubby Man and Clarkie 
• wants to sleep on his stomach, but cant quite figure out how to get comfortable
• wakes 1 or 2 times a night depending on Scarlett
• is shying away from using his paci

This age is so much fun! They experience a new first almost every day. In the two weeks since they hit 6 months, so much has already changed. Knowing they could figure out crawling, sprout a tooth, or decide to sleep through the night at any time, makes each day an adventure. These little twinkies are so much fun, and I love getting to help guide them through this journey of life. Happy 6 Months, Scarlett and Clark!!

Brooke and Harrison's Birthday Weekend

A few weeks ago Harrison and Brooke celebrated their 4th birthday. As much as I wanted to plan a big themed birthday bash for them, I knew the timing was against me. I decided to let them plan their own party, which may have been the best idea ever.

When I asked Brooke what she wanted to do for her birthday party, she told me she wanted to have a party at the restaurant with slides. Harrison said he wanted a bounce house party like last year. We settled on a play date on Saturday at the BK Lounge, and a party at our house on Sunday.

Saturday morning H and B had their dance pictures. After pictures were done, we picked up their bestie and were off to the Burger King play place. I've never seen 3 kids so excited about getting to play at BK. Until we got there and there was a set of triplet boys who were even more excited. They played and played, and barely ate their lunch. Brooke still talks about how great it was, so I think they had fun.

For their party on Sunday, I let them plan everything. The decor, the menu, which bounce house they wanted, who to invite. They had so much fun in the party aisles at Target picking out balloons, plates, and party hats. When I asked them what they wanted to eat they said mac and cheese, pancakes, and yogurt. The menu evolved into pancakes for breakfast and a spread of favorites for their party. Panera mac and cheese was the star of the show though. 

It was a little chilly, so the bounce house didn't get used nearly as much as last year. Plus, there were new toys to play with. Regardless, all of the kids had fun and were tired by the end of the day. We did Little Golden Books as party favors, because kid libraries can never be too big. Or at least that what I keep telling myself each time I buy the kids a new book. 

Their actual birthday was on Monday and Robbie had the day off. We loaded up all 4 kids in the van and headed to Indy. We spent the whole day at The Children's Museum, and somehow it went miraculously well. Almost zero tears from anyone. Until the ride home, and then Scarlett let us know she was not happy being stuck in the van.

Tuesday wrapped up the birthday celebration. They received Toys R Us gift cards, so we went to the mall to spend them. While we were there, H and B reminded me that I told them we would do Build a Bear for their birthday. Darn you kids and your stellar memory! ;) New toys, new bears, lunch at Red Robin, and Blondie's Cookies to round out the day. 

I had so much fun celebrating their 4th birthday, and I know they did too. Even though they've only been 4 for a few weeks, there's a whole lot of "when I was 3" or "when I turn 5" talk going on. One day at a time kiddos. If the last 4 years have taught me anything, it's that 5 will be here before we know it.

Scarlett and Clark - 5 Months

Scarlett and Clark turned 5 months over the weekend. They were lucky enough to get to celebrate their monthly birthday at the lake. They were unlucky enough to come down with a cold the day after. They're back to their normal happy selves after a few days of fevers and congestion. They still have a lingering cough, but they're no worse for wear.

If you read their 4 month update, I talked about how they were not doing great in the sleep department and how we were going to start being more strict about night wakings. Well, yeah, we're no more strict now than we were a month ago. They both still sleep in rock and plays next to our bed and come into bed to nurse a few time per night. I know that it will benefit all of us if we do some light sleep training, but I have been hesitant to do it. I've been putting it off while we get Scarlett's tummy issues under control. 

The good news is I think we're on the right track with her. After 5 weeks of dairy and soy free for me, she was still having issues. We got her on Zantac which seems to be helping quite a bit, when we can get her to swallow it. S and C are both taking probiotics once a day too. We used BioGaia with H and B and are using them again with S and C. We still have blow out city with both babies on a daily basis, so we're by no means out of the woods when it comes to digestive issues. We are better off than we were a month ago though, so we'll take small wins where we can get them.

I had, and still have, every intent of doing baby led weaning and mostly skipping purees. I had zero interest in doing rice cereal, but in hopes of eliminating the multiple daily wardobe changes, we decided to give it a go. The verdict? We now have blowouts that smell like rice ceral. They seem to enjoy it though, so we're sticking with it at least for a little while. We have also done teething crackers, which they really like.

Play time still consists of a lot of time on their play mat. Now that they are rolling over and enjoy tummy time, they will happily spend 30 minutes on the floor. The exersaucer and jumperoo see lots of action too. They are finally supporting themselves enough thst they don't need a blanket to help them hold their torso upright while bouncing around. The Bumbos are mostly used when we are outside. They like them, but not for extended periods of time. Their favorite is when Harrison and Brooke play with them. The big kids aren't exactly gentle, so playtime between the 4 of them is still somewhat limited. They got to go for their first ride in the big stroller last week. I think I was more excited than they were, but they did enjoy it.

Scarlett

• is rolling over from back to belly and belly to back
• has discovered the joys of sleeping on her side and stomach during nap time
• is all about her feet, but hasn't figured out how to get them to her mouth yet
• weighs 16.8 lbs
• is wearing 6 month and 6-12 month clothing
• is trying to sit up when in a reclined sitting position
• is definitely teething, but no signs of actual teeth yet
• is mostly bald, but has one 4" long hair on her head
• falls asleep quickly as long as she has her hippo. Her naps rarely last longer than 30 minutes though, and she's very good at waking up her brother

Clark

• thinks Jules is hilarious. He laughs whenever he catches sight of her
• is rolling from back to belly
• loves sleeping in. He very often falls back to sleep in the morning, and doesn't wake until after 9am
• kicks his legs like crazy when he's trying to fall alseep. I'm not sure if he's trying to soothe himself or if he has a minor case of RLS
• is so chill. He doesn't cry often, so if he starts wailing, we know he means business. 
• can still squeeze in 6 month clothes, but is mostly in 9 month and 6-12 month clothes
• weighs 18.2 lbs
• constantly has his fingers in his mouth and is a drool machine. No teeth yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if they show up any day.

Both babies are so happy all of the time. They have the best personalities, and they light up our world. They love their big brother and sister even when a dirty foot is being put on their face for the 47th time in one day.  They humor me by smiling when I sing ridiculous made up songs. ("Oh, Put Your Jammies On" sung to the tune of "Laffy Taffy" is a definite favorite) Their faces light up when they see their daddy for a 3am diaper change. We are so lucky to have these happy little monkies in our lives. They may be a lot of work, but they sure do brighten our days.  Happy 5 months, Scarlett and Clark!