Adelyne : 18 Month Update

Toddlerhood and up only exists in this house from here on out! I have very much mixed emotions about this! Every new milestone Adelyne hits excites me and breaks my heart just a little bit. She's our last baby and a part of me wants her to stay just that, a baby, forever, and then the frazzled realist in me pipes up and sees we are getting closer to a less demanding life... which this momma desperately needs!

Adelyne recently hit her 18 month milestone and boy has she changed since her 12 month update. She's 22lbs 13oz now and has grown 2.5 inches making her 29.5in tall; she's got 10 teeth (4 molars, 4 up top, and 2 bottom); her hair is long enough to be considered a mullet when its not constantly matted (she's the first one to be blessed...or cursed? with curly hair); and she's in 18m/2T clothes and size 4/5 shoes.

She's started to really vocalize herself and can say: Bubba (milk), water, puppy, hat, go, no (that's her favourite), yep or yah, Dad/Mama, cold, in there, stop, hot dog, and bowl... you know the essentials. She's also started recognizing where her body parts are and can point when asked where her hair, nose, teeth, tongue, bum, belly button, feet, and hands are.

She's feisty as ever and is impatient and demanding for what she wants (bad combo). She's yet to learn the ability to share (she hoards her toys and pounces on anyone who touches them). She's super kind and gentle to animals.  She's a great cuddler (when she sits still...) and gives the sweetest hugs and kisses.

She still loves her food, the more the better, and some faves are apples, kiwi, yogurt, avocado, craisins, rice, mac&cheese, and much to my dismay... hotdogs are her absolute favorite thing. Her favorite things to play with currently are my Ipod, and her sisters Melissa & Doug Folding Princess Castle. Her favourite books are Robert Munsch's "The Paper Bag Princess Board Book" and Sandra Boynton's "Belly Button Book". Other things she loves is stealing grandma's breakfast, hot tub time, and playing tag, Things she's not highly fond of: her car seat, brushing her teeth, and other kids sitting on my lap.

Adelyne : Eleven Months

Adelyne is growing up too fast! Eleven months? I can't even grasp this. Since she's our last I think these moments are hitting me extra hard. Its bittersweet to watch her grow and develop out of the baby stage, it makes my heart hurt, I just want her to stay my small little baby forever.

She now weighs about 18lbs 4oz. She is chasing after her brother and sister. Her latest trick is giving kisses, but only on her terms, letting you know by using her other trick by ferociously shaking her head "no". She's a curious button, always pointing and looking at things in bewilderment (I'm trying desperately to catch it on camera).  And last but not least, this girl knows how to throw a fit, I'm talkin' the sprawled out, head in the floor, legs flailing, complete and usually inconsolable meltdowns, and typically a sure sign she is ready for bed... immediately... go to bed, go directly to bed, do not pass go, do not collect $200.

Adelyne: 8 + 9 + 10 Month Update

Ok I've been really bad with keeping up with Adelyne. I've made mental notes of her development but before I forget I need to get this down!

8 Months: She celebrated her very first easter, not that she really took part haha but she wore her bunny hat like a champ! This month we also battled some sleep training with her, it was awful, this girl is stubborn! But after a few weeks of fighting through the endless crying fits we finally got her routined to three daily naps, an earlier bedtime, going down on her own, and sleeping longer periods throughout the night.

Nine Months: She had a check up with the doctor and weighed in at 16 lbs 12 oz.! That was exciting, I was being really intentional about feeding her lots of healthy full fats (avocados, greek yogurt, peanut butter, etc...), and it paid off. She had slowed down in her growth at her 6 month appointment and I really wanted to get her back on her normal growth curve.  It was also at this appointment we learned that her (and Zachery) have a something called a flow murmur... apparently not a huge concern, but something to watch as she gets older, we are still awaiting a referral to a pediatrician to follow up with it. As for development, it was on her 9 month birthday that she took her very first steps, it was totally out of the blue, and totally awesome! Another little milestone to note is she moved overseas (mainland to island life)... she left the first home she's ever known and is now a small town island girl!

10 Months: Over the course of a month we've watched Adelyne abandon walking for a few weeks and then BAM all of a sudden we have ourselves a wobbly little toddler! She's the cutest little thing chasing after her brother and sister. We've also noticed her little personality developing, she's beginning to assert herself and stand up for herself when her brother or sister mess with her. She's learned to clap, and wave (but usually too late for the moment haha), she grooves her little head around listening to music (hilarious!), she's got an apparent love for animals, and I also swear I've heard her say "bana" when I was giving her a banana. And speaking of food, this girl is a bottomless pit! She eats anything and ALOT of it! Her current favourites are crackers and watermelon. Oh, and we took her on her first vacation, a mini road trip to Penticton!

Adelyne : Six + Seven Month Update

It is almost a daily  occurrence where I am looking at Adelyne amazed and being hit with pangs of sadness because my baby girl is growing so fast! I haven't the foggiest how she went from a squishy immobile newborn to this miniature person who holds her own ...honestly... how?! 

She is now seven months old, half way to eight! Over the past two months she has changed enormously! 

At her six month check up she weighed in at 6.76kg (14.9 lbs) and was measuring 63.5cm (25 in.). She's slowed down a little bit in her growth, but nothing alarming since the two before her are petite themselves. It was one week before her half birthday that she officially started crawling, she was rolling places weeks before, but this is when she finally figured out how to move her legs and hands consecutively to propel herself forward. And by propel I mean it, this girl goes places, she's fast and sneaky! She also started solids around five and half months which she has taken to quite fondly, but thats another post!

Lately she's following in her brothers footsteps and discovered that the floor holds endless possibility of appetizers... we are constantly pulling bits of who knows what outta her mouth! I'll note right now that I vacuum daily... if not twice daily... and she STILL manages to find things! I like to call her hurricane Adie because she's also learned how to pull herself up on things and likes to clear all items from their rightful places, the living room is in a constant state of disaster. fun times. fun times. As for things she struggles with, the big one is sleep, and is as stubborn as mule when it comes to sleeping in her crib, she also has mommy separation issues... its hard some days, I'm a person who desperately needs my own space, too much clinginess throws me over the edge! But on a bright note she continues to love music and will perk right up with bright eyes and smiles when you sing to her... a current fave is "Itsy Bitsy Spider".

Zachery Turns Two : 20 Questions

Our Zachie boy just turned two! TWO! He is still so much of a baby in my eyes that its hard to believe that he's into that official toddler category. Every year I like to document (and eventually ask) what their current favorite things are. It's 20 questions, the same 20 questions every year, as time goes on we'll have something to look back on and laugh at and see how much they change over the years.

You can read his answers from last year here.

 
20 Questions for Zachery : Year Two

1 // What is your favourite color? Blue.

2 // What is your favourite toy? He likes any kind of sports ball, a current fave is his golf ball and hockey stick used a golf club.

3 // What is your favourite fruit? Grapes.

4 // What is your favourite movie? Not that into TV yet.

5 // What is your favourite outfit? Not outfit, but his jacket and shoes are his favourite things to wear.

6 // What is your favourite thing to eat for lunch? Anything, this kid is a bottomless pit!
7 // What is your favourite game?  Baseball or Basketball.
8 // What is your favourite animal? Dinosaurs and puppys.
9 // What is your favourite treat? Welchs Fruit Snacks.
10 // What is your favourite book? A Big Boy Now by Eileen Spinelli (He likes the bikes).
11 // What is your favourite song?  Ring-a-round-the-rosie.
12 // Who is your best friend? Rylee.
13 // What is your favourite drink? Milk, aka "bubba".
14 // What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Olaf, Puppy, Blankie, and now Dinosaur.
15 // What is your favourite thing to eat for breakfast? Yogurt and cheerios.

16 // What is your favourite thing to do outside?  Ride bikes.
17 // What is your favourite word?  Mine and no.
18 // What is your favourite thing to do?  Ride bikes, help cook, and eat.
19 // What is the latest thing you've learned? That a golf ball goes on a tee before you hit it (this, he figured out all by himself!).
20 // What do you want to be when you grow up? Can't answer that quite yet :P

wanna read more 20 Questions... go here! 

Adelyne : Two Months

Our baby girl, Adelyne, is two months old... ALREADY! Time Please Stop. Just Stop.

Time is going too quickly, and I know I say it all the time, but seriously! I love that she's growing and developing but I miss my tiny little smushed up newborn. No more are the womb froggy legs, this girl likes to stand straight legged and really likes it when we help her bounce up and down... my arms however do not (I have pathetically weak arms!). 

At her two month vaccinations she weighed in at 11 lbs, and stands tall at 22 inches. She's starting to give us big toothless grins that could melt your heart in a second. She is able to combat crawl herself forward... I'm honestly in awe of her strength. And she has finally got her nights and days sorted out, she goes to bed at a reasonable hour and sleeps a solid 8−9 hours, it's absolutely amazing!

Zachery // 11 Months Old

I apologize in advance, along with my hiatus from blogging (which inevitably skipped this update...) I also avoided my camera... soooo I don't have many pictures to share from Zachary's 11th month! 

But moving right along... quite literally actually...

This month we saw our little man master the art of walking! He's officially a toddler and very rarely does he go anywhere on all fours anymore. This has added a whole new element of play for Rylee and Zach, and its adorable to watch, and hilarious as Rylee runs away and he just chases her full of giggles totally unaware she's pretending he's the "bad guy"! 

Zachery also had his fifteen minutes of fame with his first christmas show that his daycare put on. He was the youngest one up there and in my opinion the CUTEST, hah! With some help he rang his little bells, he even held his composure as one little girl next to him totally lost it! So fun and cute!

And you can't see him in this picture but we also had a well deserved family day (with some close friends) at the Vancouver Christmas Market! Although I was totally disappointed on the size of the market I was completely happy with the yummy treats we got to try and the merry go round was a sure hit with the bigger toddlers (I'll post some of those pictures soon!).

Zachery // 10 Months Old

Two months to go and we got ourselves a ONE year old!!

Over this past month we saw 4 teeth pierce their way through... 3 in one week (lots of restless nights then I tell ya!). He's got two bottom (they came first), and 1 and half top.

He broadened his tastebud horizons significantly by pretty much eating everything! The standouts were tofu, chicken, noodles, bread, beef, cheese, egg... this kid loves everything! And eats like a horse... not looking forward to the grocery bill of his teenage years!

He dressed up for his first halloween. He was a monster, and a freakin'deakin cute monster I might add (you can see more HERE).

And the big news of this month is that we've seen him take his first wobbly steps. He can stand on his own and has taken up to 4 or 5 steps before toppling over. I've been betting that he'll be walking by 10 and half months and I think I may just win (the satisfaction of being right).

Here is the face of what its like to eat meat (chicken) for the first time.

Eggtastic? Don't judge a book by its cover... he really did like the eggs.

Noodle Head! And check out that head... he had a run in with that rock wall you see in the background.

I've yet to capture him on video but this is him showing off taking a few steps at Ry's birthday party!

Zachery // Seven To Eight

Geez I did it again! Zachery is growing up way to fast and with our move last month I missed his monthly update! Now I just have to remember...

// Seven Months //

Since Zach's last update he mastered the art of crawling and got quite confident in his standing. Using his mouth as his balancer to pull himself up on practically everything, it was funny when I saw him doing it to the coffee table... but when he was in the bathroom and tried to do it to the toilet I wasn't laughing anymore! So gross! 

For his seventh month he had a lot of firsts. For food he tried out sweet potatoes, peaches, pears, and apricots. He had his first camp out when we all slept out on the trampoline. We discovered he loves, and I mean loves the swing. He met his Aunty Dani and now Uncle Sam for the first time. He went to his first wedding (Dani + Sam's). And this isn't a first but he's got another big move under his belt.

// 8 Months //

Yay we're back up to snuff now. Three days ago little man had his eighth month birthday and I know I say it every month, but I just can't believe it! Over this past month he's really developed in his little character by babbling and laughing way more, he's just such a happy guy. I swear I've even heard him say "Dada" but Sevio thinks I'm crazy. Rylee and him have become so cute to watch, they are really beginning to interact together, although at times we really have to teach Rylee the concept of sharing! We finally got him caught up on his 6 month vaccinations and with that we of course got his measurements. He's gone down a bit in weight I presume from his mobility, he's now 15lbs 7oz., and is  just about 26in. long.

Some of his firsts for this month are:

He met his new cousin Layla. He went to some new places, Whiterock + Cultus Lake. He tried yogurt, and carrots...which possibly gave him a full body rash, which was another first. He's also graduated to some more finger foods with cheerios and blueberries. Another big first was he started going to daycare, and I blame Sevio who got the kids in the car too quickly so now there is no "first day of school" picture.  

Looking forward to the next couple months there's teeth and walking coming soon! 

Zachery // Six Months

Well my goodness our little man is already a half year old!

WHAT?!

I can't believe how fast the time has gone! My scrunched up little newborn is no more, Zach is now 17lbs and a tank! Over the last couple weeks he's been on the move, he started with a combat crawl or just rolled to where he wanted to go. As of last week we can officially say he's a crawler, he's figured out all fours and is a go getter and already trying (and succeeding) at lifting himself up on things to the standing position! 

He's been trying out some new tastes with apples, pears, banana's, avocados, and whole grain rice, and oatmeal cereal. I plan on trying some sweet potato and zucchini with him this week and then some lovely summer fruits: peaches, nectarines, and plums! Yum!

These are a few of his favourite things:

• The water! Bath time, pool time, the lake, warm or cold he loves it!
• Anything and everything he can grab to put in his mouth. Tags, blankets, and socks are some of his favourite things to chew on.
• His sister, just watching her jump around gives him the giggles.
• His little wooden Plan Toys Roller, we just discovered this gem while cleaning out the toy chest and thank goodness cause he loves playing with it and of course eating it. The bright colors, little bell inside, and its ability to roll keep him entertained long enough for me to get something done which is SO nice!
• Organic Baby Mum-Mums, you know those cardboard-like little surfboards...aka baby teething rice cracker. I'm finding it's a great distraction for him while he's in the car. Yes, he may not eat much of it (yet) and break it into a million gagillion pieces but anything is better than a crying baby while your driving.
• Being naked.

These are a few things he's not a fan of:

• His carseat, he's getting better but not a day goes by without him having a fit back there. 
• Having a cold (his first cold, and totally teething related I think!)
• Needles (I mean who is?), he's got more catch up vaccinations next week.
• Being held inward facing, or in the nursing position (when not nursing). This kid is not a snuggler but rather an observer, he wants to see the world and all that's going on.

Zachery Turns Five

I've missed a few monthly updates for Mr. Zachery, and low and behold our little man turns five months old this week!

Let me recap the months I missed because they are just as important and when he's this little he seems to be learning and hitting new milestones every week! So lets get to it...

// 3 Months //

I remember this day vividly, it was a stand out kind of day to have your three month birthday on. It was our last day in Chiang Mai, Thailand and we spent most of the day poolside... this is where stand out moment #1 happened. I put Zach down on one of those reclining pool chairs and literally turned for a second to grab the sunscreen out of the bag and "SMACK! .....Waaaaaaahhhhhh", the worst noise a mother can ever hear. Zach rolled.... Zach ROLLED (at 3 months...) off the lounger on to the pool deck. Thank goodness it wasn't high, less than a foot, but it was a hard landing, other than a little scrape on his head our little guy was ok and after some snuggles and "booba" (our family word for nursing) he was right back to his content, smiley self. Stand out moment #2 was that he flew on an airplane for the very first time! We flew from Chiang Mai to Phuket and he was a like a seasoned flyer, we or the other people on the plane didn't  hear one peep out of him the whole flight!

// 4 Months //

Zach weighed in at 6.8 kg (14.9lbs) and spent a majority of his 4th month in the hospital, he wasn't sick, but he stayed with me in Thailand to be with my Dad who had a major accident snorkeling. This was a hard time for our family, we had to split up due to the circumstances, Zach with me and Rylee with Sevio in Canada... talk about long distance relationships! While we were there he became a professional roller, mostly just back to front (this kid loves his tummy time), he learned how to use a soother, and began sitting up on his own. He also met his Grandma (my mom) for the first time ever and got a whole month to bond with her and her alone. It was during this time we learned how great of a joy he is and that his presence through such a difficult time was a true blessing.

// 5 Months //

Our world traveler cleared Canadian immigration and got to reunite with his Daddy and sister on May 19th. Since then he's met just about all of his immediate and some distant family. He survived a road trip over the beautiful Rockies, as we had a conference to attend in Calgary. He's started on "real" food, if thats what you wanna call that lovely mushy rice cereal, and judging by his love for it I think we got ourselves another food lover! He's now 15.8lbs, and just last week he had to get 3 shots to catch up on some of his vaccinations... poor kid wasn't too keen on that. Over this past month we have watched him get stronger and stronger and he is now spinning himself in circles when we put him down, and in the last couple days he's been getting up on his knees and doing the butt wiggle... won't be long now till he'll be on all fours chasing after Rylee! We've also discovered that he loves to be scared...so we've taught Rylee how to do Peek-A-Boo and say Boo and he just erupts into a fit of giggles...honestly the cutest thing ever!

Baby's First Year Infographic

I came across this infographic today on "the Bump" blog and thought I'd share it with all you expectant and new mothers out there. Whether your a first time mom or not this graphic is just fun to look at. This list does a great job of letting you know on a general scale as to what to expect in your child's first year. 

Now obviously it's not set in stone because all kids are different and develop at their own pace. Don't fret if your babe doesn't hit the milestones exactly (unless they are really, really behind), they will in good time, I'll have you know my husband didn't sit up on his own until he was 14 months... and he turned out alright :P

As for our little Zach, he's hitting the 2 month mark pretty much spot on. He's been lifting his head up over a week now, and definitely sucks his fists when he's hungry. He's just beginning to follow objects with his eyes, but not quite consistent in this area...soon I'm sure!

I personally can't wait till around the 6-7 month mark when he's more mobile, interacting with cute baby babble, belly laughs, and beginning to have his first tastes of food. Exciting times ahead! How about  you, do you have a favourite stage? 

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Zachery // One Month Old

Zachery is officially one month old!

I keep catching myself looking at him and saying, "man, he's getting so big!", and it's true! At his check-up on Saturday we learned he has already gained 1.2kg (2lbs 6oz), and grown 2 inches! He's definitely grown out of his scrunched up newborn state and with that extra length it's become quite obvious he's no longer a delicate little infant, but a round squishy baby!

He's staying awake longer now, sometimes way too long! I actually think he's afraid of missing out on something because he fights going to sleep with everything in him! He's also able to lift himself up a bit when on his belly and hold his head up for a few seconds now. He still hasn't thrown up (yay!), but he is still one mean tootin' machine.

His go-to expression is very serious, and inquisical, like he's taking in everything with a lot of thought (note the picture above). Rylee and him are going to balance one another out I think with his quiet thoughtfulness and her rambunctious goofiness. They are so cute together already and I just can't wait till they are actually able to play together, right now its a little one sided with Rylee attacking poor defenceless little Zachery!

Funny story from the past week:

I had just handed Zach over to Sevio and no more than a couple minutes later Sevio had discovered that Zach had sprung a leak! A silent but deadly explosion of runny yellow poop had seeped up his back and all over Sevio's lap... And I mean ALL over! Needless to say it was bath time for both my boys after that incident!

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3 Weeks Old!

Zachery is 3 weeks old today!

I can hardly believe it! Before I know it he's gonna be rolling, crawling, walking, and forever running away from me like his big sister, Rylee! A part of me can't wait for him to get bigger and more playful but another part of me wants him to stay small and cuddly forever.

He's still a little bobble head, but each day his neck muscles are getting sturdier, he's able to hold his head up for a few seconds and look around when he's on his tummy. He's got a few quirks already like he doesn't like to be left alone and if he's awake he wants to be propped up. He's totally a stinky boy with the amount of times he passes gas in a day, but I'll take that over puking every five minutes like Rylee used to!

Rylee so far has been so great with him! In the last couple days she's actually been saying his name, "Ack", rather than, "Baby". She tries to get him to play with her toys, and if I say he can't yet she gets pretty upset... here's hoping by the time he's able to play she'll still want to share her toys! Another funny thing she does is poke his eyelids open when he's sleeping (you gotta watch this kid at all times i tell ya!), she does this because I told her if his eyes are closed she can't play with him...so funny how kids seem to always outsmart us parents!

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Potty Training!

Notice anything unique about this photo?

Notice that smile? The T.P. in her hand? What she's sitting on? 

Ok, ok, it may not be that self explanatory, let me enlighten you to whats going on here. That little girl went pee pee on the potty for the very first time yesterday! She first had a little accident on the bed (yes, the bed!) but we quickly got her to the bathroom and as I was explaining to her that this is where the pee pee goes she went very silent. It was then I realized the real floodgates opened and she was going pee, I called Sevio in and we cheered for her and you could tell how proud of herself she was! It was all very exciting for us and her!

So far potty training has been a complete flop as she has been so uninterested and sometimes scared of the toilet. I've taken to the mentality that when she's ready, she's ready and now that this first milestone has been hit I think I may be right! Since yesterday she wants to sit on the potty every five minutes and gets mad when we try to put a diaper on, so i think it may be safe to say potty training has begun in our house! (Here's hoping we only have one babe in diapers come January)

Got any funny potty training stories? Or tricks of the trade? Would love to hear them!

Flashback

I am still amazed and baffled its been two years since we got to hold Rylee in our arms for the first time (read her birth story here). Since day one I have loved her and as time goes on I love her more and more. She blows me away with how smart she is, how quick she is to learn, how beautiful, how funny, and how much energy and life she has. She's independent, smiley, adaptable, snuggly, silly, and not to mention sassy (I don't know where she gets that from...).

In her first year she learned to roll (4 months), crawl (6 months), and walk (10 months). She got her first two teeth (10 months), rode her first airplane (to Las Vegas), and found her love for food!

In her second year she learned to run and climb (and hasn't stopped since), spoke her first words (sadly da for dog, and dada came before momma), and traveled to 3 countries outside of Canada (USA, Thailand, and Malaysia)... four if you include Guatemala when she was in the womb!

Now on for year 3 of the Rylee adventure...I already know some monumental events to come, like, adding more stamps to her passport, becoming a big sister, and putting sentences together. I'm sure there are going to be many, many, mannnnnny moments she'll amaze us and I look forward to them all.

Last Day of School!

Today is sad day, it's Rylee's last day of daycare! I have really come to love her daycare and I think she has too. It has given her opportunity to learn and grow in ways that she doesn't get from being home alone with her momma. For instance, independence (although I think she comes by that naturally) and developing her social skills by being around other kids her age. She also gets to play with way cooler toys! They have a great outdoor playground with castles, slides, and sandboxes. And indoors they have painting, montessori learning toys, another slide, and so much more! 

I hope, I hope, I hope she can get back into the same daycare if we come back next year for Sevio's fourth year.

Compare & Contrast

Picture on the left is Rylee's second day of school. Picture on the right is today, her last day of school. There is 5 months between, her hair is longer and she's a little bit taller, but as you can see...she's wearing the SAME onsie...haha my tiny little peanut!

Don't forget to follow us on facebook and twitter for photos and updates not posted on the blog.

Little-Big Girl

When I was taking Rylee to daycare this week I had to run back inside and get the camera, she was just looking so darn cute! She turning into such an independent little-big girl walking to the car on her own, even carrying the keys for me. 

Pic of the Day

Oh man oh man, believe it or not those are all Rylee's clothes and they ALL don't fit her!! Whatta chore it is making room for bigger clothes ... I'm so thankful right now that she is a slow grower because if I had to do this on a regular basis I would go berzerk!

Happy Half Birthday!

A couple days ago, on May 10th, Rylee hit a milestone...6 months! As you can see we've been tracking her growth on her nursery wall, since the last marking at 12 weeks old she's grown just about 2 inches!

We can't believe the time has gone by so fast, and that we've managed to keep this fully dependent little human alive! All the sleepless nights and poopy diapers have all been worth it to see this beautiful, smiley, energetic baby grow up healthy and strong!

So far her awesome accomplishments have been learning to crawl, eating solid foods, saying "Da-Da," and the beginnings of her first tooth.

We are so blessed to have Rylee Peyton and look forward to watching her grow and learn lots of new things. I'm excited to see her little personality develop and see what kind of talents and passions she'll have. Her smile melts my heart every time and I can barely remember what life was like without her.