Let's take a look back at all the fun we had this past month!
Brady and Ashley went swimming for the first time on June 20th. Neither one was overly happy about being in the pool, but they also weren't crying. I considered it a success and plan to try to get them in the pool more this summer.
June 21st was Father's Day, and Eric enjoyed soaking up the snuggles with the babies. He even snagged Brady for a nap on the recliner with him.
June 23rd we had the babies' four month well visit check up. Ashley weighed in at 14 pounds 15 ounces and was 24 1/4 inches long, and Brady was 15 pounds 14 ounces and 25 inches long. We got the second round of all the shots we got at two months, and neither babies were big fans.
That Friday I met Ashley at the Newton pool for a little pool date! Brayden and Ashley continue to be unimpressed with swimming. It was nice to get out and about and soak up some sun.
July 3rd we headed to Brian and Mara's for a little cookout. We even got to see Chad and Erin while we were there!
And on that note, I hope that every baby has an Aunt Erin. I never truly realized how much she loves her nieces and nephews until we had Brady and Ashley. (And how much her nieces and nephewslove her.) She smothers them with cuddles and love, stops by just to see them, and makes the biggest effort to be a solid staple in their lives. It makes me wish that I had been more present in Grant's life when he was younger and before I had the twins, because it's so hard now to just get out and go visit without making it a huge ordeal. We sure won the aunt lottery with Erin (and Nichole too for that matter!). I hope you all enjoyed my PSA for being involved in your nieces and nephews' lives :)
The babies' first fourth of July! Looking all red, white and cute.
On the 5th we went to Mark and Joyce's house for lunch, and the big kids enjoyed some swimming and a slip and slide.
July 10th Eric and I headed to Effingham without the kiddos for a dinner date and to celebrate Justin Heiden's 30th birthday- which turned into an engagement party for him and Sam! I totally called it when I saw him with a little gift bag while he was giving his thank you speech for throwing him the party, but Sam was so surprised and it was so incredibly sweet. We are so so happy for the two of them!
Then Saturday the 11th was Grant's THIRD birthday. Buddy, stop growing up. I seriously can't believe that he is now three years old. Watching him open presents was so fun. Every gift just lit up his face, except when he realized the "pie" that Eric and I got him was just a "pretend pie" (it was a sorting toy). I can't wait to see what this next year has in store for him.
This Sunday the babies took their first big road trip up to Goodfield to visit Kaci and Jason with Doug, Ashley, Travis, and Kendra (and all 12 of our children- soon to be 13!). We got to meet baby Aldridge, soak up the sun and their walking trails, and get in some quality friend time. It was well worth the trip, and the babies both did so good there. We had to make pit stops both there and back for food and diaper changes, but overall I would call the trip a success!
This month we also took some tummy time pictures in the studio. I have only edited these three pictures because let's be honest, my own photos take the back burner to my clients'. And because my children already have photographer child's syndrome and don't smile when they get into the studio.
And then for some more random things that I don't want to forget:
- We are both in size two diapers and are still going through 10-12 diapers a day. We take 5 bottles of 6 ounces each for a total o 30 ounces a day. At least one feeding is formula, but the rest are breast milk. And this month we started adding rice cereal to their bottles one feeding a day as well. Ashley drinks out of a size 2 nipple and Brady is still on a size 1, getting them both done with their bottles at the same time.
- We are wearing six month clothes (some of which are already seeming a little snug around their chunky thighs.)
- According to our scale and measurements at home, Ashley now weighs 15 pounds 4 ounces and is 24 and 3/4 inches long, and Brady is 16 pounds 6 ounces and 25 and 1/2 inches long.
- Our schedule for the majority of this month has been wake up at 7:30, eat and play, naps from 9:15-10:15, wake up, eat, play, naps from 12-1, wake up eat, play, nap from 2:45-3:45, wake up, eat, play, nap from 5:30-6, wake up, eat, play and bed at 7:45. I'm working on stretching their wake times from an hour and 45 minutes to two hours, and maybe lengthening their naps a little again to get rid of that last little cat nap before bed. They are still both champs in sleeping through the night. (I know we are super lucky on that front!)
- Ashley's favorite things this month include putting anything and everything in her mouth. It doesn't matter if it's her squish, her fingers, her brother's fingers, your fingers, your shirt, the burp rag- you name it and it's probably going to find a way to her mouth at some point. Still no teeth coming through but I have to think that they will be coming soon. She has become quite the chatterbox in the last week or so.
- Ashley is also a huge fan of rolling over- although she might not like it once she's on her stomach. She enjoys blowing raspberries and just spitting at you in general. And she loves getting tickled and giving and getting kisses- she seriously thinks that it is the funniest thing ever and just squeals. I think that that little squeal is my favorite thing about her right now. She also quite enjoys being called pretty. That usually elicits a smile out of her pretty quickly.
- Here's a little video of her squeal laugh!
- Ashley still isn't keen on changes to her routine, but she is getting much better about that now that we are out and about a lot more.
- At the beginning of the month, she really hated it when she would roll on to her tummy and be stuck there (although she can roll from tummy to back, she doesn't do it too often). But as she's rolled to her stomach more and more often every day she is getting pretty used to being there. And now when she is tired of holding her head up she'll just lay it down on the floor and be content that way for a while. She is even sleeping most nights on her stomach now.
- Brayden's favorite things this month still include music. This boy lights up when you start singing to him. We found that not only is he a huge fan of nursery rhymes (current favorites include Itsy Bitsy Spider and Patty Cake), he also quite enjoys 90's rap/pop music. Don't believe me? Just sing him the chorus from "Hollaback Girl" and see his face light up.
- And in case you missed me sharing the video on Facebook, please enjoy this video of Brady laughing at Eric saying "Please".
- He enjoys sucking his thumb, and is showing a preference towards his left hand. Brady likes holding onto his toy balls and the squish. He has recently shown a huge interest in his feet and is usually grabbing onto them when I go wake them up in the morning.
- Brayden isn't a fan of waiting on his bottle. When he decides he's hungry he is hungry. He is also not a fan of not being held in the evenings. He craves that extra interaction at that point in the day.
- They are both a fan of diaper changes and bath time. In general they are the crankiest after their last little nap of the day. The last bottle of the day is usually where Ashley decides that she has to check out everything in the room and makes it almost impossible to feed her without getting milk all over the place. Because of this, her cheeks and neck often smell like rotten milk, even though we try to wipe her neck down each night before bed.
- They have both been attempting to hold their bottles while they eat, and when the bottle is low enough they are able to support it in their own hands.
- They like to stand up, and Brayden likes to stomp his feet when he's standing. This kid might go straight to walking! Eric decided to see if they could support their weight and balance while holding onto the ottoman this weekend- and they could both do it for about 5 seconds before losing their balance. How are they getting so big!?
- Brayden still isn't rolling over from back to belly, but he is rolling to his side, so it won't be long before he makes it all the way over.
- They are both reaching for toys in front of them while they are on their bellies. We got this really cool rainbow spinner and they have enjoyed spinning it and watching the colors go round.
- It's been so fun watching their personalities develop as they get older. Brayden is definitely our laid back dude. If you want some post nap cuddles (before he decides he's hungry), he's your man. If you want to sit outside and watch the sunset or the birds chirping, you'd grab Brady. He loves to cuddle and will smile when you sing or make funny faces with him. Ashley is our firecracker. She won't let you sit still for long and gets bored easily. But stand up and walk around with her, show her a new room or a new toy, and she is suddenly content again. Tickles and physical interaction are the way to her heart.
I can't wait to see what this next month has in store for them!
