Allison: 8 Months

8 months with Allison and she shows us more and more every day how quickly she is growing up. Only four months months and we hit the big O.N.E.

This girl reeeeeeeeeeally wants to move. Any time she is on her tummy she is pushing up onto all fours. She hasn't figured out what to do once she gets there, but I think this might be the month we have a crawler! I'm pretty positive at this rate we are going to skip the army crawls and go straight to hands and knees crawling. I really thought she would army crawl this month. She will reach with everything she has to try to get something, but she hasn't got the arms and legs going. She can turn around in circles and push herself backwards, but no forward motion as of yet.

She still enjoys baby crunches and putting everything in her mouth. She is sitting for pretty long periods of time, and only gets upset when she can't figure out how to lay back down. Though I've looked over and seen her back on the ground after I had sat her up, so she's working on it. If she isn't on her belly when she's on the floor, she's grabbing at her toes and pulling her socks off any chance she gets. 

We have hit the purees hard this month with her and she is loving eating like the big kids. Veggies have been her favorites- carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans. She tends to eat those better than fruits. She is not a fan of anything mixed with a meat. It's a pretty hard no from her after a bite or two- shaking that head no, batting the spoon away, and pursing those lips closed. We've tried to give her a few whole foods too, but so far they only place those have gone has been the seat of her high chair ha!

Allison has had her second tooth pop through on the bottom left side. And I swear she is starting to wave. When she is on her tummy I've seen her lift one arm up and wave it back and forth at me. Whether it's a real wave or not is still to be determined. 

Favorite toys this month include the wipes container, a soft book, and her sensory play board. She is still a fan of the jumper and loves being able to see what everyone is doing. She has really enjoyed being outside and going for stroller rides. Which is great because we spend lots and lots of time outside! She also enjoys sticking her tongue out at you, and thinks its so funny when you stick yours back out at her. 

Dislikes this month include the snot sucker and not being able to reach or get to what she wants. 

Allie was in six month clothes almost the entire month, but I did just get out her nine month clothes. She is wearing size three diapers. She drank 30 ounces almost the entire month, but here at the end of the month she got super congested and basically refused to eat. She was leaving 2-3 ounces in almost every bottle, so I brought her bottles back to 5 ounces instead of 6 while we were going through that phase. She seems pretty back to normal so we will bump those back up to six ounces again now. 

We switched up when her bottles were a bit to accommodate feeding her food in the evenings. So now she gets them at 6:30, 8:30, 12:30, 3:30, and then 7/7:30 ish. We've dropped her down from three naps to two naps, one around 8:30 and one around 1, but boy is she struggling by 6ish and needs some distraction to make it over that last hump and not fall asleep. She also had a stint this month where she got up at 5 every morning for like a week- thankfully that is over now! I know I shouldn't complain because we've been blessed with the best sleepers, but man that was rough on the weekends haha.

Allison weighs about 17 pounds and is about 26.5 inches long. She was all decked out in green for her first St. Patrick's Day. No pinches for this little cutie. 

Here's to another month of fun!

Allison: 7 Months

Allison is seven months old! This month was a little more laid back than the last few, but Allie didn't let that stop her from showing us how big she is getting. 

This month her first tooth has popped through! I still haven't managed to get a good picture of it, but its on her bottom right side. 

Allie started sitting unassisted this month. She can't stay sitting for too long before she topples to one side or the other, but she's loving feeling like a big kid.

Speaking of feeling like a big kid, this girl is ready to move. She can turn herself all around, and she's been doing a little scooting forward to get what is just out of her reach. She's started to try to push up to all fours. It won't be long until she is fully on the move!

She celebrated her first Valentine's Day with lots of love from her siblings and mom and dad. She's definitely stolen our hearts. 

One of my favorite funny quirks that Allison does that I've never noticed any of our other kids do is what I like to call "baby crunches". She will lift her head and shoulders up off the ground almost like she is trying to sit up from laying on her back. Girl will have abs before I do ha!

We are wayyyyy behind on food with her, but I did give her a banana to try this month! She is undecided on real food for the time being. 

Favorites for Allison this month include the jumper, the wipes container, anything she can chew on, and being able to see what everyone is doing. She loves giving daddy kisses, and pretty much acts like she's never given kisses in her life when I try to get her to give them to me. And she has the absolute cutest little giggle.

Dislikes include the snot sucker. Aside from that, I really can't think of much else she doesn't like except maybe feeling "left out" if she isn't in the action. 

Allison is in size 6 month clothes, though some of them are getting a little snug, so I'm guessing we will be moving up soon. She is in size 2 diapers, but we are almost out and only have size 3 at the house, so we will be moving up in those too! She's still taking 30 ounces a day, and at this point she is able to hold her bottle on her own, though she would still prefer you do it for her. Her sleep schedule has remained the same as last month too. She weighs 15.6 pounds and is about 26.25 inches long. 

Here's to all the exciting things this next month has in store for Allison!

Brayden and Ashley: Five Years

Just recently I was complaining about the ridiculous amount of laundry that we have and how it never stops. (Like seriously, when will it ever stop!?) Eric was quick to tell me that it was better than the alternative, no laundry at all. And while I really wanted to just wallow in my pity party, it took me back to just over five years ago when I would have given anything in the world to have the laundry I have now. 

And then, five years ago, it happened. The start of all the laundry. All the love. All the tears. And laughs. And screams. And cuddles. 

The most beautiful sound we had ever heard happened. The tiniest newborn cries of Brayden and Ashley.

I'm not sure how five years have gone so quickly. I mean for crying out loud they had to have just been born like last week, right? And yet, I often find it hard to remember what life was like before they were here. 

Our big five-year-olds. A whole hand big. 

Let's start with Brayden, since he bested Ashley out for the oldest child by one minute. (Probably to make up for the fact that Ashley hogged the majority of the room in my stomach for the duration of my pregnancy.) This kid has the biggest heart I've ever seen. He is such a lover, and is the best brother to his sisters. He often tells me that I'm the "best mommy ever", and loves to give Allie kisses any chance he gets. 

 

His big heart can leave him with some big emotions. He hates doing something wrong and you being disappointed in him. He doesn't often get angry, but he can give up pretty quickly if he doesn't get something right away. 

He loves his boys nights with daddy. And ice cream and a trip to the park is what makes him the happiest. And maybe a trip to McDonald's ha!

He prefers going by Brady instead of Brayden. He is really interested in drawing/art and loves building things. He has recently gotten into building ramps with his magnatiles for hotwheels cars, but also enjoys using them to build the coolest towers and robots. He got new legos for Christmas and has loved building with those too.

His favorite shows are Spidey and His Amazing Friends and Paw Patrol. He loves him some sour patch kids as a snack. And if we are having pizza for dinner, he has to have Totino's party pizza instead of our typical Tombstone one. He is a morning person and is often the first one out of bed on the weekend, and already acts too big for hugs and kisses from mom in public (though he is the biggest lover/snuggler once we are home). 

And Ashley, our firecracker. Just in the last few months she has just seemed so big, even more so than Brayden somehow. She's really lost her "toddler" look and is looking more and more like a big kid every day. When she wears her hair up, I swear she looks 10. 

Ashley is much slower to get up in the morning, and usually requires me taking her covers all the way off and coming in to get her up again about 5 times in the morning before she is up for school. We are in it with this one when she's a teenager I feel. But while she may be slower to wake up, she is definitely ready to do all the things. She's been in a dance/tumble class this year where she didn't know anyone, and that has really helped bring her out of her shell and give her a little more courage to try new things. 

While Ashley doesn't resemble Eric quite like Brady does, she does take after his love of all the music. She has definite favorite songs- Call Me Maybe, Party in the USA, Shake it Off, Believer, Burn it Down, just to name a few. If there's a song that she likes but doesn't know the words, she will have me play it two or three times in a row so she can try to learn them.

She loves to draw/color and do arts and crafts. She loves when I paint her nails and likes to tell me how to do her hair in the morning. Favorite shows include Spidey and Paw Patrol, and she is also a big fan of Sour Patch Kids as a snack. She used to call McDonald's "Old McDonald's", but has already stopped doing that and it definitely makes Eric and I sad. 

 

Ashley is a lot quicker to tell a lie so she doesn't get in trouble, and has a little more attitude than her brother. But she is also the biggest helper to me, especially with Allie and Katie, and loves with all her heart. 

Brayden and Ashley, the last five years with you have been the best years of our lives. And while you may drive us crazy, you also remind us to slow down, to cuddle more, to play more, and to love more. We couldn't imagine what life would be like without the two of you in it, and we are so excited we get a front row seat to continue watching you grow!

Allison: Six Months

Six months with this beaut, it doesn't seem possible! I really thought that all these milestones would hit me hard knowing Allison is our last, but I'm doing surprisingly well with them. I guess it's just because Allie makes life so fun, and I'm so looking forward to seeing how she keeps growing in the months to come. 

This past month was a big one! She celebrated her first Christmas, which I blogged about here.

She rang in 2025 at my mom and dad's house while Eric and I were at a wedding, but we enjoyed celebrating on the 1st with her and the rest of the kids.

And Allie also experienced her first snow! I don't know that any of her body actually touched the snow, but she sure looked like the cutest little marshmallow laying in it. 

She's learned so much this month! She's discovered her toes and likes to grab at those. She has also discovered her tongue and has started blowing raspberries at you. She is loving exploring all the textures, and her little fingers scratch on everything that she sees. A favorite of hers right now is grabbing at your face when she is close to you. 

She pretty consistently rolls quickly to her belly when you put her on her back, so she's started sleeping on her belly at night.  She usually falls asleep on her back, but by morning (or the end of nap) she is more often than not on her belly. 

She loves a bottle, and likes to help you hold it when she eats. If you are carrying her when you grab her bottle she is also trying to shove it in her mouth before you can get sat back down!

She also loves being talked to or sung to. She puts everything in her mouth. She is really enjoying her jumper and loves chewing on the butterfly wings on that. She pushes up really high on her arms when she is on her tummy, and I've seen her even get her belly up off the floor at times. She really kicks her legs when on her belly too, so you can tell she is ready to move. She is starting to roll to get where she wants to go. There are definitely times when I'll look over and she's rolled herself off of her blanket.

As far as dislikes, at the beginning of the month she didn't like getting "stuck" on her belly. I know she doesn't like when she spits up when she is on her tummy. But if I wipe it away she is usually happy again. She also isn't a fan of not being able to see what's going on. If you get her up and in the action she will cheer right up. But we can't complain, she isn't sad often.

She is in size 2 diapers and six month clothes. She is taking five 6 ounce bottles for a total of 30 ounces a day. She gets up around 6:30, is up for 2 to 2 and a half hours between naps. She takes 3 naps a day, and goes to bed sometime between 8 and 8:30.

She is about 26 inches long and weighs about 15.2 pounds. At her six month doctor's appointment (on the 27th), she measured in at 26.25 inches long and 15.3 pounds.

I can't believe we are only six months until our baby turns O.N.E. Here's to all the fun that is to come!