Spring - Lots of Firsts!

Yikes!! Spring sure is flying by. A lot has been going on here - let's see if I can remember it all:

This is our kids at the local Easter Egg Hunt with the bunny. Gray didn't participate in the hunt of course, but Nora had a good time. The poor girl always hunts eggs and ends up with almost nothing but chocolate (which she doesn't like). But she still had a ton of fun and ate all the Tootsie Rolls in her eggs. ;)

Nora and I took Gray swimming for the first time a few weeks ago. This rec center that we were at is great for first timers: it has a zero-entry pool that is a good temperature. We took Gray on his fifth-month "birthday". Nora hated baths, and the first time I took her to this pool she cried and cried. Grayson loves his baths, and the first time he went to the pool he had a GREAT time. I thought he was going to cry at first, but he ended up liking it. Yay!!

Nora had some weird sickness last week that left her with a low-grade fever and a nauseated belly. This is her "feeling better" face. ;)

Even though she didn't feel one-hundred-percent just yet, she still wanted to go to her first soccer game. The above photo is her pre-tears. :) She ended up crying about "not getting a turn to kick the ball" but after one of the coaches set her up to score a goal, and she got her after-game popsicle, all was well. ;) The poor kid - we tell her to share all the time, so she doesn't really get that in soccer you can go take the ball away from other kids!

The weather around here has been great for the past few days, so we have been spending a lot of time outside. Grayson loves to be outside and put his feet in the grass. Nora has been playing with new spring toys - the above photo is of her doing her ring toss. ;) We also took our first family bike ride yesterday - a super short one, just to try it out and see how everyone would do. It has been gorgeous lately!!

And then of course today is opening day! We all have our Cardinals gear on. Nora gets to go to a game this weekend, so that will be fun for her. It's only her second game ever!

So that's what we have been up to lately. Until next time . . .

Gray's 5 Month Update

Gray is 5 months old! Hooray!

I had to show you a photo of his hair. It's falling out in odd places, and it's so funny and cute! If he's anything like his sister, that will change by the time he's 9 months or so, but for now it's the first thing everyone comments on. ;)

Gray is doing very well. He's still growing like a weed and this past month most of his 6 month clothes became too small. He now wears only some of his 6-9 month clothes, all of his 9 month clothes, and size 3 diapers. What a growing boy! I have no idea how much he weighs since we didn't go to the doctor this month, but I am guessing 18-19 pounds at least.

This month his PERSONALITY is showing through! He loves to talk and SMILE all. the. time!! He chews constantly on his toys and hands (but no teeth yet). I think he chews often to get a feel for textures that he likes. He's a really go-with-the-flow kind of kid who rarely gets riled. This past month he started to have a little stranger anxiety, but it seems to have mostly gone away already. He does like to smile and talk at people and then bury his face into mommy and act shy.

He consistently is taking three naps per day. Usually the first is really short, followed by a long 3-hour nap around lunch, and another short one at the end of the day. It's odd, but it works for him! ;) He also sleeps about 11 hours each night, straight through. He truly is an excellent night-sleeper. I haven't had to get up with him at all this month at night (*knock on wood*). Sometimes his nap schedule gets messed up, and he just goes with it - he's not one I have to worry about being RIGHT on schedule every day. That's been REALLY nice!

He continues to explore baby food this month. He is not a fan of vegetables, just like his sister. He loves pears, apples, and bananas - just like his sister! In fact, so far they both hate peaches and carrots too. *sigh* What is it like to not live with picky eaters?? Anyway, he eats a lot and will at least try anything once. He eats three times per day already, and nurses 4-5 times per day (usually just 4). He takes 6-8 ounces every time he has a bottle!! WHOA! He's also eating much faster. This next month we are going to start weaning him from the breast . . . I think. ;) I go back and forth about it. I'm not entirely ready to give it up since Grayson loves to breastfeed and I am not in a hurry to stop. So we'll see. I may wait until May. Who knows!! Right now he's so darn flexible and will take a bottle of formula or a bottle of breastmilk or breastfeed with no issues. He truly is an easy-peasy child to get along with. ;)

He loves to play on the floor and has been spending more time on his belly. He rolls easily from front to back, but isn't really interested in rolling from back to front (although he has almost done it several times.) He likes to be on his side, and moves himself at 90 degree angles on both his front and back. He's such an easy-going kid - he will play by himself on the floor for a half hour, or sit in his exersaucer and talk to me while I make dinner. He also still likes his baby rockers, so I put him in there at least once per day. When we play together he likes to lay on his side and I will lay on my side and we will "talk" to each other, or I will hold him while he practices sitting up. He recently launched a toy halfway across my living room, not for the last time I am sure! He can do baby push-ups, and is learning raspberries too. He is ticklish EVERYWHERE and it's sooo very cute - he loves to be tickled! Also he loves to kick his socks off, and he spends a great deal of his time everyday making sure they are both off. ;)

That's about it I think! He's just getting so big. Why do kids grow so darn fast?? ;)

Until next time . . .