Sunday, November 30, 2014

First Snow

This past Friday you couldn't have asked for a better day to play outside in the snow.  I felt comfortable without a coat on even!  A day like this probably won't come again until Spring, so we knew this would be a perfect opportunity to get Caroline out in the snow for her first time.

Caroline liked being outside and the twins had a blast shoveling, making snowballs, and building the first snowman of the season.















{Building Frosty the Snowman}











Saturday, November 15, 2014

Caroline {4 months}

Caroline Joy
[4 Months]


Weight: 14 lbs - 46th %tile
Height: 24 inches - 29th %tile
Head: 16 inches - 51st %tile


At FOUR MONTHS you are wearing size 2 diapers and 3-6 month clothing and 6 month sleepers.

At FOUR MONTHS you are eating pretty consistently 5 times a day every 3 hours 5 oz at a time.  I did try and move you up to 6 oz for a week because you still seemed like you wanted to eat more when the bottle was empty, but you were spitting up way more than normal.  The doctor recommended bumping you back down an oz or two to help with spitting up all of the time.  You cry real quick when you realize your bottle is all gone but then are happy and full after we finish burping you.  Burping - you are not a fan!  You aren't happy when we have to take the bottle away half way to burp you.  You arch your back, legs are straight, and let out little cries to let us know you are not happy. 


At FOUR MONTHS you are still sleeping on average through the night and are sleeping in the rock n' play in our bedroom.  Since you caught a nasty cold virus at the beginning of October you haven't slept quite as well as you were doing the previous month.  You have been waking up fussy in the night because you are not feeling well and have a stuffy nose.  On those nights I usually can get you back to sleep by sleeping upright with me or Daddy.  Laying more up right really helps you breath better (and probably being held helps a lot too!)  You will usually take your last bottle sometime between 7-8:00.  Once you eat we swaddle you up and you will soon fall asleep.  A lot of nights you start having your fussy time right around 7:00.  Usually we end up feeding you then and get you to sleep as it's one of your signs you're already tired and ready for bed.

I have just recently tried having you sleep a little in your crib.  You've taken a few naps there and have started out the night sleeping there but then you wake up fussing around 1/2:00 a.m.   I try a few times to put you back to sleep there but then I get too tired and end up putting you back in your rock n' play.


At FOUR MONTHS you are still the biggest cat napper!  Sometimes it's not always your fault.  You'll be sleeping peacefully and get woken up by your loud 3-year old brother and sister!  If you could be held for every nap you would be perfectly happy.  I've found it best if you can fall asleep in the bouncy seat or swing on your own you're more likely to sleep longer (as long your big siblings don't disrupt you) rather than me trying to lay you down after falling asleep in my arms.  When you get tired now you will fall asleep where ever you are laying.  I have noticed you'll fall asleep while playing if someone is in the room somewhere near you.  You like to sleep in the bouncy seat or the swing.  

You nap between each feeding.  After you eat you will stay awake for an hour to and hour and a half and then shows signs that you're tired.  You will take your longest nap in the afternoon around 1 or 2:00.  Your naps can range in length from 30 minutes to an hour or two.


You're favorite activity is playing on the floor when your toys.  I think you think your white lambie you got for Halloween from Grandma and Grandpa Dufel and the apple toys the best.  They are easy to get into your mouth and to hold.  You are doing great at grabbing for toys and putting them in your mouth.  You also LOVE to put your hands in your mouth and suck on them.  We can hear you loudly cooing away while you're putting toys and fingers in your mouth. 


Just within the past week or two I have noticed you don't like it when I leave the room.  You also are starting to recognize familiar faces and start crying if someone you're unsure of is around you.

You LOVE watching Kate and Matthew!  If you start to get fussy I'll move to where they are playing and you'll immediately stop and start watching whatever they are doing.  Their voices and faces are a soothing mechanism for you.  You'll smile and coo at them, especially when they are acting goofy for you.  


You longer lay in one spot.  Lately when I place you on the floor to play you will move yourself in circles or roll to your side.  You've come very close to rolling over to your tummy but just can't seem to swing your legs all the way over.  I think you will be rolling in no time!


You have discovered you can suck on your lips and tongue and love to buzz your lips.  You get some pretty good bubbles and droll going!  It makes me laugh.  And I think you feel pretty proud of your lip buzzing.  You coo pretty loud during it as if you're telling us a story.

I got some of it on video! 





You are starting to recognize your bottle.  When you see it you get very excited and reach out for it.  You've started to help hold your own bottle while we feed you.  You also love to hold onto our fingers while you eat.


Having a blanket or a finger to hold is definitely another way you soothe yourself or help us calm you down.  When you start to fall asleep you like to have a blanket to hold or have the blanket up by your cheek.  I only let you have that during the times we are holding you while you sleep.


Nicknames: Liner, Liney, your new one from dad - 'the captain', Liney-bear, Cheeks - from Aunt B, Freight-liner, C, Baby C


You continue to be a happy baby who likes to be right in the mix with all of us!  You bring so much joy to us and we love all of your baby snuggles and BIG SMILES!

I'm exhausted from these pictures, Mommy! ;)

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Halloween 2014

A Dinosaur, a lion, and little black cat.  My three adorable little animal trick-or-treaters this Halloween.  In fact, we heard the roars of a dinosaur and lion many times the week leading up to Halloween.

First, this Halloween was Miss Caroline's first!



Little witch - "Daddy's under my spell" :)

We started celebrating Halloween with a pumpkin carving party at our house.  We had both sets of parents and my siblings and their kiddos.  The kids had fun deciding on their pumpkin decoration.  My sister even got her 'Pintrest on' and used a power tool to carve flowers into my niece's pumpkin.  The night ended with a mini softball game in the yard and pizza.

Our three pumpkins.  Even carved one for Baby C.


This picture cracks me up.  Kate's being a boss to Matthew and telling him to smile for the camera because he wasn't being too cooperative at first.  The soon to be story of my son's life living with two sisters. Lol!




The week of Halloween the kids had several fun celebrations.  At preschool they had a Pumpkin Party.  Their teacher had so many fun pumpkin themed centers/activities for the kiddos.  Caroline and I went and helped volunteer.  Loved being a parent in their classroom.  I enjoyed seeing the twins in their school environment.





Liner helping out at the party. 






Outside of preschool posing with the pumpkins they decorated :)

That night, Kevin's work had trick-or-treating for the kids at his office.  Caroline's first time trick-or-treating...kind of. :)  This was the first time the kids and I were at Kevin's office.  It was nice to see where he works and meet some of his co-workers.  After we were done trick-or-treating at Kevin's work, the 5 of us headed to our town's downtown for a night of trick-or-treating at the businesses.  The weather that night actually wasn't too bad.  Not much of a breeze which helped a lot!  The twins had fun but were worn out by the end of the night with their busy day!






Halloween afternoon we took the twins to Grandma Willms' office at UNI for trick-or-treating.  The different areas at her work dressed up as different themes.  Grandma's office was The Wizzard of Oz and she was one of the lolipop kids.  All of them had great costumes and they put in a lot of time making the awesome decorations!


Grandma Willms (Right) and her co-worker buddy, Penny

Finally, Halloween night!  Great-Aunt B came to our neighborhood and helped me take the twins around trick-or-treating.  Kevin and Caroline stayed at the house to pass out candy.  Halloween night was a lot colder.  The twins loved pushing everyone's doorbells.  It was a big thing to them both so we had to make sure to take turns at each house.  Kate and Matthew LOVE trick-or-treating!  They had a busy Halloween of it - going 4 times total!





love our little dinosaur.  
She was so proud of her costume and dinosaur head.

lion and aunt b :)

I would say we successfully celebrated Halloween this year!  Already can't wait until next year!  The thought of little Caroline tagging behind, trick-or-treating for the first time as a newly one-year old, sounds like so much fun!