Ella Rose | 4 Months

(And a Max update too...)

I'm a bit behind on Ella's 4 month update due to our vacation. I did manage to snap some pictures of her before we left for Maine though, and I'm telling you, these photo shoots get more and more fun every month. Our little lady is such a ham, and she just loves the camera... In my opinion, it loves her too.

Ella now weighs in at 13 pounds 12 ounces, and she is 25.7 inches long. She is still exclusively nursing, and going strong in that department. We did however give oatmeal a whirl for the first time the other day, and although she seemed a little unsure of the first few bites, it didn't take long before she was really into it.

Ella rolls in both directions, sleeps through the night, laughs hysterically when you tickle under her chin or sing to her. She is a super smiley and happy baby, and she's very into watching everything her brother does.

She's wearing size 3-6 month clothes, size 2 diapers, has the most scrumptious thighs, and her hair is still creating a stir no matter where we go.

Her beauty blows me away every single day, and I couldn't be more thankful for being blessed with such amazing babies.

Max will be 26 months old in a couple of days, and I swear he grows more intelligent by the minute. He knows his colors, his animals and all of their noises, he's great with puzzles and building things. He is super social and outgoing, and just the sweetest little thing.

He has just recently developed a "blankie" obsession, and wants to take his everywhere we go. I'm okay with this, because along with the blankie, he now asks, "mama, snuggle me?", about 100 times a day. Always baby, I will always snuggle you.

These babes are my whole world. Some days they leave me wanting to rip my hair out and feeling the need to guzzle wine by noon, but for the most part, I know I couldn't be luckier to be their mama.

-J

A Recap of Max's Year

The last 2 years on Max's birthday, I have made it a point to sift through photos of the last year. I'm not sure why I put myself through it, because I always end up a sobbing mess, but I like the tradition and I love seeing how much he's changed and grown over the year as well as getting a chance to reflect on all of the milestones he's reached, and the fun things we've done as a family.

This last year was a big one for Max. He got his first haircut, started walking, went away on vacation, started talking (a lot), and became a big brother.

It's hard for me to watch my baby turn into a little boy, but seeing him grow and learn is pure magic!

First Birthday

First Haircut

Vacation in the Hamptons

Dad's company picnic

Pumpkin Patch

Announcing we were having a baby!

Elmo for Halloween

Santa comes to visit

Waiting for Da to get home from work

Easter 2014

Welcoming Ella to the family

Max's 2nd Birthday!

The year began and ended with cake!

-J

Max is Turning Two

In just a few days my first "baby" will be turning two years old. It doesn't seem possible that we are here already, but low and behold we are.

Watching this little boy grow and change has been pure joy from day one, and even though it's all happening at a speed much too fast for me too handle, I am enjoying and embracing every second. 

Dealing with toddler antics on a day to day basis is pure chaos, but how does the saying go? "The days are long but the years are short." So I will treasure every single moment... Even the crazy ones.

Seeing Max become a big brother will always reign as one of my favorite things ever. Although I was initially concerned with how he would handle Ella's arrival in April, this boy has blown me away with his gentleness and love for his baby sister. He rubs her head, holds her hand, shoves her pacifier in her mouth, and when she cries he expresses his concern by always uttering, "uh oh, Ella".

He is snugly and sweet, loves to play with my hair, and give lots of hugs and kisses, which are always accompanied by a loud, "MUAH".

Max Anthony

Age: 2 years

Height & Weight: 33.1 inches & 23.2 pounds... Pickiest eater EVER!!!

Clothing: Still mostly 18-24 months which are slightly big depending on the brand. Due to toddler/boy slobbiness he mostly wears "play" clothes lately, t shirts and shorts, in an effort to keep him from destroying anything nice. He loves his crocs and so do I, easy to slip off and on, and easy to clean!

Favorite Activities and Things: Playing in his sandbox and water table, coloring, collecting rocks, and playing with trucks, blocks, and Legos. Max loves to be outside and loves swinging, going down slides, and playing football, golf, and basketball. He's also still obsessed with the movie Frozen (or "Feeeeee" as he calls it), which we've watched 458,327,000 times now, and can recite word for word. He loves to read; Charlie the Ranch Dog and The Little Blue Truck are still among his favorite books, and he is currently enrolled in "schwimming" lessons that he takes with Daddy once a week.

Favorite Foods: Food is a tough one with Max, seeing as he is extremely picky, and would much rather snack all day than eat a real meal. His likes change from day to day, but currently include strawberries and bananas ("nas"), cheese, scrambled eggs and chicken nuggets- as long as they're drenched in ketchup, and of course Popsicles and ice cream. Oh, and chocolate milk... By the gallon

Milestones: Max is talking a ton lately, and his words are getting easier to understand each day. He is pretty obsessed with animals so he regularly points out a pig, cow, dog or what have you and shouts out both the name and sound the animal makes. He seems to have learned his colors overnight and completely on his own... The other day while coloring he proudly held up a crayon and shouted, "purple!", he then proceeded to do the same for red, bluuuuue, green, etc.

My proudest moment came on June 26th, while Max was getting his evening bath. He suddenly stood up and said, "pee, pee", I asked him if he wanted to sit on his toilet, to which he replied, "yaaaa". He sat for a moment, and when he stood up he had in fact peed in his potty chair. You would have thought I had won the lottery if you were there to witness my excitement. We are not actively trying to potty train him quite yet, just trying to put the idea out there, so I was thrilled that he did this all on his own!

Sleep:  Max generally goes to bed around 8:30 PM and sleeps until about 7:30-8 AM. On a rare occasion he might end up in our bed, but he usually does a great job with sleeping through the night. He is still taking his one nap a day from around 1:30-4:30, and I pray that doesn't end anytime soon. He is also still in a crib for now, because I fear the damage he will cause if has the ability to escape and roam his room in the wee hours of the night.

We will be celebrating Max's birthday in a couple of weeks with family and friends, so I plan to share some of the details of his construction themed party here!