Brady at 5 months

Brady, yesterday was your 5 month birthday! AHHHHH......where has my little baby boy gone? You are growing every second of everyday and I love being able to see it all!

Gentry's farm 2011

5 things at 5 months:
1. You roll front to back; back to front - ALL DAY LONG. I can't keep you in one place anymore!
2. You are finally sleeping through the night!
3. You love your jumperoo! And could jump all day long
4. You laugh and smile ALL DAY LONG! You are ticklish on your back and in between your thighs - your laugh is contagious
5. You get up on your knees and elbows and scoot back and forth - it looks like you are going to crawl soon - AHHH

You have become such a happy baby this last month! We started feeding you food at 4 1/2 months - you love sweet potatoes, apples, bananas, green beans, but I think pears might be your favorite right now!
You eat like a champ - 30 oz a day plus 2 big meals (breakfast and lunch). You are currently wearing size 6 months pants and 6-9 month shirts! You are my little meatball! You also caught up to your sister by wearing size 3 diapers. You recently have become very constipated from adding formula to some of your bottles - it took you 4 days to get out a very large poop yesterday! But you looked pretty relieved when you got it out! We now put 1 TBSP of prune juice in your morning bottle - which seems to help with your issues!!!
I love every minute I get to spend with you. and I especially love the fact that you recognize your daddy and I now!

Harper is 23 months old

Swimming in Destin! You loved your floaties!

HOLY cow, we can't believe you are just one month away from being 2! Oh and how this past month has completely thrown us for a loop!!!
All the things you are doing at 23 months:
1. You are slowly starting to wear 24/2T clothes.  The 18 mos jeans are high waters, but the 24 mos show you have no butt!
2. You are still wearing a size 3 diaper and your little brother has finally caught up to you!
3. You love playing outside with anything that has to do with water (including the doggy bowl....still)
4. You run so fast, sometimes I can't catch you!
5. You have started to show us a little resistance....time out has become more frequent lately
6. You are talking a ton more - lately you have been saying I want you momma (which means hold me) and 'mere' momma (come here).
7. You are still saying "up" when you mean "down"
8. You love climbing on anything and everything, including the jumperoo even while Brady is jumping in it
9. You LOVE school now, even though when we ask you if you like school you say NO!
10. We are working on potty training, but we aren't getting very far (you have yet to go #1 or #2 in the actual potty - it's mostly RIGHT BESIDE it
11. You take one nap now normally from 1:30-3:30 or 4
12. You have given us a run for our money at nighttime. We have a normal routine that has not changed one bit. Bath, PJ's, Milk, Brush Teeth, Read books and then "night night time". The past week or so you have been screaming at the top of your lungs, coughing, crying, gagging yourself until we come and get you. I would like to think it's a stage......but man it's rough hearing you cry so much. Daddy slept with you last night and then came downstairs around 1:30. We'll see how tomorrow night goes.
13. You love climbing on the monkey bars at the park, and you are terrified of nothing
14. Every morning when you wake up you ask for "orange juice momma/dadda" PLEASE! I want orange juice! and then you say TV - b/c we let you watch Mickey Mouse in bed with us in the mornings!
15. You ask for your blankie as soon as you get out of the tub at night!
16. You are a very good helper in the kitchen. You pull out your stool and follow me around everywhere in the kitchen and then you politely say "elp" momma!
17. You love pushing around your baby stroller with nothing in it. You could run laps all day around the island in the kitchen if you wanted to!
18. You are really into putting puzzles together now - and you can actually put ALL the shapes into the right spots! YEA!!
19. Mine and No are your favorite words currently. You don't like it when Brady has something in his hands and you want it. We are working on sharing!
20. You love swinging on your swing outside....yesterday you discovered that you can somehow get out of the swing and stand in it. UGH......
21. You love it when your daddy is rough with you - throwing you in the bed - you hysterically laugh and ask for more
22. Your current favorite movie is Toy Story but you call it BUZZ!! You ask to watch it atleast 20 times a day.
23. We took you to Disney on Ice a week ago and you absolutely LOVED it. You shouted MICKEY and DONALD when you saw them! The performance was 2 hours long and you did REALLY well!!
24. You have finally learned some manners, you say please and thanks! It melts my heart!

You are an absolute joy! You and your brother have really started to make a lot of eye contact and communicate more this past month....we feel so blessed!

Harper is 22 months

Swimming at the pool in Destin! You loved the purple goggles and swimmies!

Being the "sweet" sister!

Another month has come and gone and our little girl is turning into a little lady! So many things have happened during this month I can't believe you are almost two years old!
What Harper is currently doing:
1. You wear a size 3 diaper and 18 month clothes but sometimes can fit into 2t
2. Your favorite thing to do is mommy shower! You love showers currently but scream when we wash your hair!
2.5 You can open ANYTHING now including lotion, Vaseline and nail polish. Not a good thing either!!!! We have found all 3 of the said items on your baby dolls and other crazy places around our house! Lucky or us the nail polish was only on your clothes!!
3. You are talking a ton more. For example your new favorite saying is,"Momma I want orange juice!" you tell us this at least 5x's a day! You love your orange juice and have recently discovered you love pulp too!
4. You said your first bad word.....I mean it sounds like a bad word. You try to say Big Fish but it sounds more like bi ish. (see if you can figure that one out)
5. You really have no interest in using the potty yet. You mainly use it to shove your baby doll in and close the lid! Hopefully this isn't a sign of what you will do to Brady!
6. Just recently you have been going poopy in your diaper and then immediately taking it off and saying mommy or daddy poppy!! We may be buying pull ups sooner than later
7. You love Brady so much that you are constantly asking where he is and won't ever let him sleep.
8. You have found a new love for your old baby toys especially when Brady tries to play with them!
9. You mimic everything mommy does with your baby doll- you ask for diapers for your baby, give it baths and try to rub lotion on him.
10. You love playing with mommy's makeup and really seem to know where everything goes on your face.
11. You started a program called PDO parents day out. It's from 9-1pm Monday's and wednesdays. First day was very rough you cried all day, 2nd day you did better and lasted til 12:30, 3rd day you lasted the whole day!!!
12. You still won't do art at school but we don't want to push you since we know you are still adjusting.
13. You had school on Wednesday's and you picked up your backpack and carried it into school like you were a big girl!
14. You have started to hit mommy and daddy. Need I say more
15. B/c of #14 you have been sitting in time out ALOT lately
16. Your new favorite word is MINE
17. You tell mommy and daddy NO a lot
18. You are still a picky eater but love edamame beans with soy sauce
19. You love your big girl bed and have a lot of stuffed animals that sleep with you!
20. Your hair is long enough that we can put it up in piggy tails or a pony tail
21. You have recently started calling your blanket blanky
22. Your favorite movies are toy story which you refer to as buzz and nemo which you call meemo!

Harper you bring so much joy to our life we can't thank you enough!!!!

Brady is 4 months old

Sitting up like a big boy - you lasted atleast 30 seconds like this!

Geesh. It's already been 4 months is the only thing I can think to say. They say time flies when you are having fun and it sure is buzzing by! My little monkey is getting so big so fast!!!
What Brady is currently doing at 4 months
1. You wear a size 2 diaper but could probably wear a 3 if we wanted you too
2. You wear 3-6 month clothes. Mostly 6 months though
3. You wear 6 month pajamas
4. You weigh 15# and are getting some thick thighs!! I love all of your rolls!
5. You take your paci (ba ba) as harper calls it, but prefer your thumb if you can get it into your mouth
6. You are taking 5 oz bottles every 3-4 hrs consistently
7. You only cry if you are hungry or tired. You are a great baby!
8. You love your crib and sleep b/w 8-10 hrs a night!
9. You tried rice cereal the other day and weren't sure if you liked it or not. We will keep practicing though
9.5 You sat up for 3 seconds today!! Then you tipped over and bummed your head on a swing!
10. You are batting at your toys that hang above you on your playmat!!
11. You found your feet!
12. You roll from back to stomach constantly. I can't keep you on your back. You haven't quite mastered the stomach to back yet so you get very frustrated.
13. You smile all the time and belly laugh at Harper a lot
14. You love it when anyone talks to you. And normally give a big smile when youngetbtheir attention
15. We put you in the jumperoo e other day and you loved it!

Brady you put smiles on our face everyday! We could't have asked for a better little monkey!!

Harper VS. Brady

Both of these pictures were taken at the same age of both kids....1 day shy of 4 months old!

Can you see the similarities????

Harper

Brady

Weekend in Atlanta

First family photo since Brady was born!  Harper is 21 1/2 months old and Brady is 16 weeks old!

We had a great time in Atlanta this weekend.....saw family and some of Danny's Highschool friends!!!  Harper went swimming the entire weekend and Loved it! Brady even took a dip in the pool and didn't mind it too much himself!  By the end of the weekend Harper was jumping off of a diving rock (with help) and putting her face in the water unassisted! I'm hoping she'll be ready for the beach next weekend!!!
From my last post, you know Harper started school last Wednesday. It didn't go so well, but definitely could have been worse on both Harper and us.  Thursday morning Harper woke up and had red blotches all over her stomach.  I waited for about an hour, not really knowing what they were but thought it might be hives.  About an hour later, the red blotches were spreading to her arms and legs. I decided to take her into the Dr. to figure out what the red blotches might be.  Sure enough it was hives. The Dr. said he wasn't sure what caused it, but it could be a virus (from her brother), allergic reaction or stress. The only thing he prescribed was benadryll for the itch and an oatmeal bath to soothe her.  The hives were worse the 2nd day. I think they bothered me more than they did her. I took some pictures to show how awful they looked!!

Day 1 of hives (all over stomach and arms)

Day 2 of hives: all over face, legs and hands

Harper's First Day of School

So the day started out great! You slept from 8-6:30am and then hopped in bed and watched the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for about 30 minutes with mommy and daddy!  You helped me make pancakes for your breakfast and you scarfed them all down! You even asked for extra maple syrup on yours!  We dressed you for school and you took your first picture by yourself in front of the door - a tradition we have just started! You were excited when we asked you if you were ready to go to school today! Your mood slightly changed once we pulled in the parking lot. Your daddy held your hand and walked you into school, you were a little unsure once you saw all the kids. But once we walked into your classroom you knew exactly what was going on......and the tears started. Miss Amy and Miss Anna are your teachers and they picked you up immediately had you give us a kiss and say bye bye.....tears were still coming.  I received a text message from Miss Amy around 10am saying you were outside playing and doing great! I felt relieved. I was SO excited to pick you up from school at 11am, thinking you would run to me with open arms. BUT that wasn't the case.....apparently once you came back from outside you were looking for us and realized we weren't there, so you began to cry for the next 45 minutes. Your teacher was holding and said it was a rough day. So we decided next week you would come from 9-11am until you were transitioning better! The end of the day was more rough on me than dropping you off! I hope you enjoy school Harper!