2 years old

Oh my, I can hardly believe that my precious little boy is 2 years old!  These past 2 years have flown by so fast.

Newborn, 6 months, 1 year, 18 months and 2 years

We just had his 2 year check up and he is as healthy as can be!  Here are his 2 year stats:

Weight: 26lbs 8oz (46%)

Height:  34.25in (39%)

Head Circumference: 19.75 (92%)

He can say almost anything.  He has so many words there’s no way I could count them.  He is now putting 2-3 word sentences together too.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE being able to communicate with him.  

He knows all of his letters and can count to 10 (I’ve even heard him go up to 14 but I don’t think he can recognize numbers over 10). He also knows the major shapes - circle, square, diamond, oval, triangle. We’re still working on his colors although he seems to recognize blue and red. He knows all of the major animals and the sounds they make.

He has recently become obsessed with Superman which of course is the cutest thing ever.  It’s one of his favorite thing to do/watch with his Daddy.  David brought home a Superman costume for him to wear and now he likes his Daddy to fly him around the house in his costume.  It is adorable.

He loves to “build”.  He recently got these cardboard blocks for his birthday and loves to build tall towers and then knock them over as quickly as he built them.  I think knocking them over might be more fun then the building part :)

He still loves books!  I now will find him in his room or playroom with books pretending to read.  It has to be one of the cutest things ever.

He is still really into music and songs.  He knows several songs with hand motion and I’ll hear him singing them in the bath or car.  We can’t always understand all the words but we can tell which song he’s singing.  A few of his favorites are “If you’re happy and you know it”, “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and “Old McDonald”.  His dance moves are pretty awesome too :)

He loves puzzles. He could sit there forever doing puzzle after puzzle. He really is pretty good at them.

He still loves Elmo (which was the theme of his party!).  He also enjoys watching Boz, Barney, Sid the Science Kid, Super Why and recently Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.

He loves playing on my IPad.  I’ve downloaded so many apps for him (mostly puzzles) and he plays for as long as I let him.

He’s still pretty picky about his food but I think he’s getting better.  He’s more willing to try new things – not always liking them, but I’m just glad he’s trying them.

He loves playing outside. We go to our neighborhood park, he loves kicking his soccer ball with his Dad and of course swimming in our pool. He could spend hours outside if we let him.

He recently got his 1st “2 year old” molar so he has a total of 17 teeth.  All of his teeth have been pretty rough on him so I can’t wait until they all come in!

He is still an inconsistent napper – his naps can range from 1 hour 20 min to 3 hours. I never know what I’m going to get. He usually wakes up pretty cranky no matter how long he sleeps. Not sure why but I guess that’s the way he is. Sometimes I think it’s because of teething but who knows. He sleeps great at night – goes down around 7:30-8 and is up any where between 7-8am.

He is doing great at Mother’s Day Out.  He goes to 2 days/week again this year (Tuesday/Thursday) and adjusted very quickly to his new teachers and new room.  They are so sweet and loving.  He even takes great naps on his nap mat!  He is at the age where he’s really making friends too which is cute to hear him talk about who he enjoys playing with.  His favorite friends at school are Cole, Lillian, Brooks, Eli and Adeline.

The biggest event in his life this past year was becoming a big brother.  I want to write a whole post about this but he has truly adjusted so quickly to having Will in our family.  He couldn’t be more in love with him.

I could go on and on about things I want to remember about him at the age of 2.  His little personality and become a big personality.  He is such a sweet and loving little boy, always wanting to give kisses and “big hugs”.  He loves sitting in your lap and snuggling while watching a show.  He will all the sudden just look at me and say “mommy” and give me a big hug.  It melts my heart.  He is so sweet to his friends.  He sometimes needs gentle reminders to share but other then that he plays very well with his friends.  He is not an aggressive little boy at all, but just like any typical boy he is active and enjoys jumping, running and climbing anything and everything.  We are so blessed by his precious life and are so thankful that the Lord has given him to us to love and take care of.  He truly is a gift to everyone around him. 

Happy 2nd birthday James!  We love you so much!

4 Months

My sweet baby boy is 4 months old!

We had Will’s 4 month check up at the same time as James’ 2 year.  Here are his stats:

Weight: 13lbs 1.6oz (5%)

Height: 25.75 in (66%)

Head Circumference: 16.5 (49%)

Eating: He is still doing great on formula.  He eats 5-6oz every 3 hours during the day.  We decided to keep him on Alimentum formula for a little while longer since he’s doing so well.  His doctor gave us the go ahead to start solids so we might try that in the next couple weeks.  I’m not in a big rush to start but I probably need to pretty soon to get him some extra calories since he’s so little. 

Sleeping: I started sleep training him at around 3.5 months.  I was SO nervous because I hate hearing him cry but I knew it was necessary and would pay off in the end.  He did GREAT!  He barely cried at all and most of the time went down with just a little fussing or none at all.  Since sleep training his night sleep and naps have improved a lot this month.  He goes to bed between 7:30-8 and usually wakes once between 4-5:30 but has slept all the way through until 7.  We are getting there!  When I feed him in the night I only feed him a couple ounces.  My plan is to start reducing that by a half an ounce every few days until there is no feeding in the night.  I’m sure there will be some crying involved but I know he’ll get it.  His naps still aren’t perfect but he is better about putting himself back to sleep during the transition time (30-45 minutes into his nap).  He is still on 4 naps/day which seems like too many to me.  I hope to get him on more predictable nap schedule sometime in the next month or so.  He should be ready to drop the fourth nap by now so we are going to work towards that.

Clothes/Diapers: He is now in almost all 3-6 month clothes but can fit into a few 0-3 month onesies still.  He is wearing size 2 diapers.

   

He has rolled over a couple times from stomach to back but not very consistent with it yet.  I guess he’s doing things in his own time :).  He loves his playmat and tries to put any toy he can get his hands on in his mouth.  He can roll onto his side and loves playing with his feet.  He has really started to notice his big brother and will turn his head as far as it will go just so he can see what James is doing.  He is such a happy, laid back baby and most importantly healthy.  We are so very thankful for that.

Here is the monthly comparison pictures – James on the left, Will on the right.  They are even in the same onesie :).

James’ eyes are a brighter blue and Will’s are a little darker.  They have their own looks but I still think they look a lot alike.

5 months is just around the corner…hopefully I can be better at keeping up each month!

3 Months

I better catch up on Will’s monthly posts before I completely forget what went on each month…poor second child :).

Eating: He is now exclusively on formula and is eating every 3 hours during the day.  He is eating a lot better and I can tell he is finally putting on a little weight.  He will eat 4-5 oz at a time.  He has adjusted very well to the formula.

Sleeping: He is still taking 4 naps a day with 3 of them usually being short (30-45 minutes) and 1 of them longer (1.5 – 2 hours).  He is usually pretty happy even with short naps so we just go with the flow as much as possible and are so thankful when he decides to nap longer :).  I sometimes can get him to go back to sleep in his swing, but he’s become more alert so it is harder for him to sleep in his swing with James running around making noise.  His night sleep is still pretty inconsistent which I am a little frustrated by.  He will wake up either once or twice per night and I never know what time.  I feel like James was more consistent by now so I guess it’s just taking Will a bit longer.  When he wakes he goes back to sleep pretty easy so I can’t complain about that.

Clothes/Diaper Size: Still 0-3 mostly but some 3-6.  He seems very long so some 0-3 are too short on him.  I’m still trying to squeeze him into size 1 diapers just because I have way too many but really he should move up to size 2.  I put him in size 2 at night.

He has such a pleasant personality and is pretty laid back.  Not much upsets him or agitates him.  He is very smiley and will give a big grin to anyone who smiles at him.  He is still not rolling either way yet.  He holds his head up very well and is definitely strong enough but I just don’t think he cares much about it.  He will do it in his own time I’m sure. 

And here’s the monthly comparison picture – James on the left, Will on the right. 

 

Still looking similar?  These pictures aren’t the best to compare them, but there’s something about their nose and mouth that are very similar to me. 

These months are flying by!  We are so thankful for our sweet baby boy.  He continues to bring so much joy to our family!

Will at 2 months

This month was a bit of a roller coaster.  Will started throwing us a few curve balls!  Here’s a little recap of his second month.

Eating: This is where things started going downhill.  He’s always been a little squirmy while eating and not completely calm but it was never a big problem.  Well by week 6-7 he started crying while eating and almost refusing at times.  He was also having terrible gas (I could tell his tummy was really hurting).  He wasn’t sleeping as well either.  I thought it was perhaps reflux or also I felt like my supply was low.  Off to the doctor we went!  They first wanted me to try eliminating dairy from my diet.  They said a lot of times these symptoms go hand in hand with a dairy allergy or sensitivity.  Even though it was going to be hard, I was willing to try anything to make him happy!  The doctor said that if this was his problem then we should see some improvement by 1 week and he should be all better by 2 weeks.  Well, a few days in he was still miserable and refusing almost every feeding.  I started supplementing with formula and could tell he was much more calm while eating from a bottle.  So I decided to start pumping and just feed him formula for the next couple weeks and see how things go.  I did not get much at all when I pump - .5oz-1oz from one side and 1-2oz from the other.  It was so time consuming and frustrating because I wasn’t making enough to fill one bottle!  I did this for about a week and a half and didn’t notice my supply increasing at all even though I was pumping 6-7 times/day (and even at night).  My supply actually started going down.  So I just decided it was time to give it up.  I was so sad but knew I was doing the right thing.  He took a bit to adjust to the formula but is eating well and I can tell he’s gaining weight.  He still struggles with gas but I think that will work itself out over time.

Sleeping:  His naps have went downhill as well :(.  He is a catnapper just like James was.  Since he does like the swing, when he wakes early from his nap and is still sleepy I can put him in his swing and he’ll go back to sleep.  So, his short naps are more tolerable even though it’s still frustrating.  At night he usually still wakes twice, but he has occasionally woken only once.  With his eating/tummy issues we have had a few rough nights but I guess that’s how it goes sometimes.  Overall, he is a pretty good night sleeper.

Clothes/Diaper Size:  He is wearing 0-3 month clothes and size 1 diapers.

 

Likes:  smiling (started smiling at 5-6 weeks) – love that sweet smile; swing; playmat – starting to notice toys; bouncy seat with toys/lights above; sleeping in his nap nanny

Dislikes:  gas pains; mommy’s milk :(

And now to compare James (on the left) and Will (on the right) at 2 months:

Not the best pictures but I think you can tell that they still look similar.  I tried to pick pictures where they both had the same look.  Will has a rounder face but I think there is something about their nose and mouth that look alike. 

This month was a more difficult month but William is sweet and so worth all the trouble :).  We are so thankful for this sweet blessing God has given us.

More to come soon…

Will at 1 month

The first month with Will was a dream…so different then our first month with James!  I don’t want to compare the two all the time but it’s kind of hard when I feel like I just went through the newborn stages with James so it’s all pretty fresh on my mind :).  Will was basically a typical newborn, alternating between eating and sleeping!  After many months of praying that Will would be more calm then James was we were so thankful that the Lord had answered our prayers! 

Eating: He is exclusively breastfeeding and seems to be doing well.  I am waking him every 3 hours during the day to eat and letting him go as long as he will at night.

Sleeping: He will give me 4-5 hour stretches at night (waking twice) and very easily goes back to sleep after each feed.  He naps very well and I have to wake him from each nap during the day (such a difference from James!).

Clothes/Diaper Size: He is wearing newborn and 0-3 month clothes.  We just finished our only package of newborn diapers and he is now wearing size 1.

Likes: sleeping, eating, the swing (yay!)

Dislikes: diaper changes in the middle of the night (the only time he cries when getting a diaper change – he is hungry!), laying flat on his back (he sleeps in his little lamb seat just like James did – possible reflux issues???)

Here is Will on the left and James on the right…they definitely look very similar although James looks a lot chunkier!  He was a pound and a half heavier at birth so that makes a huge difference. 

 

Month 1 with William was great.  There were some overwhelming moments but for the most part is was a relatively smooth transition for us.  We were lucky to have lots of family visiting/helping us that first month and my wonderful playgroup friends brought dinners to us! 

William Reed Hollon

Now that Will is almost 4 months old (oh my goodness!) I better document his birth.  William Reed Hollon was born on May 15th at 5:12 in the evening weighing 7lb 3oz and 19.75in long.  He was absolutely perfect!  My labor was really fast and easy.  I decided to be induced since I was already dilated to a 4 and it was just easier to plan so that I knew James would be taken care of.  We arrived at the hospital around 11:30 in the morning and they started the Pitocin around 12:30.  I got my epidural by 2 and after that it was time to nap and wait for baby Will!  At first my progression was slow but by the end it sped up very quickly.  Our good friend Trevor came to visit around 4:45ish and the nurse kept asking if I felt pressure with each contraction (she was monitoring very closely) and I said I did.  After a few minutes of visiting with Trevor she said that she needed to check me because she thought I was probably at a 10 and ready to push.  Trevor left the room and before she even checked me she said “You are definitely ready, I see his head!”.  She rushed to get the doctor in the room and after 1 1/2 pushes William made his entrance into the world!  We were so thankful for a quick and healthy delivery.

Here are a few pictures from the first few days with Will:

Last picture of our family of 3 the night before we went to the hospital (yes, David and James are both in their pj’s!)

And our first picture of our family of 4!

Discovering his new brother

He is in love :)

Sweet baby

 

Nanie with her youngest grandson

Papa and Will

First bath

James watching his brother get his first bath…he was so interested!

 

David and I feel so blessed by another sweet baby boy.  I still can’t believe I’m a mom to 2!

28 weeks

Here’s my growing bump at 28 weeks:

I just had my 28 week check up and everything is going well!  I had the 1 hour glucose test and it came back normal thank goodness!  I have developed some sort of weird skin irritation.  I’m not really sure if it’s pregnancy related or not but I have seen my dermatologist and right now we are treating it as eczema.  I have always had really sensitive skin but this is different and very uncomfortable/itchy!  I’m really hoping the medication I was given works. 

Baby boy has a name too!  His name will be William Reed.  It has been super tough to decide on but I finally gave up on the name I really wanted :).  This is basically the only name that David and I can agree on.  Unlike James’ name, William Reed really has no significance to us.  It’s just a name we liked :).  I think it goes well with James too. 

That’s all for now!  I just downloaded lots of pictures from the past few weeks so I have quite a few posts I need to work on.  Check back soon!         

24 weeks

I just had my 24 week check up and the baby is doing great!  Heartbeat was strong and my weight gain is right on track.  Here is a pic of me and baby boy at 24 weeks:

I’m still feeling great, but definitely starting to feel more top heavy while trying to turn over at night.  Still sleeping really well though.  This baby boy is definitely different then his brother already.  He doesn’t move nearly as much as James did, which I’m hoping means he will be a bit calmer :).  We are about 80% sure of his name, but we are still discussing/arguing over it a bit.  This one is much harder to decide on, but I’m sure one of us will give in soon! 

We are settling into our new house nicely (I’d like to do a separate post on that) and beginning to think about bedding, etc. for the new baby.  His room is the only room in the house we have to paint (it is currently a neon green color…AWFUL!) so we will need to decide soon on colors.  My sweet Mom has already agreed to come down one week and paint for us which is a huge help!

I am so thankful this pregnancy is going so well and has been pretty easy on me.  We are excited to meet this sweet baby boy in just a few short months!

The Children’s Museum

I took James to the Children’s Museum a couple weeks ago and he had a blast as usual!  We were the first ones there but the toddler area was filled by the time we left.  I’m so glad we bought a membership so I can take him any time.  He just loves it!  I saw many moms there with their babies in carriers and their toddlers running around so I think it will be a great place to take James when baby brother arrives.  Here are a few pictures from our visit:

Can’t wait to take him again soon!

James at 15 months

James just had his 15 month check up and he is doing great!  Here were his stats:

Height: 31.5 in (57%)

Weight: 21lbs 7.2oz (27%)

Head Circumference: 19.25in (95%)

He is so much fun at this age!  I think I say this at every age (except for maybe when he was a little baby :)) but I really mean it this time!  It is so amazing how much he has changed just since his first birthday.  Here are a few things that he is doing/liking at 15 months:

• He not only walks, but runs as fast as he can!  Sometimes still tripping over himself when he goes too fast, but he has become a proficient walker.
• Can say Mama, Dada, more, ball, that, this, ice and can sign all done, please, more, thank you, eat.  He “talks” constantly so I know it won’t be long before he says more words!  It is so fun to actually be able to start communicating with him. 
• Loves his school (mothers day out) he goes to on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week.  He is especially attached to one of his teachers (Miss Rosa).  All of his teachers are SO sweet and really, truly love the kids.  Going to “school” has been so good for him.  I am so thankful that he loves it and is doing so well there.
• He is still a very picky eater, but has become a better eater over all.  Some of his favorite foods are: turkey, yogurt, pancakes, cheerios, frosted mini wheat's, mac & cheese, PB&J, goldfish, pretzels, animal crackers, mum mum crackers (yes, I know these are mainly for infants, but he still loves them!).  One of his favorite things in the whole world is ice!  He is obsessed with it!  At David’s office they have a really good ice machine and every time we go visit he runs straight for it and begs for ice!  It is so funny!
• He LOVES reading books!  He will even sit there and open up his books by himself and look through them.  I read to him before naptime & bedtime and sometimes throughout the day when he sees a book and wants to read.  Sometimes it’s the only time I can get him to sit still and sit on my lap!
• He LOVES Sid the Science Kid.  It is a PBS show that is all about science.  It has cute catchy songs that draws his attention more then the science part.
• He enjoys playing outside.  He got a wagon and a riding car for his birthday and he is obsessed with them.  Anytime you mention going outside or going bye bye he immediately gets really excited and runs to the door as fast as he can. 
• He has 3 out of 4 of his molars.  I’m thinking the last one should come in any day now.  His molars have caused him the worst pain and take FOREVER to come in!
• He is still sleeping great at night.  Usually down by 7-7:30 and up by 7-7:30.  The only time his sleep has been disrupted was when he was getting his molars.
• He is down to 1 nap/day.  He will sleep anywhere from 1.5 hours – 3 hours.  He is still pretty inconsistent with the length of his nap.  He will sometimes wake up 1.5 hours in and I’ll let him cry for a few minutes and then he’ll go back to sleep.  Maybe someday he’ll be a consistent napper, but I’m not counting on it :).  At least it’s longer then 30 minutes now!!!
• He has become very cuddly and affectionate.  He loves giving kisses and hugs.  The cutest is when he does it spontaneously.  He’ll grab my face with both hands and plant a big kiss right on the lips.  He blows kisses as well which is pretty cute :).
• He really understands almost everything we say.  We can give him simple directions, such as “Go get your shoes” or “Where is your jacket?” and he’ll go get his shoes or look around for his jacket.
• He knows all of his main body parts – eyes, nose, mouth, ears, head, toes (he knows them as “piggies”), feet, hands, fingers, tummy, etc.
• He is infatuated/mildly obsessed with inanimate objects.  His Grammy has decorative statues of a dog and angels around her house and James was scared/very interested in them.  He eventually warmed up to them and would touch them but it took him a while every time he saw them he would point and get nervous.  It is just one of the quirky things about him :)
• He knows where his baby brother is!  Of course I taught him by lifting my shirt so now every time I ask him he just tries to lift my shirt and pats my belly.  Although, sometimes he’ll lift his own shirt so I guess he just thinks of baby brother in anyone's belly :).   

I’m sure there are lots more things about him at this age but I can’t think of anything else at the moment. James is such a huge blessing to our family and continues to amaze us everyday!

And just because I don’t like doing posts without pictures, here are just a few from the last couple months.

Our family at Thanksgiving (James is 14 months)

Loving bathtime as usual!

Riding in his car outside

James in his Christmas outfit

Christmas/New Year’s/Dad’s 60th Birthday in College Station

We celebrated Christmas with my family in College Station over New Year’s weekend.  On Friday, we pretended like it was Christmas Eve and did all of our normal traditions (with a couple new ones as well). 

My mom made Pioneer Woman’s cinnamon rolls for brunch that morning.  They were SOOOO good!  This was the first year she made them and I think we are all hoping she makes this a yearly tradition!

We then moved into the living room to read the Christmas story before opening gifts.  We let the kids go first from youngest to oldest and then the adults.  James got some some fun new toys including a t-ball set, new basketball and fisher price wheelies race track.  My parents got him a pottery barn anywhere chair that he is absolutely IN LOVE with!  It is the perfect size for him.  He especially loves climbing and jumping off of it :).

 

While James napped that afternoon, we watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” which is one of my favorite Christmas movies.  For dinner my mom made lasagna which is what we have every Christmas Eve.  We ended the day by playing Taboo where the girls actually beat the guys for the first time ever!!!  It was a really fun day!

The next day was New Year’s Eve which is also my Dad’s birthday as well.  This was a big birthday…he turned 60!  We had breakfast that morning at Cracker Barrel and then the boys went skeet shooting.  They came back around lunch and we all watched the Aggies beat Northwestern in their bowl game.  James blessed us with a super long nap that day so when he woke up it was about time to leave for dinner.  We ate at one of my favorite restaurants in College Station – Café Eccel.  It was delicious!  After James was in bed that evening we all played games again and were all in bed before midnight.  It was a fun day celebrating my Dad!  

The next day we packed up the car and were back in Houston by lunch.  We had a great weekend with my family.  With my sisters and I all having kids now it gets harder and harder to get everyone together so it’s always a special time around the holiday’s when we can all see each other!