Hutch Marshall - 5 months

This guy. He is pretty much amazing. His classic wide-eyed look really just means he's totally taking in the world around him. He's so observant and is definitely of the opinion that he needs to see and know what is going on around him at all times. (Sound familiar????) He is wild about his sister. No one can calm him down like she can. He's been laughing some, but he recently laughed for the first time at her, when she was playing peekaboo with him. Melt. He's also crazy about his daddy and strains to see him when he comes home from work. 

He's still moving ... all the time ... even in his sleep. He still loves to smile at just about anyone. Although he's definitely got a preference for his momma and has decided he doesn't really want me to be out of his sight.

Two more ear infections this month. The very first one didn't respond to meds, the second we treated with injections, which didn't seem to work, and the third was capped off with a visit to the ENT and tubes the same day. And he's had his first visit to Kids 1st after hours clinic. Someone is following in his sister's footsteps. 

Weight:  17 pounds, 3 ounces
Length: 24 inches

New things:

• Sort of sitting up. With a lot of assistance. He can stay upright for a few seconds on his own. And he totally loves the new vantage point and gets cranky on his back now.
• Grabbing our faces to inspect our lips, nostrils, hair, etc. His sister doesn't quite understand this and his inspections of her usually end in her crying and saying "He's hitting me mommy!!! Time out!"
• Being more interested in his toys and reaching/grabbing for them. Transferring things from hand to hand.
• Discovering his feet. And rocking the happy baby pose.
• Rolling onto his back to his tummy a few times. 
• "Talking" all the time. Especially when he's in his car seat. He loves to "talk" to an actual person, but just jabbering to himself works, too. He's loud. :)
• Laughing more. Sweet, sweet little sound. I am often completely ridiculous and/or injure myself in the process of hearing that baby giggle.

Likes: 

• The cat. He loves to grab her fur, her ears, her whiskers. And chew on her if he can get her close enough. 
• The dog. He's finally able to really see her. He smiles and opens his mouth when she licks him.
• His stationery jumper. The first time we put him in it and he was able to push some buttons to make music, I swear his head almost exploded. Big eyes for sure.
• "Standing up," with help of course. He prefers this position above all others. Perhaps it's because it feels best on his poor little tummy, but I also think it's an indicator that he's pretty much ready to start running now.
• The swing. It's pretty much number one in his life, still.
• Being swaddled. He'll be both swaddled and in his swing for sleeping till he's 23.
• Sophie the giraffe has made a comeback. He's in love.
• Bath time. In his little tub, in the big tub with his sister. I'm pretty sure there are warning labels all over his little tub that warn against this, but whatever.
• His sister. When he's fussy, she's often the only thing that can make him happy. He'll pause in his fussing/crying to smile/laugh at her, and then resume fussing.
• His toes. They haven't made it into his mouth yet. It's coming.
• His hands. He LOVES to chew on them and has been sucking his thumb some.
• He still loves to look tough with his self-inflicted head wounds. The cradle cap looks better, but he insists on making himself look like he's starring in a slasher film. I am SO over random people asking me what the heck happened to him. I let him play with razor blades, OK?

Dislikes:

• Being alone. He prefers to be held. Or entertained. 
• Sleeping. Unless he's sleeping on me.
• Sitting in his high chair. We're trying to include him in dinnertime, without always holding him, and he's not having it. Perhaps when he actually starts eating dinner he'll like it better.

Addison Mae - 32 months

This girl of mine is such a little person. With a BIG personality. And lots to say. As much as she can drive me up the walls, I love her more fiercely than I ever knew I was capable of. She is such a light in our lives whose sense of humor and sweet heart constantly surprise me. She's also a bit of a nutcase, which she comes by quite naturally. She loved her bubby's baptism this past month and was not interested in being held when we went up on the big stage for it. She was seriously eyeing the holy water during the prayer and kept brushing her daddy's hand off her shoulder when he tried to confine her. Miss Independent. She has loved getting ready for Easter with our Lent candles, Easter activities and crafts. She loves to talk about Jesus "coming out of the rock."

Weight: ~29 pounds
Length: ~32 inches

 New things:

• Continuing to say "why." About everything. All. The. Time.
• Saying lots of funny things.
• When her ped thought she had bronchitis, we, of course, taught her to say, "Bronchitis - ain't nobody got time for that."
• Telling her teachers at church "Mommy yelled and banged the table this morning." She's already telling on me. Thankfully her sweet teachers responded with, "Well, what did you do that caused mommy to yell and bang the table?" Mother of the year right here.
• When I told her "Stop bossing Daddy. You are not in charge of him" she responded with, "Because you are?" You got it.
• When we made resurrection rolls (marshmallows wrapped in crescent rolls ... with the idea being the marshmallow is supposed to dissolve when baked, representing the empty tomb), our marshmallows leaked out all over the plan. Not exactly what we were going for. But she was delighted: "Look Mommy! Jesus comed out of the rock!!"
• When coloring and cutting out pictures depicting the various events during Lent, holding the cup of wine representing the Last Supper, pretending to drink it and saying, "Yummy. I am drinking wine."
• An obsession with wearing nightgowns to bed
• Getting to "drive" a fire truck ... really just sit in it, but she was convinced she was driving
• Growling, literally, when she gets really mad about something. Usually accompanied by flinging arms or a flopping body. No drama here.
• Being diagnosed with asthma. Boo. Bring on the twice-daily inhaler and oral steroids.
• Losing one ear tube. And immediately getting an ear infection. I had forgotten how much ear infections suck. Between her and her brother, I now remember very clearly.

Likes:

• Her bubby. She wants to be with him pretty much all the time. When I suggest we do something just the two of us, she usually wants to know if he can come too.
• Speaking of her bubby, making him laugh, which she's pretty great at
• Praying. She loves to tell Jesus what she's thankful for and pray for our friends and family. Be still my heart.
• Being outside. Thank goodness for the (mostly) nicer weather. She loves to play in our front yard or with the neighbor kiddos or go to the park.
• Going to Pawpaw's work.
• Having her face painted. This was a new activity that she was rather unsure about, but immediately afterward she said, "Let's do that again." She was a little devastated when it had to be washed off.
• Granola. I know, random. She made some with me and now is almost as obsessed as I am.
• Crafting and cooking remain near and dear to her heart.
• Playing with play dough
• Reading books - and I mean her pretending to read. Although she's heard her Curious George book enough that it actually appears she's really reading it. Kinda amazing.
• Her new inhaler. I know, weirdo. But I'm glad she thinks it's fun rather than dreads it.
• Lighting our Lent candles. Though she usually calls them the Advent candles, she's been quick to remind us on Sundays that we "need to do the candles." She also amazingly can remember all the candles specific names.
• Starting gymnastics again. Her favorite parts are the "zip" (zip line, which she can now do all by herself) and jumping. Though there are three trampolines, she prefers the one where she can wear a belt, operated by her teacher, that helps her do flips. Daddy's girl.
• Easter eggs. The plastic variety. She loves to hide them for us or ask us to hide them for her. 

Dislikes:

• Not getting her way.
• Being told to go to time out, or told that if she does xxx one more time she'll have to go to time out. She responds with, "But I don't want to."

Hutch Marshall - 4 months

The changes in this sweet boy over the last month have been dramatic. He's no longer a newborn, definitely a baby who's very interested in interacting with the world around him. His sweet nature means he loves to smile at and "talk" to pretty much anyone. While his sister and I remain near and dear to his heart, he has really developed an eye (and ear) for his daddy. He just lights up for him and strains to find him in the room when he hears his voice. He's also very interested in his cat, who seems to be much easier for him to see than his big dog. I do love that he seems to save his biggest, brightest smiles for his momma and that when he's really upset he calms more readily for me. There is just nothing better than being a mom!

Personality wise, I think he's definitely more chill than his sister, but he can certainly bring out the high-maintenance drama if needed. If possible, I think he's even busier than she was at this age. He's ALWAYS moving and he's so strong. His first (double) ear infection means his colic/reflux have been on high as the meds really exacerbate everything. That also has meant not a lot of sleep. For anyone.

Aside from watching him delight in the world around him, the highlight of our month was his baptism. Though he was fast asleep in my arms when it started, that water on his little head brought him wide awake and his little eyes were like saucers. But no tears. We had a great time during the service and afterward at a brunch at Grammie and Pawpaw's house with lots of family and friends. Baptisms always make me weepy (even if I don't know the children!). I genuinely believe having our babies baptized is one of the single most important decisions we'll ever make for them, and I hope we can raise them in such a way to choose Jesus as their Savior for themselves as they grow older.

Weight: 14 pounds, 15 ounces
Length: 24 inches

New things:

• Rolling! From his tummy to his back. And looking totally confused, then totally proud of himself when he does. Also rolling onto his side occasionally. 
• Discovering his hands. And shoving them in his mouth as hard as he can. He seriously looks like he's trying to chew them off. He's eyed his toes a few times as well.
• Discovering his ... ahem ... boy parts. I was totally unprepared for this to happen so soon.
• Discovering his tongue. Sticking it out, blowing raspberries and drooling a whole, whole, whole lot.
• Ear infections. Here we go again. Baby boy had a double ear infection over spring break, followed by a round of antibiotics that cleared up one ear but not the other, followed by a second round of antibiotics that finally kicked it. Is it too early to ask for tubes????
• I'm going to go ahead and say laughing. It's not a belly laugh but definitely a little chuckle. Sweetest sound in all the world.

Likes:

• He still loves the swing. It's like a drug. We're trying slowly to wean him off of it. 
• His ocean play mat. And the blue octopus is still a favorite.
• He's starting to light up for his lovies - especially a brightly colored monkey. He loves to hug it on his bare tummy. 
• Books. That sweet boy gets so animated when we read to him he practically jumps off my lap.
• Being naked is still a favorite. He starts to grin immediately when we take his clothes off.
• Bath time. And splashing so much that his mom and the bathroom are soaked by the time we're done. 
• "Talking." His favorite place to be in in someone's lap, or next to his sister, where he has the devoted attention of his holder. He loves when I sing to him or make goofy noises. 
• Seeing his sister first thing in the morning. His big smile for her is like he's saying, "Man, I missed you during the night!"
• He still loves to eat, but he's started pausing in the middle of nursing to look up at me and smile and talk. I remember that being one of my very favorite things about nursing Addie, too.

Dislikes:

• Taking a bottle is still a struggle. Somehow Jordan can get him to eat, but he's the only one with the magic touch.
• His ears. Poor little guy. Even though we know his ears are clear, he's still messing with them like he remembers that they used to hurt.
• His tummy.

Addison Mae - 31 months

She's a big girl. Who's wearing big girl panties. And constantly making me laugh. And exasperating me. Her brother's babyhood has really made me realize how grown up she is. She loves to talk about when she'll be three and tell anyone who will listen what she'll get to do when she's three (which includes going to preschool, play soccer and take dance).

Weight: ~28.5 pounds
Length: ~32 inches

 New things:

• Big girl panties. And NO accidents in them at all. She's pretty amazing.
• Enrolling for preschool in the fall. I am kinda a mess. So excited that she's going to Warm World (or Warm Warm, as she calls it), which her momma is a proud grad of, but I cannot believe she is old enough to start preschool. I have also realized her first day of preschool will be her brother's first day of mother's day out ... someone please have wine and Kleenex on hand for me after drop off that day...
• Her teachers at school are amazed that they can have full, relevant conversations with her. She recently told them all about our upcoming trip to Ponca City, who was going with us, who would be there, that my mom had been to the doctor, my mom's doctor's name, etc. She also gave me a full report about her teacher's son, who's had a stomach bug. The talking is seriously insane.
• Using the word "certainly." "I certainly love you, Mommy. And I love to say certainly."
• Asking why. All the time. About everything. And driving me crazy.
• Peeing in a cup at the doctor's office. Which was highly thrilling for her. She was super disappointed that she only got to do it once.
• Holding imaginary classes at home, where of course she is the teacher. She likes to teach Gymboree and music classes, just like she has at school. It's not always required that we participate, but she lets us know if we need to. Sometimes we get to be her friends and sometimes we are other teachers. She sings the songs, in order, gives instructions, sends people to time out, brings out Gymbo the clown, gives out stamps for those who are cooperating, gets everyone ready for naptime ... it's SO hilarious.
• An OBSESSION with the Curious George book she received from her cousins. It has six or eight stories in it and we literally read it before every nap and bedtime. "Mommy, I want Curious George. I will pick out the story."
• A super fun trip to Ponca City to visit my aunt and uncle, cousin and her girls. We've been to Ponca lots of times before, but Addie totally held her own with the big girls and was entirely comfortable with everyone this time.

Likes:

• All crafts. We recently made little bird feeders out of blueberries and Cheerios. Mostly she ate the decorations, but she loved it. Loves to paint, use markers, play with chalk ...
• Cooking with me or her Grammie. Especially baking cookies.
• Parties. Especially the birthday variety.
• Cheese.
• Going with her Daddy to get take out. Or even better going out to eat with us. Saturn Grill (aka the "pizza place") is her fave
• Playing outside. Thank goodness for some nice weather recently.
• Watching basketball.
• Knowing exactly what's on her schedule for the day. And the next day. Upon waking up, she always asks, "Where we going today, Mommy?"
• Cupcakes.
• Watching movies, especially Toy Story, Shrek and Monster's Inc.
• Picking out diapers for her brother.
• Helping with her brother's tummy time.
• When her brother wears gloves.
• Her BFF Stella.
• She still loves going to the library on Tuesday mornings. Loves her class, especially when they sing songs or there is a craft involved, and she loves to pick out books. Clifford, Biscuit and Curious George are favorites right now.
• Playing kitchen.

Dislikes:

• Being told to go to time out. "But I don't want to go, Mommy."

Hutch Marshall - 3 months

This sweet baby boy is getting so big! And SO busy. He pretty much never quits moving, even in his sleep, evidenced by his constant Houdini-ing out of his swaddle. I was a little surprised at his 2 month check up (closer to 3 months) that he is now only in the 50th percentile of weight. Even our ped picked him up and said, "Wow, he is stout."


He loves bath time, his sister, his Taggie puppy and his blue octopus (if you remember, this was a  staple for his sister, too.) He is so interactive with anyone and everyone. He loves to smile and "talk." He really loves to have intent conversations with the octopus. Or that really cute baby he sees in the mirror.


Sleeping is getting better. He's just waking once per night to eat, though usually he requires several paci-replacements during the night. His crazy mom has insisted he have a bedtime and more of a schedule ... he happens to be exactly like his sister, which means he doesn't really adhere to a schedule ... so basically we're just following his napping and eating cues and calling it a schedule.
The colic/reflux is nonexistent some days ... and kinda rough others. He's still nowhere near as intense as his sister was, so we're counting our blessings there. I can definitely tell that it's worse on days when he's overtired or overstimulated.

Weight: 13 pounds, 7 ounces
Length: 24 inches

New things:

• Oh the talking! He loves to sit in our laps and have a full conversation with us. Or with his Taggie puppy. Or blue octopus. Or especially his sister.
• Awesome head control
• Holding himself all the way up on his forearms.
• One roll over (tummy to back). I think it was accidental. And likely mom-induced
• More intently batting at toys
• Houdini-ing out of his swaddle
• An 8 pm bedtime, which is magical for his parents. Both babies in bed by 8:30. Dreamfeed at 10 pm and usually sleeping until 4 or 5 for his next feeding. Usually going back to sleep (typically in his swing, mind you) till 8.
• More of a "routine," which usually includes 4-5 naps and 7-9 feedings per day.
• Sleeping more in his crib rather than the swing. A few nights he's gone all night in the crib, and we've been successfully attempting most naps in the crib.
• Just starting to notice his dog and cat. Who both love him, by the way.

Likes:

• His swing. He might be sleeping in it till he's 12.
• His ocean play mat.
• Tummy time. Less crying now that he can really hold himself up. His wiggly little self will be rolling over in no time.
• Bath time.
• Any books with pictures of babies or animals. He gets SO animated - talking, kicking and swinging those arms.
• Being held. Being rocked. I'm constantly reminding myself to enjoy this part because someday my 12 and 14 year old children probably won't let me do this anymore
• His sister. He looks at her like she hung the moon. And usually the feeling is mutual.
• Being naked. The nightly naked kicking routine is in full effect. Just like his sister, when he's particularly upset in the evenings, pulling off his clothes and putting him on a soft blanket usually does the trick.
• His super soft, snuggly swaddle. When he's getting sleepy during the day, I'll put him in it for a nap and he starts grinning immediately. And then passes out.
• Kicking. And flinging his arms. He is STRONG.
• Eating remains near and dear to his heart.

Dislikes:

• Being confined. This boy likes to MOVE. Though he loves being held and being swaddled, I can totally tell when he's trying to say, "put me DOWN! I need to wiggle."
• His tummy.
• Taking a bottle. A la his sister.
• His itchy head. Cradle cap is improving. After literally trying every remedy under the sun, our dr recommended a tar-based shampoo that's helping.

Hutch Marshall - 2 months

I had forgotten how much I love baby coos. The first time my sweet boy smiled and cooed up at me, I thought, "Oh. I remember now why we fight through all that crying and unhappiness. It's for this moment." If I thought he had stolen my heart before, it's an entirely different ballgame with that big grin and big dimples.


Speaking of dimples, I'd like to report that while I was certain that was the only feature on this baby that remotely looked like me, my mom found several pictures of me that look pretty identical to my baby boy. So I am in there somewhere.


I think Hutch is almost the same size as his sister. Seriously. This baby is huge. Which is wonderful and perfectly normal, just a major contrast to his sister, who is still always limping into the 10 or 15th percentile of weight at her well check appointments. He's more like 70 or 80th percentile At one month, he weighed what she did at two months. And now he's completely outgrown his 3 month clothes and moved on to 6 months. I love his little (big) belly.


Sleeping is better but still pretty questionable. I thought his sister was a rough sleeper, till I reviewed her 2-month schedule and realized she was sleeping 6 hours at night. I guess that was pretty great. Colic and reflux still suck, but I think we're making some progress there, too. This was about the time Addie improved for about a month before it came roaring back, so I'm choosing to be only slightly hopeful that perhaps we're over the worst.

Weight: Since his two month appointment isn't for a few more weeks ... I'm guessing he's close to 13 pounds. At least.
Length: Also guessing around 22 inches

New things:

• Smiling. His smiling is my favorite.
• Cooing and interacting.
• Watching our mouths and eyes very intently.
• Even better head control.
• Batting at toys, which I'm pretty sure is mostly accidental.
• Giving himself battle wounds. Thanks to a yucky case of cradle cap, he's constantly trying to scratch his head, ears and forehead, either by rubbing on us, blankets, his swing, his bed or raking his sharp fingernails across his little head. He was asleep and swaddled when I heard a big cry - he had wormed his hand out and given himself a pretty impressive scrape. So we're back to wearing mittens.
• Sleeping a little better. He prefers to wake every three to four hours at night. Sometimes he'll stretch to five. Rarely to six.
• Taking better naps during the day. In his swing, mind you.

Likes:

• His swing. Thank goodness. Especially since we've taken to putting him here around 4 a.m. to try to get some sleep ourselves.
• The mammaroo. God bless our sweet friends who let us borrow this miracle contraption. He doesn't generally sleep in it, not for long anyway, but it does often calm him down when he's fussy
• Being worn. Love that moby wrap, although this baby is quite a bit heavier in it than that other one of mine was!
• His ocean play mat.
• Eating. Eating is his favorite.
• His black and white and contrast books.
• Bath time.
• His momma. I really like that he likes me best. I love that he's really starting to respond to my voice or my face.
• His sister. He loves to hear her sing or read books to him. She gives him the sweetest little kisses and loves to hold him. He saves some of his biggest grins for her.
• His daddy. Just like with Addie, I love how he looks at his daddy. Clearly he has to like me because I'm where to food comes from, but he loves his daddy just because.
• Usually he likes tummy time. Especially if his dog participates.

Dislikes:

• His tummy.
• Sleeping.
• Taking medicine. Already a pro at spitting it out at me.
• Being swaddled. Man this kid is strong and he fights and fights the swaddle, till he finally gives in and realize he actually likes it.
• Getting his boogers sucked out. Which also seriously distresses his sister.

Addison Mae - 30 months

30 months. That's 2 1/2. I can hardly believe it. And a recent growth spurt means she looks even more like a big girl and less like my baby. It's bittersweet when these babies grow. I'm thankful that she still wants me to hold and snuggle her, but I'm realizing it's not quite as often as it used to be. I'm trying my best to soak up all these moments with her, but also reminding myself that each new stage is even more fun (and usually exasperating!!) than the last. While I sometimes feel nostalgic for when she was smaller, I'm always thankful for the present.

Weight: 28.5 pounds
Length: ~32 inches

 New things:

• I'm going to go ahead and call her potty trained. We haven't tried out her actual panties yet (more because momma's scared) but she rarely has an accident. And she LOVES to use the potty at public places. Fun.
• Starting conversations with people by asking, "Do you have a puppy?" If they say no, she asks, "Do you have a kitty?" If both answers are no, she's typically done with the person.

• The funniest new phrases/convos ...
• Telling people they are stinky.
• An obsession with talking about bodily functions
• Telling us about new friends at school or church ... "Do you remember [name]?" If we say no, "I will show her to you next time at church."
• Learning the meaning of the word "startle" and using it correctly in convos
• If Jordan and I or my mom and I are having a conversation, "Talk to me instead, mommy." Usually combined with moving my head to look at her.
• Jordan was telling her about the Olympics and all the various sports. When he said "bobsledding," she said, "Like my Pawpaw?" (His name is Bob. She's going to be really disappointed when he's not on TV)
• A fear of Grammie's bobblehead of Uncle Si from Duck Dynasty. He talks. And Addie doesn't care for it.

Likes:

• Gloves. Hers, mine, Grammie's, anyone. She was thrilled when we had to put gloves on her bubby to keep him from scratching himself.
• Baths in mommy's tub or showers in mommy's shower. It's the little things.
• Helping give brother a bath.
• Playing in cardboard boxes. And asking Pawpaw over and over and over again to cut windows in them.
• Playing with snow, inside.
• Going to Sonic to get a juice box.
• Parties. Which is really any social gathering. Although she can't understand why all social gatherings don't require singing the birthday song, candles and cupcakes.
• Watching the Olympics.
• Car dancing. Girl after my own heart.
• Her brother. Most of the time.
• Doc McStuffins. And playing doctor. "It's gonna hurt really bad, Mommy." She recently gave me a check up and declared that I needed surgery, a shot in the finger, a bandaid and to hold her Ernie doll. She's nothing if not thorough.

Dislikes:

• Not getting her own way. Being told no. She recently told me her teachers at school never tell her no. I'm not buying.
• Time out.
• When her brother gets his nose sucked out. Makes her cry, too.
• Even discussing having to eventually share her toys with her brother.