Everly lost her first tooth!

Last week, just a couple of days before Christmas, I got a text from Justin while I was at the gym. Everly had finally lost her first tooth. She turned 6 back in October and still hadn't lost a tooth yet. Well, at least not naturally. Almost exactly 3 years ago in my last week of maternity leave with Aspen, Everly had a fall and chipped her tooth and then a couple of months later we had to pull that tooth because the root was damaged. You can read about it HERE and HERE. So now she actually has a two tooth gap in the front on the bottom but it is really cute. Neither Justin or I had any cash so I told him to pull one of the little shopkins out of Aspen's stocking and put it under Everly's pillow. When I got home from the gym we told her to go look under her pillow and she was totally surprised and excited. She didn't even care that it wasn't money. She is getting so grown up!

3 Year and 6 Year Update

Everly actually turns 6 one week from today but Aspen turned 3 about a week and a half ago. Last week we had their joint birthday party and I also took them in to the doctor's for their yearly checkup. I was a little worried because I wasn't sure how well Aspen would do. She hasn't been to the doctor's in a year and the last time she was still so traumatized from all of her ear infections. It actually went way better than expected. Both girls behaved really well and did awesome with their flu shots. Aspen is still tiny at the 14th percentile for weight and 17th for height. She is 27 pounds and 35 1/2 inches tall. Everly is borderline perfect at 47 pounds and 45 1/2 inches tall she is the 63% for weight and 58th for height. If she gets to 46 inches by January she should be able to go on Indiana Jones when we go to Disneyland! Neither of the girls even cried when they got their shots. They were easy on me so I treated them with smoothies after. Also, for a fun flashback, HERE is their update from a year ago.

thumbs up!

Aspen tried to sit on the scale. It was adorable.

Everly has slight allergies and you can see the white line on her nose from scrunching it so much.

2 Year and 5 Year Update

This week both Everly and Aspen had their annual checkup. With both of their birthdays so close we are able to tackle this in one doctor's appointment. I really like our pediatrician but I still don't want to spend any more time there then we have to. It was a relatively painless appointment. Aspen is still a little uncomfortable being there from all of her ear infection appointments before she got tubes put in, but she was definitely much better. She didn't even cry when she got her flu shot. Ev didn't want to get the flu shot but I think we talked about it too much before it actually happened. Last year she didn't cry at all so we thought that would happen again but got a little cocky, I guess. As far as growth goes, they are basically both perfect. Everly is 40 lbs. and 107 centimeters which puts her in the 53rd and 46th percentiles for weight and height. This is also exciting because she can ride so many more rides at Disneyland next week. Basically, the only rides she can't go on are Indiana Jones and California Screaming which I don't think we could convince her to do anyways. I am really excited to see her face on so many more rides! Aspen is 23 lbs. 8 oz. and 33 1/2 inches long. She is 11th and 38th percentile for height and weight but that is based on US numbers and so she is a lot closer to the middle on the World Health charts because US babies are big. She is still pretty tiny though! Next up is dentist appointments for both girls!

 

Yes, I still match them.  Dresses were only $3 though! (H&M)

Everly Sandra, 4.5 Years Old

 

I just got Everly's spring school pictures back so I thought it would be a good time to post an update about what is going on with Everly at 4 1/2 years old. She is definitely full of personality and imagination. She is a wonderful big sister and has recently started picking her sister up sometimes. It is going to be so cute to see her with her new niece at the end of this month. She is doing really well in school and hopefully we find out soon that she will be starting Kindergarten in the fall. She is a pretty good little eater for the most part but also really loves her treats. She is phasing out of taking naps but that is okay because when I get to spend more time with her I have a lot of fun. We really lucked out with such a great little girl! 

15 Month Update

Yesterday I took Aspen in for her 15 month checkup. She is doing great growing and is 19lbs 7oz. and jumped up to the 25th percentile for weight! She is the sweetest little peanut. She has started saying more words and signing more. She says Evie now which is adorable and she is really starting to try to say any word we ask her to. She says uh-oh a lot and papa. She also makes a cow noise and a car noise. She loves playing with cars. She is basically running everywhere and can now get herself down off the couch. She loves to eat, especially meats and cheeses. She also loves ice cream (shocker)! She still takes 2 naps for the most part and sleeps great. Recently her sister has been trying to teach her how to jump and it is so funny to watch her try.

In other news, unfortunately during Aspen's checkup they discovered yet another ear infection. She has had like 7 in the past 8 months. They don't always upset her or cause fevers but we feel like we are constantly in and out of the pediatrician and pharmacy. Everly rarely got sick so this was new for us. I was able to get in with an ear, nose, and throat specialist yesterday and they determined that Aspen does qualify for tubes so we are waiting to hear back from them to schedule her surgery. It is definitely not ideal to have to do surgery on a 15-month old but we are ready to be done with all of the ear infections. It was nice to spend the day with my littlest squishy but I hope this gives her relief!

 

 

  

Target shenanigans while we picked up our prescription.

Preschool Pictures and a 4 Year Checkup

So we recently got Everly's Preschool pictures back and they are basically perfect. That girl is such a cheese ball. I love her little smile. I took her to her 4 year checkup yesterday and she was such a champ. Her next checkup will be after she starts kindergarten so she had to get 4 shots. I told her she would get a cool Band-Aid and she wasn't even worried. Not only did she not cry but she kind of giggled. The girl was fast with them but I know Ev is a tough little girl, too. Her sister on the other hand, screamed bloody murder at the doctor's office this morning while he cleaned her ears out so he could look in them. It was joyous. Ev is at the 59th percentile for weight and 35th for height...so perfect. She answered all of the doctor's questions and I feel like it was such an improvement from last year. Preschool is doing her well!

Happy Birthday Aspen

Today our baby girl Aspen turned 1! It's hard to comprehend because to me she is still a tiny little nugget and so it hasn't really sunk in that this first year is over. We had a little brunch for her last Sunday that I will post about later but today we took her in for her 1 year checkup. She is 18 lbs 8 oz and in the 11th percentile for weight. She has another ear infection but you would never know. She is standing up on her own, but not taking any steps yet (at least not on her own). She is still eating and sleeping great and still nurses in the morning and at night. Sometimes it is frustrating because she gets distracted easily so we will see how much longer that lasts. She is loving the peekaboo barn app and she still loves her blankie. She can say mama and papa and gives the sweetest open mouth kisses. She still only has the 2 bottom teeth but the fingers are in the mouth a lot so it is only a matter of time before the tops start poking through. Justin and I had a nice little morning with her after we dropped her sister off at preschool and he even has the rest of the week off to spend with her. Of course, this year went by fast and I just want her to stay little but we are so lucky to have this little girl in our lives!



#monthlyaspen pictures

breakfast dates

chunky monkey

cutie

She even handled her vaccinations well.

11 Month Update

Yesterday Aspen turned 11 months old. We are already planning her first birthday party next month. It is still kind of hard to believe that we are at this point. She is still so tiny and it just doesn't seem right! She has made a lot of progress in the last month. She popped another tooth finally. She has gotten a little fussy during teething and we have given her some tylenol a couple of times, but other than that she is doing pretty good. Still sleeps great for us. She is eating 3 meals a day and still 100% breastfed. I have actually stopped pumping now but I have more than enough frozen to get through the next month and it is so nice to not have to pump anymore. I still nurse her in the morning at night and the weekends, for now and it is working pretty good. Her favorite foods are cheese and bananas, although she also likes yogurt, chicken, turkey and potatoes. We will introduce grains after her birthday. She is moving all along the furniture and we had to put the baby gate up because she silently climbed half-way up our stairs the other night. She is playing peek-a-boo, giving hugs, and blowing kisses. We all love her so much and just can't believe how big she is getting!

10 Month Update

Yesterday Aspen turned 10 months old. This past month was a big one for her. She is still tiny wearing 9-12 month clothes and in size 3 diapers (although she fits in 6 month onesies still). She has her first tooth and hit so many developments in the past month (pulling herself up to her feet, waving hi, clapping, doing "so big," and recently giving lots more kisses and even dancing). She is crawling fast and gets her knees and feet all dirty. Despite finally getting in her first tooth she hasn't been drooling or losing any sleep. She is an angel like that. She still loves her sister and watches everything she does and loves playing with her sister's toys. She loves taking showers and is warming up to the pool more. She is also doing great with her eating. She is eating all kinds of solid foods now (not purees) like bananas, avocados, green beans, berries, whole milk yogurt and cheese, black beans, and potatoes and we have tried little bits of chicken too. She has still not had one bite of grains and probably won't until her 1st birthday cake! She has actually been shoveling the food in her mouth too and loves those little freeze dried yogurt drops. I hope she goes to town on her birthday cake in a couple of months. She is also still 100% breastfed although I am starting to reduce that a bit in preparation for her turning a year and me doing other things besides nursing, haha. I have had a great experience but I am over the whole pumping thing. Last week I slept in and just nursed her when I woke up and then the whole rest of the day and that was the first day since she was a few days old that I didn't pump at some point in the day. Over 9 months of pumping at least once a day and more often 3 times a day can be exhausting. I am down to pumping once a day at work and my supply has gone down but I have a good amount frozen so it is okay that she drinks more at daycare than I currently pump. I actually think I might nurse her past a year but only once or twice a day if that. We will see how it goes but I am pretty proud of the fact that I have made it this far. Thankfully, Aspen makes it pretty easy. She is such a fun baby and we love her!

9 Month Update

This past Tuesday Aspen turned 9 months old. Guess what? Still NO TEETH. I know it is completely normal, it is just weird to me since Ev got her first tooth at 7 months. Anyways, regardless of no teeth, we have started her on finger foods since she has been doing so good at eating 3 meals a day. She still loves bananas and can now eat an entire pouch of baby food. She is crawling great and so close to pulling herself up on things. She is still small but growing. She currently weighs 16lbs 3 ounces and is in the 4th percentile for weight. That is big because she was previously not even on the charts. She is also in the 3rd percentile for height and 8th percentile for head size . She is wearing 6-12 month clothes and size 3 diapers. She sleeps great through the night still in her crib. She is generally just a happy baby all of the time. She thinks her sister is hilarious and loves playing with her toys. She also likes being in the shower and has been doing good in the pool so far this summer too. She is still warming up to the splash pad but Everly took awhile too. I am looking forward to trying some new foods with her this month and hopefully she plumps up a bit, haha.

8 Month Update

This past Saturday Aspen turned 8 Months old. She still has no teeth but has had a lot of other developments this past month. She is starting to wear size 3 diapers and 9 month clothes. She is a pro at sitting up and also transitions herself from laying down to sitting up. She does a lot of rocking on her knees and some army crawling/scooting. She definitely gets around if she wants to, but no formal crawling yet. She eats solids consistently 2x a day and we are working her up to 3. She is still getting breast milk and we have not had to supplement with formula. She makes all kinds of sounds like mama, papa, and baba and she even waves bye now. Even with some moments of obvious discomfort from teething, she is still a really happy and easy baby. She loves her big sister and laughs at her all of the time. She is just so loveable and cute and finally starting to get more squishy! I mean look at those thigh rolls!!!

7 Month Update

 

Yesterday Aspen turned 7 months old. She is still a tiny little peanut and in size 2 diapers but I think we have probably opened our last package of those. She is still wearing 6 month clothes but we have started putting her in 9 month jammies and I need to clean her 9 month clothes and start putting them on her. She started doing better with solid foods, but then regressed a little because I think she had an upset tummy. She has actually started drinking less milk too so hopefully that all goes back to normal soon. She is doing great at sitting up and is generally just a really happy baby. Still no teeth yet, either! She loves bouncing in the johnny jumper and is pretty good at it too. This past month she celebrated her first Easter and we also welcomed her newest cousin, baby Mae! Hopefully this month she starts packing on the pounds and sprouts her first tooth! We love you baby Aspen! 

6 Month Update

 

Yea, I'm in shock too! I can't believe it has already been 6 months since our little baby entered the world. She really is a little angel. On Monday she officially turned 6 months old and on Tuesday she had her 6-month check up (with 4 shots). She definitely cried for the shots but it was already time to eat and so I just fed her immediately after and she was fine. She did get a slight fever last night and the spot of the shots was a little red but she handled it pretty well and we gave her a little tylenol to help. She is still really tiny (13lbs 5 oz.) but also growing in a lot of ways as well. She is officially in size 2 diapers and 6 month clothes. She is sitting up for around 15 seconds like in the picture above but still very unstable. She is a pro at rolling over back to belly and belly to back and uses that to scoot all over the family room carpet. She still sleeps great through the night and still loves having a blankie (it's really the cutest thing ever). My favorite thing is how she gives me more kisses than anyone else. I just love it! We also started her on solid foods about a week and a half ago. We started with soft boiled egg-yolk and she has also tried avocado and green beans (homemade). She is doing great with the egg-yolk now but still gags at the avocado and green beans, so we are being patient. We also made some sweet potato to try next. She had her last baby-splash swim class last Sunday and while that was sad, we are excited to have our Sunday's back as I also had my last soccer game that day. We are looking forward to her first easter and hopefully by next month's update she also has a new cousin (my sister is due April 7th). 

5 Month Update

 

Our squishy little Aspen turned 5 months old yesterday. I took her in for a weight check and she weighs 12 lbs 6 oz. and that was after she blew out her diaper, haha. She is still just under the 1st percentile for weight but at like the 30th and 10th for head and length. We are about to transition her into size 2 diapers but she is still in a lot of 3 month clothes. I do put her in some of her 6 month outfits though because it is starting to warm up and I don't want to miss out! I spent my first weekend away from her last month and she did great. She is a pro with the bottle and we don't even have to hold it for her anymore. She is currently drinking four 8-ounce bottles and then nurses twice from me at night. She is still exclusively breastfed but I am looking forward to starting solids with her next month. She puts EVERYTHING in her mouth. She is still drooling a lot but no teeth yet. Last night she rolled over from her back to her belly. It was the funniest thing because I didn't see it happen, but I just looked down and she was on her belly. She had her first Valentine's Day and she has been loving her little activity center. She is still sleeping great, and does best with a little blanket. I know it sounds dangerous, but she just loves covering her face with a blankie! She constantly gives us smiles and I just love her little giggles. I love when she grabs at my face and can't wait for baby kisses! I miss her all the time when I am not with her. She is the sweetest!

4 Month Update

Last Friday Aspen turned 4 months old! Yesterday Justin and I took her to her appointment and I was telling him how she was getting her 4 month shots and he asked why we were doing them a month early. Yea, we aren't. She is actually 4 months old! Speaking of that checkup, once again, she is super tiny. I guess Everly was really small too because I really don't feel like Aspen is super tiny. She is currently 11lbs 8 oz. and still in size 1 diapers and size 3 month clothes. She is eating and sleeping fine so we are not really concerned but we will take her in next month for a weight check. She did catch a little cold from her sister last month as well as getting a slight fever from the shots yesterday, but other than that she has been great. She has really started to become super chatty in the last week also. She is doing very good in swim class still and last month she had her first trip to Disney on Ice. She loved all of the lights and did great. She also took her first trip to the Children's Museum and was great there as well. We started putting her in the bumbo for short periods of time as well as in her activity center and she seems to like both. She has rolled from her belly to her back and seems super close to rolling from back to belly so we have opted to keep her arms out of the swaddle at night time. Currently the plan is to wait until 6 months to start solid foods so there is no change there and she has also been doing pretty well at daycare. Sometimes she doesn't get in a super long nap, but every once in a while she does. We thought for sure she had teeth coming in because she has been drooling like crazy but we haven't seen any proof yet! I would not be surprised to see one pop in soon, though!

3 Month Update

 

 

Yesterday Aspen turned 3 months old. It has been a very busy month for her. We celebrated her papa's birthday, her first Thanksgiving (and black Friday) and last weekend she made her first trip to Disneyland. I think Aspen is getting close to rolling over and actually rolled off the couch at my sister's house a couple of weeks ago (oops!). I feel like we have also noticed a growth spurt in her hair as well. She does not have as much as Everly did but it seems to be coming in a little more. She is still 100% breastfed and nursing great. Now that I am back to work she gets pumped milk for most of the day during the week and I only nurse her once or twice at night but on the weekends I go back to nursing full time. She has had no problems going back and forth between the bottle and me so that is great. She has also discovered her toes which is really cute, although they haven't quite made it into her mouth yet. She loves the Oball playmat that my mom got her and this month we also discovered that she likes the song "Jingle Bells" because Everly sings it All. The. Time. We have gotten several giggles from her which are just the best and in general she is just a really happy easy baby. She is not a big fan of her car seat but still loves to be worn. She is in size 3 month clothes but probably not far from moving to 6 month jammies and she actually went in for a weight check today and is now 10 lbs 12 oz (only up 6 oz from last month). We are going to increase some of her bottles and see if that helps her gain more weight because she is now in like the 1st percentile. We will take her back in for a weight check again in a couple weeks. I have a feeling that is has to do with the fact that she started sleeping through the night so quickly. She is still doing great at sleeping in her crib and I don't want to jinx it, but I can't remember the last time we had to get up during the middle of the night with her. She is still adjusting to daycare but I think it is just going to take time for the staff to learn what she likes and doesn't as it did for us as well. She did get a 2.5 hour nap there yesterday though so that is pretty darn good. Things are definitely more complicated with 2 kids but we just love baby Aspen so much and can't wait to watch her grow.

2 Month Update

Last Sunday Aspen turned 2 months old. That means just a couple more weeks until I go back to work. This past month has been full of lots of activities. Aspen celebrated her first Halloween and went to a couple pumpkin patches and a carnival. She is currently 10 lbs. 6 oz. and in the 12th percentile for her weight. She is in size 1 diapers and mostly 3 month clothes but still some 0-3. Everly was small until about 6 months so I am not worried but I do love a good chubby baby so I won't mind if she starts putting on the pounds earlier. Aspen is still sleeping through the night great and even taking a long afternoon nap in her crib. She is still nursing well and usually goes 3-4 hours in between feedings. She has also gotten her ears pierced and had her first swim class which I will post about later. We don't do a ton of tummy time, but her neck strength seems to be pretty good, probably because she prefers to be held upright instead of rocked like a baby. Thankfully she still takes a bottle great so I am not worried about her primarily on bottles when I go back to work next month. In this next month we are looking forward to a great Thanksgiving, a smooth transition into day care, and baby's first trip to Disneyland! Can't wait!

1 Month Update

 

Yesterday Aspen turned 1 month old. Crazy, right?!? It has been a very good month. Aspen has been doing great. She is nursing well and also takes a bottle once a day so I can pump and workout/run. She has also been sleeping really well. Depending on when her last feeding is she usually sleeps until 4 or 5 am (last night she gave me 6 hours of sleep). We probably need to start transitioning her to her crib soon. I think she had a growth spurt earlier this week because she was hungry every 2 hours but other than that she usually goes 3-4 hours. She is smiling a lot now and making such great eye contact. I think I even got a little cooing this morning...but she does have to poop so that might have been because of that, haha. She loves her papa and her sister and she love, love, loves being carried in her Solly Baby Wrap. I like having her in their, too! In this past month, Aspen had her first trip to the zoo, her first trip to the train park and her first carousel ride. She celebrated her sister's 3rd birthday and was baptized in the catholic church. We took newborn pictures as a family and she has also made it to a couple of library story times and her first Octoberfest. Looking forward to another great month!

3 Week Update

 

Yesterday Aspen turned 3 weeks old. Today we took her in for a weight check and I am so happy that she is not only back up to her birth weight but has surpassed it by a couple of ounces. She is now 8lbs and 11 oz. I was never really worried because she was pooping and peeing but now we don't have to go in and get checked anymore or potentially supplement with formula. We won't go back for a checkup until she is 2 months old. It feels like Aspen has been here longer than 3 weeks. She really is a pretty good baby. She even slept 6 hours the other night and I needed it bad because I had a little cold I was getting over...so thanks Aspen! Sometimes she gets a little fussy at night but other than that nursing has been going really well. She still loves sleeping on her side and being held up on my shoulder. She is also awake for longer stretches now but still sleeping a lot. I feel like any day now she is going to start making more cooing sounds and I can't wait for it! Also, Aspen loves riding in the car, but hates it when we are stopped. Good thing is she stops fussing again when we start moving but sitting at the bank drive through was real fun the other day! My sister watched Aspen while I played in my first postpartum soccer game last weekend and she was such a little angel on the sideline. I heard other kids screaming but Aspen was perfect the entire game. She is still in newborn clothes and diapers but also fits in some 3 month clothes and jammies. I have a lot of newborn halloween stuff from Everly so hopefully we can get a little use out of that before she really starts packing on the pounds!

2 Week Update

 

Today Aspen turns 2 weeks old. Things have been going really great. She is generally eating twice a night and I often have to wake her up to feed. She also generally nurses for 15-25 minutes and sometimes goes 4-5 hours in between feedings even though I try to wake her up after 3 hours. She had her two week checkup today and has not quite made it back up to her birth weight. We will weigh her again when we go for Everly's 3 year checkup next week. She still loves sleeping on her side and also being held up on your shoulder or chest. She loves being in the Solly Baby Wrap (and I love carrying her in it). She really can't fit in newborn footie pajamas (which is kind of sad) but we also have way more 3 month sized jammies so it is good. It won't be much longer before she is out of newborn onesies also. She is not super great at taking a pacifier yet but sometimes she does good. Last week we had her newborn pictures taken and got her baptized in the Catholic Church, both of which I will post about later. She has taken a bottle (of pumped breastmilk) a couple of times now so that I could go to the gym/run and has done great with those. It has not at all affected her ability to nurse from me either. She is also starting to be awake for longer stretches now and even making some really good eye contact. Hopefully it is not much longer before we start getting some smiles (that are not post-feeding smiles).