Emma Cate and Holden,
You are four months old!
This was NOT the easiest month to photograph. In fact, you were a week shy of 5 months in these pictures. With daylight savings time and starting to work, I never got home in enough time to take your pictures without using the flash. You were both pretty fussy during these pictures because I had JUST woken you up to take them! Here's to better luck at 5 months!
What our life is like:
I wake up at 6:40 and pump. I'm pumping around 20 ounces each morning. We wake you up around 7:00am for a diaper change and morning feeding. You sit in your high chairs and drink your bottles. Holden normally drinks 6-7oz for breakfast and Emma Cate is happy with 5oz. Holden's reflux has gotten much better and while he still spits up after a bottle, it isn't as much as it used to be. After breakfast we play until 8:30. We do lots of tummy time. Holden is awesome at holding his entire body up and Dr. Patt thinks you'll be an early crawler. Emma Cate does not like tummy time and we have to do 2-3 minute increments to keep her happy. She can hold her head up but isn't doing "baby pushups" yet. Since you've been sleeping through the night consistently since you were three months old, we have switched your schedule. You go down for morning nap at 8:30 in your cribs. We are working on stopping the swaddle. So far I've been putting you in a sleepsak for morning naps and it has gotten easier and easier each day. We are waiting until this weekend to do an overnight without the swaddle. It makes mommy and daddy VERY nervous. We've come to enjoy sleeping through the night!
You wake up from nap between 9:45-10:15. We hangout until 10:30 and then you eat again. From 10:45-11:15 you both hangout in your high chair and I put toys on the tray and just recently you've taken an interest in touching the toys. You like to grab at the rings and taggie toys. We play until 12 and then you go down for a mid-day nap. During playtime we do tummy time and back time. You are both getting good at grabbing toys that dangle from your playmat. You recently started noticing each other and its so sweet to see you both stare at each other. You also still grab at each other when laying down playing. I normally your next bottle around 11am.
A week or so ago, Holden was having a little redness on his tummy from his diaper so I let you play naked on your "sheet saver" (best invention ever!!!) in the family room. Emma Cate "dirtied" the sheet twice and I had to move her closer to Holden. I went to grab something on the changing table and turned around to hear screaming. Holden had decided he had to "go" and I saw a curved stream hitting Emma Cate right in the stomach. She was screaming and Holden was just a laughing and smiling. I foresaw my future with boy/girl twins!
At 12pm you go down for a nap and are "supposed" to sleep until 2pm. We aren't having much luck getting you to sleep in cribs so I put you in the swings and turn them off once you are asleep. When you wake up we hangout and cuddle until 2pm when it is time to eat again. After "lunch" we play until 3 or 3:30 then its back down to nap until 5. This nap normally takes place swaddled in your swings. As the day goes on, you both get fussier and its harder to get you back to bed. At 5:30 Daddy normally feeds you supper while I'm at practice and plays with you until 6. You take a little catnap until 7pm and then are SOOO fussy until dinner at 8:30. We play music and cuddle to get you both to be calm. I'd like to play from 7-8:30 but you both just scream! I like to nurse you at the 8:30 feeding while Daddy gives one of you a bath. You are both in bed by 9 and we say our prayers as you both fall fast asleep :) You are great sleepers and usually go down without much fuss.
You have started giggling this month and we LOVE it! We sing "Ram Sam Sam" and tick your tummies on the gouli gouli gouli part and you both just laugh and smile! You both still love music together class and have the best time. Emma Cate started making the ah noise and is the more chatty of the two. We have little conversations now and are learning the beginnings of language development. I will take and pause in between statements and Emma Cate will "respond". Holden does this occasionally, but more often fills responds with a huge smile rather than sounds. You both hold your heads up really well and are "hip" babies, meaning we can carry you on our hips and you're good at sitting upright. We sit you on the couch and prop you with pillows. You are both great standers and Holden is the funniest when he is standing and music is playing. He likes to move his hips. Too cute!
We had a rough month. Your great grandfather passed away this month and it was so sad for everyone. He was 98 years old and such a wonderful example of a truly Christian man. He LOVED you babies soooo much and I was so glad he got to spend time with you the day before he passed away. You hung out with him at his room at the hospice house and cuddled, played, and took lots of pictures and even a little video. I always felt like he had a little something special with Emma Cate. You and Papaw loved to nap together and you seemed very calm and happy in his arms.
You were both baptised this month on the 21st (I guess that should technically go in the 5 month post but oh well!) It was a beautiful day and will get it's own post once I return to work. We are so excited to acknowledge God's grace and to affirm that we will raise you in a Christian home and teach you the best we can about God and Jesus.
Emma Cate:
Nicknames: P (daddy's nickname for you), Emma Tate, Taters, Cate
Weight: around 10lbs 12oz 1%
Height: 22.5 inches 1%
Hair: It's almost all gone and you are looking more like Gigi than PopPop without your little horseshoe. Not a lot has grown in and it looks like you'll be a cute little bald baby for quite awhile.
Eyes: Blueish grey
Clothes: You are in 0-3 month, newborns don't fit at all. I tried on your newborn hats and they don't fit anymore either! I've tried a few 3-6 month things and they aren't too huge.
Diapers: Using the Bumgenius 4.0 and Freedom. We LOVE the freedoms. You are still on the smallest size setting.
Eating: 5 ounces 4-5 (depends if we nurse before bed or not) times a day, one nursing session at night before bed.
Likes: watching tv, playing after breakfast (this is her happy happy time), laying next to/cuddling with Holden, her soft pink blanket, the ball with holes in it, grabbing at toys, the tambourine, singing ram sam sam, the beehive song, being sung to, diaper changes, nuk pacis
Dislikes: falling asleep on her own (but she's getting better), tummy time
Development: started laughing this month and having "conversations"
Words: not yet!
Teeth: not yet!
Extra: Compared to last month's post, your cries have gotten much less. You are more of a whimper unless you REALLY really need something. I love that I am now able to interpret your cries. You are still so smily in the morning. You pay attention very well at story time and music class. You notice mommy and I have to sneak away from the crib when trying to get you to sleep. You are a very pretty little girl and everyone comments on how much you look like a girl. I love how you look in hairbows! I think you love it too! You've plumped up a little this month and we often tease you and call you "double butt" because your little upper thighs have rolls that make you look like you have two butts from the back. You little hands have become pudgy and you have adorable little dimples where your knuckles are.
Holden
Nicknames: Holdy, Holds, Handsome Holden, Golden Holden, Franklin, Fwankwin, Fwank
Extra:
Weight: around 11 pounds 4oz
Height: 24"
Hair: blond. Slowly its growing longer. Very slowly.
Eyes: Blue
Clothes: 0-3 month, 3 month and some 6 month. You are long and lean so a lot of your clothes are either too wide or too short.
Diapers: Bumgenius 4.0 and freetime. They are set one snap bigger than the smallest size.
Eating: 7oz bottle for breakfast, 3 5oz bottles throughout the day and a quick but efficient 10 minute nursing session at night.
Likes: smiling, quivering his lip when crying, screeching, tummy time, being held, sitting up, looking around,
Dislikes: being hungry (boy likes his bottle!)
Development: You do very well at tummy time and have rolled over a time or two. You like to do little baby push ups too. You've started to play with the links that I leave out on your tray after bottles and you'll also bat at the elephant that hangs from the carseat. When you nurse you like to rub you hand back and forth across my chest. Too sweet.
Words: not yet!
Teeth: not yet!
Holden, you are really showing us your relaxed personality. You love sitting in your swing with a blanket draped over you and watching everyone. You make the most adorable faces. Sooo cute. You have eyes that are always inquisitive. You still like to stand up and dance and although you're daddy is not a fan of me when I do this, you LOVE when I move your arms all around (like cheerleading motions). You giggle and smile! Your tummy is getting better and better and you are an awesome eater and nurser. You usually only spit up once or twice, instead of your entire bottle. Hopefully you'll put on more weight now that you are keeping more down.
