5 Months

Emma Cate and Holden,
You are FIVE months old!

What our life is like:
Now that I've started back to work, we have two different routines! One for weekdays and one for weekends.
I wake up at 5:40 and pump. I'm pumping around 18 ounces each morning. Unfortunately, my milk supply is starting to decrease and I'm taking fenugreek to work on building it back up. We've started using our freezer stash to supplement. We wake you up around 6:30am for a diaper change. Your Daddy is SO helpful in the mornings. He gets you out of your cribs and brings you to me so that I can see your "sleepy" faces. We trade off changing your diapers and loading you in the car. We load you up in your pjs and take you to gigi's house (on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday- the other days you stay at home with Gran). I drop you off at 5 til 7:00 at Gigis and you sit in your high chairs and drink your bottles. I get you all set up and kiss you both goodbye before heading off to work.  You are both drinking 5oz at each meal.

During the day, your Grandmas take such good care of you! I get picture updates all day long and love seeing them! You are supposed to play until 8:30 and then nap from 8:30-10. I'm not quite sure how you're both doing with this. I think I might have your Grandma's record your nap times so that we can work on a set nap schedule based on how you are already sleeping. You both are working on tummy time but haven't improved much in the past month. We went to take your 4 month pictures, where you are supposed to be holding your heads up but unfortunately Emma Cate didn't do so hot and we need to retake them later. You are both sleeping through the night. Occasionally, Emma Cate has woken up and nurses for a little snack. Holden, you sleep like a champ! Emma Cate, sometimes you have a hard time getting yourself back to sleep and we switch you over from a sleepsak to a swaddle. Holden, you LOVE being swaddle free and we find you in all sorts of positions in the morning. You also like to roll over onto your left side. I'm not sure if you really like it or if you just get stuck that way!

You wake up from nap 9:45-10:15. We hangout until 10:30 and then you eat again. Its kind of sad because I'm not really sure what you do during this time anymore :(. I really need to get your Grandma's to write it down for me! I know you get to play with toys and read lots of book! Around 12 you are supposed to go down for a nap.... I'll have to check with the Grandma's on that one! During playtime, you both love grabbing toys that hang from your activity mat! We recently put you both in the exersaucer and you both enjoyed it! Holden did well at pushing the buttons that light up! You also sit up on the couch like big kids! I think its funny to watch you tip over! You lay on your sides for awhile and then start to whimper for me to pick you back up! Emma Cate, you do NOT enjoy sitting! Everytime we put you down you arch your back and lift your hips up. Holden, you are very content to sit and are starting to work on sit ups from a laying down position. You also still grab at each other when laying down playing. Holden always reaches for Emma Cate's hand... so sweet. We think that Holden is going to right handed and Emma Cate left.


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. You eat at 2 and normally thats when I come home and get to see you! We play for a little and then you take a nap from about 3:30-4:45. You've started to eat supper anywhere from 5-5:30. You are both so happy and cheerful from 5:30 until 7 and then you turn mad QUICK! We put you down for a catnap from 7 until 8. At 8 we start bedtime routine. Daddy bathes you and that I nurse you off to sleep! We do kisses and prayers while you lay in your beds. You both like to have your mobiles on and the white noise machine in order to fall asleep.

You are such little people now with little personalities! My favorite thing is still watching you grow and learn. You both a great at playing with your high chair toys. You have one toy that spins in a circle and makes noise as it spins. I always spin it for you and you both love to look at it. The other day I saw Holden spinning it by himself and I was sooo thrilled. I love love love watching you both learn things. We still sing to you ALL OF THE TIME. Daddy says it sounds like we live in a mental hospital with all my made up songs but you both LOVE IT! You both can recognize your bottle and know when it's time to eat. You both also know your names and look in the direction that we are calling you from.

Emma Cate, I feel like you have been "talking" forever, but I'm realizing you just started this month. You will babble and babble and babble. I try to get videos of it but you always get shy when you see the camera! Holden, you like to talk on occasion but it is easier to get you to laugh. We do the Ahhhhhh part of Ram Sam Sam and you give me the biggest smiles in anticipation of othe gouli gouli gouli part and then you just crack up. It is the SWEETEST sound!

The end of October-November was a fun month! We LOVE how interactive you two are becoming! It warms my heart to know that you both know that I am your mama. I get huge smiles when I return from work and lots of cuddles. We had a great time going to the pumpkin patch, celebrating Halloween and my birthday, and attending your first Wolfpack football game.

Emma Cate:
Nicknames:  P (daddy's nickname for you), Emma Tate, Taters (we use this one the most), Cate
Weight: Not sure
Height: Not sure
Hair: It's starting to grow in. I've heard this happens when you have a growth spurt. We still can't decide what color it will be.
Eyes: Blueish grey
Clothes: You can still wear most of your 0-3 months. I am buying you 6th month things now to last through the winter. You are still very tiny for your age!
Diapers: Using the Bumgenius 4.0 and Freedom. We LOVE the freedoms. We've moved up a row of snaps!
Eating: 5 ounces 4-5 (depends if we nurse before bed or not) times a day, one nursing session at night before bed.
Likes: Girl, you looooove some football. You are so content in your mamaroo watching the game! You had your first fire the other night and cuddle with mommy while staring at the flames. You like things that move quickly. You like being held the best. The past few weeks I've had some super organized days and have been able to cuddle with you during your evening nap. It is the BEST. You still like diaper changes and love being naked. You've started kicking your feet in the bath. You screatch on ocassion. You LOVE to smile and it is sooo big! You have a huge dimple in your right cheek. You still love your soft pink blanket, attention, the ball with the holes in it. You also like to face out.
Dislikes: falling asleep on her own (but she's getting better), tummy time (same as last month!)
Development: "talking, giving huge smiles, kicking feet, you can take your paci out of your mouth and put it back in. You LOVE to suck your thumb!
Words: not yet!
Teeth: not yet!


Extra: You are a sweet little girl and can be quite prissy. I feel like you are already copping an attitude with us sometimes. You've had a hard time nursing recently but I think it is getting better. When we go outside, you are so content to look at the clouds. You wear a hairbow all the time and are very good at keeping it in! I love a little girl with a bow! You still hold your arms out like superman but are doing it less and less. You give the biggest smiles and are generally a very happy girl! You love to watch me cook in the evenings too! We put your highchair near the stove and you are mesmerized! I can't wait to cook with you!

Holden
Nicknames: Holdy all your other names are starting to diminish. Your big poppy likes to call you Cav.
Weight: not sure
Height: not sure
Hair: blond. Your hair grew a lot this month! You still don't have a ton but it is growing!
Eyes: Blue
Clothes: 0-3s still fit but most of your winter clothes are 3-6 months and are a little big but you'll grow into them!
Diapers: Bumgenius 4.0 and freetime. They are set one snap bigger than the smallest size.
Eating: 5oz bottles 4 times a day and nursing at night. You are a very good, efficient nurser! You love to eat and are pretty neat about it!
Likes: Ram Sam Sam (a lot) and the thsss sound when we sing "Listen to the leaves", smiling, standing, the swing (not the mamaroo), being naked, the jumperoo hanging from the door, being tickled near his neck. 
Dislikes: being hungry (boy likes his bottle!)
Development: Your are such a strong boy! You can hold your chest up well and tummy time is a breeze. You still roll over on occasion. You love to be upright in the exersaucer or johnny jumper. Your hand is always in your mouth and you are definitely a finger sucker. You prefer the two middle fingers but have no problem sucking your whole fist! You are also working on sitting up. We'll find you trying to do sit ups in your high chair and on the floor. You don't have the balance part down but you are good at sitting up when we hold your hands. 
Words: not yet!
Teeth: not yet!

Holden, you are so freaking cute I want to kiss you all the time. You sit back and observe what is going on. You are so sweet and gentle. You rarely fuss for long. You are happy in the bjorn watching the world. You were NOT a happy camper at your first football game! You cried and cried and it was sooo unlike you. You wanted to sleep but everytime you slept, the wolf would howl and you would SCREAM! You and I spent the whole first quarter walking the concourse. We went down to the tunnel to visit your Aunt Ivey and while we were waiting for her to come through we were talking with a nice police officer and you threw up a TON he kept trying to tell me you threw up but I just kept chatting until he said "Maám, seriously, your son threw up everywhere". You were totally covered in it! Whoops! Cuddles with you are the sweetest thing. You like to hold on to our shoulders while we carry you around. You make the funniest faces and I giggle all the time. I try to capture them but you crack yourself up and move around and the pictures are always blurry! You are a sweet snuggle bunny and have a shy smile and big eyes.