Thursday, December 20, 2012

10 Months Old!

Weight
A: ?
G: ?

Height-
A: ?
G: ?
Clothing size- Grayson can still fit in some 6 month but really wears 9 month if I can find it or 6-12 month. Avery is still good to go in 6 month clothes but can wear the 9 month or 6-12 month.

Diapers-
We are definitely in size 2 diapers but I HAD to get the Santa diapers and the smallest size they came in are 3's (which are WAY to big haha).

Feeding-
I'm only nursing in the morning when they wake up and at night right before they go to bed. They would probably be fine without nursing at this point. I guess it's a mama thing. I'll probably let it go after the holidays. The best part about this month is that their doctor gave us the all clear to feed them pretty much anything in little pieces (excluding allergy foods). This has been amazing! It may be more of a mess but it's SO much easier to place a bunch of little pieces of food on their high chair tray and let them go at it then spoon feeding two babies at one time. I could tell they were pretty much over the puree thing and LOVED feeding themselves. A few firsts this month include, mac n cheese, cheese, deli turkey and ham, chicken, taco meat, spaghetti, and venison (daddy was so excited they loved this),

Hair/Eyes-
Eyes are still the same. Grayson's hair is continuing to get longer and longer. I so need to take him for a little snip before he has a mullet. Avery's hair is slowly growing. Can't wait for a little more length so she can have little bows!

Sleep-
The last two months were a little rough in this department with Grayson's teeth, the time change, and maybe a growth spurt. However, I am extremely happy to say they have finally settled back into their groove. They are sleeping a little later in the morning until about 7 or so most morning and they are taking two pretty decent naps. The morning nap seems to be the longer of the two. Rarely do they throw in the evening snooze anymore. We did learn at our last appointment that it was time to stop rocking them to sleep. I was so sad to have to give this up but it was definitely becoming quite a bit of work with two little ones. Our doctor said it would probably take about a week of tough love and they would then be able to self sooth. A few days after we found this out we left for Charlotte and the babies got sick. I wasn't tough enough to start. I waited until we got home. Sure enough these babies shocked me and showed that the rocking was all about me. After about a night or two of hearing them cry they were good to go and didn't make a peep. As much as I miss rocking my little ones bedtime is SO much easier.

Personality-
Avery and Grayson's very different personalities emerge more and more every day! I can't get over how sweet and cuddly my little man is. However, he is still a feisty little guy with a huge set of lungs. He continues to scream when he's mad or doesn't want to do something and he is constantly babbling, giggling, and laughing. Avery remains my calm, sweet little girl that sits back and takes note of everything going on around her...especially her brother. She doesn't talk quite as loud as her brother but she too babbles, coes, and laughs and it's just the sweetest sound. She has her daddy wrapped around her finger already!

Fun Stuff-
Grayson has a new obsession with grabbing his sister and sucking her head. It's so sweet..sort of. Avery's not such a big fan.

I think Avery is going to be a cleaner just like her mama.
Both babies still have an obsession and true love with being in the Johnny Jump Up. Grayson literally swing from the kitchen to the Christmas tree giggling like crazy.

Grayson loves sitting in things like a big boy such as this car Colson shared with him...
and this ride on toy...

He also gives the sweetest little hugs!

And he's learning how to pull up...UH OH!

Avery is obsessed with swinging.
This month they both really started standing solidly while holding on to things. They love the play table, coffee table, and anything that's just the right height for them to hold on to and play. Grayson became a dare devil and will let go with one arm turn around and then go back.

Our doctor things Avery might skip crawling and go straight to walking. She scoots on her back and our doctor said it's really hard for a baby to completely reverse that and learn to do it on their belly. Grayson shows signs by getting up on all fours but has yet to take the plunge and make a move. He usually just rocks for a moment and then flattens to the floor. It's only a matter of time.


They don't quite fit but I had to get these cute little Santa Diapers...just look at those bums!

Sibling identification and annoyance is in full affect. I'd say they definitely have a true love for each other already...


And here's the traditional monthly sticker shots! It's getting interesting trying to pull off these photos with two active little beans!


Ugh leave me ALONE

Okay, I'll take kisses

WHAT?!?! I'm 10 months old!

YaYYYY

All I can say is WOW, we sure are having a ton of fun in the Hatcher household these days!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Where Have We Been?!?!

So...my last post was the babies 9 month update and today they are 10 months old. Where has the time gone? With Thanksgiving, two trips to NC, visitors, parties, construction on the house, and preparing for the holidays our blog has taken a back seat. I am exhausted just thinking about all that has happened in the last month. I'll do my best to catch up on where we've been and what we've been up to. I'll start by saying I am LOVING this age. They still aren't mobile which I dare not push after spending a week with our buddy Colson running circles. I have no idea what I will do with two on the loose.

We spent Thanksgiving week bobbing all over North Carolina. We started with a few days visiting my parents in Raleigh, then we headed to Madison to spend Thanksgiving day with my dads family. Then we headed to Winston to see Kevin's  parents, followed by a trip to Lake Ewharrie to celebrate a belated Thanksgiving with his dads family. By the time we were back in Maryland we were exhausted but so thankful to have spent such quality time with those we love most.

We were home a few days before the babies and I took off for a solo trip to Charlotte. We spent just over a week while I was in a training. At the end of the week Kevin met us as it was his birthday and we didn't want to miss out on celebrating with him. Anna, Travis, and Colson were such great hosts. We got our first cold while we were there which didn't make for the best house guests...sorry Anna! However, the babies had SO much fun together. Colson loved the babies and was nice enough to share all of his toys and even sent us home with a few. The Crawfords are way too good to us when we visit them.

We're finally back home and after two really long and exhausting trip have decided to stay put for Christmas. My family will be coming Christmas Eve for a few days followed by Kevin's dad and step mom. The best part is Aunt Devin will be here in less than a week to spend two whole weeks with us. We absolutely cannot wait and have had a countdown going since she booked her flight.

The babies have loved the Christmas tree, lights, paper and all that comes with Christmas. I'm pretty sure all we would have to give them is a box and paper and they'd be happy. Playing Santa for the first time has brought a whole new meaning to the Christmas season. I am loving every minute of it.

Below is a recap of where we've ventured over the past month!

Someone was the first to the table and the last to leave on Thanksgiving...this little girl LOVES to eat!

This little guy loves to stand lately. And how cute is that little sweater my sister made him for Thanksgiving?!?! My little stud

All 3 of my babies on the farm
The babies with Nana and Granddady

I will be so sad when my lil man doesn't fall asleep on me anymore.

A & G even got to go on their first pony ride on Thanksgiving! Avery loved it but boy did my little man. He was feeding the horses carrots and squealing with joy.
Look how excited he got!
Pat, Grayson, Marie, Mom, Me, Avery and Kevin


As soon as Thanksgiving passed us we were off to pick our very first Christmas tree as a family of four. It really was that much more exciting to do this with little ones in tow. Even though I doubt they knew what it was all about.

Next we were off to Charlotte, NC
Here the babies had their first Bojangles experience...I'd say it was a hit! How funny is it to see 3 high chairs in a row...thank goodness it wasn't triplets!

This was the best shot I could get of all 3 rug rats in the tub

Grayson was in love with Colson's cool car!

Anna took us to see this beautiful tree. Avery was loving it!

Love my little family!

I mean how cute is Colson with his hands wrapped around the babies!

Travis gave my lil man the cutest TC shirt!
We even took a trip to visit Santa for the very first time while we were in Charlotte. Daddy arrived in time for this. The babies did so well. We'll see what next year brings!

Last but not least, Daddy arrived just in time to celebrate his first birthday with his favorite little ones. The babies were overjoyed with excitement to finally see their daddy after missing him SO much. We made a yummy dinner, gave him cards signed by his little ones and a few fun gifts. There might have been a few slobbery kisses as well.

 Upon arriving back home there were presents awaiting the babies from Aunt Devin. She spoiled them with their first advent calendar of goodies. They opened two books on their first day. They loved their books, but as you can see, the box and paper were pretty cool too!

How cute are we wearing Ellie's reindeer antlers?!?!


Precious little peanuts in their Christmas jammies


 

We are SO ready for SANTA and all our family that will be visiting...hurry up Christmas!

Monday, November 19, 2012

9 Months!

Weight
A: 16 pounds 3 ounces
G: 17 pounds 3 ounces

Height-
A: 25.5 inches
G: 28 inches

Clothing size- Grayson is definitely into 6 month and can only squeeze in a few of his 3-6 month clothes. Avery is just moving into 6 month clothes and can still wear most of her 3-6 month clothes. Although her love for food may change that soon...the girl has quite the little appetite and belly.
Diapers-
Size 1’s for both babies. We are trying to use up our last box of 1's before me move on.
Feeding-
Still nursing when I'm home which is usually first thing in the morning and right before they go to bed. Outside of that they either get formula or pumped milk. They are still loving baby food. They've been introduced to a few more things in the last month including, collard greens, okra, cauliflower, squash, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and Lima beans. I've also begun giving them little bitty pieces of foods because they scarf down the pureed stuff way too fast. They are doing really well with gumming anything I give them in tiny pieces, although I'm too scared to let the nanny do it. They've had little pieces of ham and turkey at our early Sutton Thanksgiving, bread, muffin, and best of all they got to try baby puffs for the first time about 2 weeks ago. Let's just say it's like candy to them.
Hair/Eyes-
Eyes are still the same. Grayson's hair is OUT OF CONTROL. I am so tempted to get his first little haircut because he's a big ol fuzz head of blonde hair. It's starting to go over his ear just a little but we'll see when I actually get the guts to take him for his first haircut. Avery's hair is really starting to come in now.
Sleep-
Napping is still about the same. Oh how I wish they would still take super long naps at exactly the same time. I guess I need to figure out when I start phasing out a morning nap. Nights have definitely changed over the past month. My AMAZING nighttime sleepers have had a bit of a rough patch. We were hit with teething and day light's saving all in the same week...OUCH. They have begun getting up multiple times a night and started waking for good around 5am which we have gotten back to about 6-7am thankfully. Waking up so many times with my work schedule has made for one tired mama! I just hope those poor little teeth come in fast. Two teethers at one time is joyous!

Personality-
Avery is OBSESSED with food. She is hilarious. I will feed her so much and when I try to stop, so she doesn't throw it all up, she gets so upset. She begins squealing and flailing her arms. I started sign language with them at 6 months and they say by around 9 months they begin to understand it even though they don't repeat it. I can tell she is beginning to understand because I sign to her all done and she freaks out. I am going to have to ask the doctor about this one. It's hard to tell if she really is still hungry or just can't stop. Usually if I get her out of the highchair she doesn't care any more. Grayson loves his food but does not freak out quite like his sister. Avery also gets so excited and when she's sitting she bounces her arms and opens her mouth. It reminds me of exactly what my sister used to do as a baby. Avery is still my happy smiley little bean that is SO interested in everything that is going on around her. She will stop anything to see what's going on. She has the most inquisitive expressions.

Grayson has become such a funny, happy little boy. He is loud as can be and let's you know how happy he is as well as how upset he is with his amazing vocal chords. Both babies began saying "Dadadada" much to my encouragement of "Mamama". Grayson gets himself just about anywhere he wants by rolling himself around. He is just starting to sort of push up on all fours. It's only a matter of time before he is into everything. He LOVES to stand up. He can't get himself up but if we help him he will hold onto whatever he can and stand there for awhile. He loves to stand up at the coffee table and play with whatever is in it. He has also discovered his love for the johnny jump up recently. He used to just sit in there content and kind of move around a little. Now he goes crazy and jumps all over the place squealing and swinging non stop.

Fun Stuff-
Both babies are solid sitters now. I can leave them on the kitchen floor or other hard surfaces with toys and know that they won't fall. They lean from side to side and grab and play with toys and each other without falling over. I've also been able to sit them in their bath tub in the big tub now that they sit so well. They are in heaven because they can actually sit and play with toys. They love bath time and would sit in there for hours if I let them.

One of my favorite new milestones is that they really know each other now. They laugh at each other, tug at each other and take each others toys away. Thankfully they haven't figured out that they should be upset when the toy is taken (yet). It is so neat to see how interested they are in each other and whatever the other one is doing. I love watching them interact and wonder what goes on their little minds. When they giggle at each other it melts my heart like nothing I've ever felt.

We are so excited with the holidays approaching and can't wait to see all of our family as we travel North Carolina. Even though these little beans have been producing bags under my eyes lately I know it's only temporary and I wouldn't change a thing. I truly enjoy every moment spent with these sweet, charismatic little babies. They bring a joy to their daddies and I's lives that we never could have imagined. They truly bring excitement to me the moment I wake up every day.

Sitting so sweetly...

Really Mom?!?!


And he's off!


Unlike my brother I can sit so nicely... 

and I have the sweetest smile!



But don't be fooled I love to annoy my brother!

We got the best report from our doctor at our 9 month appointment. We're finally on the charts...no more preemies here!

Happy 9 months to my favorite little beans in the whole wide world. Where oh where has the time gone!!!