Brrrrrrr!

It.Is.COLD!!! Whew, it always takes me awhile to get adjusted to the cold temperatures. I want nothing more than to stay inside and in my jammies all day! Both munchkins have been fighting runny noses and some congestion for about a week now. I have a feeling this won't be the first time this winter! How in the world do you keep kids healthy when it's this cold?! Haha - and it's only November =) Sister is definitely not feeling 100% - we've had a couple sleepless nights since she can't breathe. I'm thankful she's sleeping well during the day and taking good naps so she can catch up on her sleep.

 

While things have been pretty quiet for us, our big news is we traded in my car! I quickly found out how small my car was after adding an extra car seat for Emerson. My knees were literally in my dashboard, and while my car was running fine, it certainly was becoming a little more unreliable. I could've been any day away from a major breakdown and/or repair. We decided to go the route of leasing and it's such a great decision for us! This is by far the nicest thing I've ever had possession of so I am extremely nervous and protective of it! It's a 2015 Chevy Equinox:

 

Ethan is picking up new words all the time. I'm telling you what - he is one smart cookie!! Doesn't every parent feel that way about their kid?! But, seriously. It amazes me that he can see or hear something one time and then repeat it or act it out. He is just now starting to put two or three words together to form a phrase. He said "I drop it" when he dropped a Cheerio at the grocery, he says "I drum" when he takes his golf clubs and pretends to drum, and he also continues to use his sign language to help communicate. It's pretty cute when he says "ank ew" for thank you. He is starting to master the art of stalling when it comes to naptime or bedtime =) Whenever we say it's time to brush his teeth or go to bed, he will run and hide in a closet or start signing "eat" like he's starving (after we've fed him dinner). Sometimes you can't help but laugh. We had our first snow of the season this week and Ethan seems very intrigued! He goes to the window and says "no" for snow. Today, we were heading to the car and I was putting Emerson in first. Next thing I know, I look over and Ethan's running through the yard kicking up snow in his tennis shoes! He thought it was hilarious. Definitely need to go buy this boy some snow pants and boots! Ethan has discovered how to open and shut doors and also climb on his train table, kitchen table, and coffee table =)

Emerson is starting to coo and squeal more and more - mostly when Ethan's around =) If there is one thing guaranteed to make her smile, it's definitely Ethan...and her daddy! Emerson lets Ethan get right up in her face, lay his head in her lap, poke her face, steal her toys, and everything else in between. I cannot wait to see these two as she gets a little older. I've stopped wearing her in the wrap as much because we noticed she was getting upset when we put her in. Usually Ethan is napping when I put Emerson down so I can just swaddle her, rock her, and then she's asleep. I've definitely noticed it doesn't take me as long to rock her as it did before. I feel like I have it down to a science as to when I know she is asleep enough for me to lay her down in the crib. I still always hold my breath =) I can't believe I'll be posting her five month update soon!

We are heading down to Tennessee for Thanksgiving next week. We are so, so excited because the entire family will be together!! Nothing like the holidays and a packed house of family and food! It's crazy to think this time last year we were telling our families we were pregnant with this little peanut...

{Four Months Old - Emerson!}

Hi Family and Friends!

I'm four months old now! Wow! It's been a big month for me. I hit one of my first big milestones, celebrated another holiday, and continue to show what a happy girl I am every day! Here are some of the highlights from the past month:

•  I weigh 12 lbs. 4 oz. and am 24.5" long!
• I officially rolled over on 10/8/14! Mommy was folding laundry and I was playing on my activity mat. A couple minutes later, mommy looked down and I was on my belly! I've only rolled over about two times since, but it was still a really exciting moment. It was especially exciting when mommy and daddy were trying to film my new trick and I did it when the camera wasn't running.
  
  
  
  
• Rolling over is fun, but sitting up is way better. I'm constantly trying to sit up and love sitting on the couch supported by the boppy pillow.

• I am such a good sleeper. I have stretched out my nighttime sleep and now consistently sleep 11 hours every night...plus naps during the day! Mommy and daddy have been working on pushing my bedtime up little by little so they can have some of their nights back. I get a bottle around 8:15pm and mommy can usually put me down around 9:15-9:30pm. Lately, I've been taking a 2.5 hour morning nap along with my long afternoon nap as well.

• I've started sleeping in my crib!! Mommy started putting me down in the crib for naps to see how I would like it. I like how much room there is to stretch my long legs. Starting this week, she put me in the crib overnight for the first time and I did great!
• I have found my feet...I have two of them. I like to lay on my back, hold my left foot, and stare at my right foot in amazement while I wiggle my toes.

• I also have two hands. And they taste yummy.

• One of my favorite things to do is stand while mommy or daddy hold my hands. Standing on my legs is so much fun because I feel like a big girl. It always makes me smile.
• Mommy nurses me throughout the day and then I get a 7 oz. bottle of breast milk at my last feeding.
  
  
  
  
• Daddy sings to me every night while mommy is getting me ready for bed and wrapped up in my swaddle. He sings about how cute I am and how pretty my blue eyes are. Even if I'm crying, I stop every time he sings to me.

• Besides mommy's milk, my big brother Ethan is the BEST thing ever. I smile just at the thought of him. He loves to come say hi to me, kiss me, put toys in my lap, rub my head, poke my face, tickle my feet, hold my hand, and make me laugh. I watch his every single move and can't wait until I'm big enough to play with him.

• I've tried to laugh a couple times, but it just comes out as a cough right now.
• This is me on Halloween. I helped mommy and daddy pass out candy while Ethan, who was a lion, would roar at the trick-or-treaters.

• I am starting to play with toys. I like to reach for them and immediately put them in my mouth.

I'm doing a great job being a four month old. Maybe by the time I'm five months old, I'll let people other than my mommy and daddy hold me =) Thanks for reading about all the fun things I'm doing. Check out the rest of the blog below to see what big brother Ethan's been up to lately. See you next month!