13 Months

*All of the kids weights and measures can be found here.

Henry

*Has taken up to 3 steps before he topples over. He thinks it’s great fun! He does an awesome job of walking around just holding onto your hand.
*He has 6 teeth and 2 more just ready to come through.
*Loves to “walk” pushing his toys around the room.
*Has the most hearty laugh when you tickle his thighs; not to mention he has the most delicious thighs!
*Has not been sleeping well at all. He’s usually up several times a night, doesn’t settle down easily, and is up early…it’s beginning to kill Mommy.

James

*Hasn’t attempted to walk anywhere yet.
*But he can climb up on the couch {which now has its own set of issues} and crawl up the stairs.
*He has 2 teeth, 3 1/2 teeth, and 1 that is just sitting there.
*Still eating the best.
*Is looking more and more like a little boy, and knows it when he’s getting “yelled” at for standing on the couch.
*This boy can sleep! He goes down for naps easily, at night, would probably sleep through the night, would probably take 1 4hr nap a day…but we don’t let him, so that he’s on the same schedule as the other to.
*He is an absolute blanket boy! I think he would drag it all over the house with him, if we let him.
*Went sledding for the first time.

Elanor

*Is finally crawling the proper way.
*Is finally pulling herself up to her feet.
*Is FINALLY eating! She actually will eat some foods and open her mouth for you to put stuff in there!
*She has 6.5 teeth.
*Would probably sleep better, but gets woken up by Henry a lot of the time.
*Is on whole cows milk.
*She is such a Daddy’s girl.
*Did NOT like being out in the snow at all.

*The boys are in 24 months now…not much of 18 months is fitting them; Henry needs it in the waist and James in the length.
*Ellie is solidly in 18 month clothes, but is skinny enough that she can still fit in 9 months, but they’re way too short.
*They’re getting 3-4 bottles a day: One before each nap {2}, one before bed, and sometimes another during the night.
*All are doing really well with sippy cups, but of course love letting the water run out of  their mouths.
*We FINALLY all seem to be better! About time!

~*~I have not taken bunny pictures yet. Today was a pajama day and I’d really rather be dressed for those pictures.

~*~*~ And yea, James is really that much taller than the other two. He's gotta have 3-4" on Henry.

One Year!

It’s here: The day I haven’t been looking forward to. Henry, James and Elanor are officially a year old. I’m having a harder time with this than I did with turning 30 this year.

Henry*Weighing 26.2lbs
*Has 4 teeth with a few more on the way
*Crawling the “proper” way
*Pulling himself up to his feet, a few tentative steps cruising along the couch
*Has stood without holding anything for at least 30 seconds {thinks this is the greatest trick now}
*Says mama, dada
*Smiles with his entire body…always super excited when he sees his Oma and Daddy
*His eyes are more of a greenish/grayish/brownish/hazelish…they’re gorgeous, but indescribable
James
*Weighing 25.6lbs
*Has 3 teeth with at least one more coming in
*Crawling the “proper” way
*Has stood up a couple of times on his own, but quickly grabs onto something or sits down
*He’s a speed racer cruising the couches and whatever else he can hold on to
*Says mama, dada, and what I will refer to as “a-dun” {all done}
*Gets into every single thing you could possibly imagine
*He’s our tech-geek…as soon as he sees something (laptop, phone, ipad, remotes) he’s all over it.
Elanor*Weighing 20lbs
*Has 6 teeth with a couple more coming in
*Does the wounded soldier crawl all over the place
*Has started pulling herself up to her knees
*Says mama, dada
*Does this super-cute booty/shoulder shimmy
*Always has a big smile for her Daddy and Opa and PopPaul
*An ant eats more than she does
*Always has a smile for everyone

And here's their One Year Well Baby stats (from January 10, 2013)

I think they short changed James on his height, or measured Henry too tall, because when standing side by side, James is a good 3" taller than Henry.

11 Months Old

Oh yea, next up…ONE YEAR! The only good thing I can come up with, in regards to the impending first birthday, is that we are almost done with buying formula: YAY!!

This past month has been wondrous as to all the new things the babies have started doing.

Henry

*Weighing in at 26 lbs
*Wearing 18-24 months clothes
*Crawling forward and backward, sitting up on his own, but not pulling himself up yet {he does try}
*Loving solids
*Has 4 teeth
*He does this hysterical thing with his lips. He looks like an old man with his dentures.


Henry is just such a sweet little boy. He’s quite content to sit in your lap and just let you hold him or play with him. He laughs with every bit of himself…it’s not just a sound or facial response, he laughs with his ENTIRE body.

James

*Weighing in at 25lbs
*Wearing 18-24 months clothes
*Crawling every which way, pulling up and cruising the couch and bigger toys, he’s briefly let go of something and stood on his own
*Has figured out how to open our baby gate {it’s a door style} if it’s not latched
*Has only 2 teeth, but that doesn’t seem to stop him from eating. He eats way more than the other 2
*Actually pounds the piano really well…his noise actually sounds like music
*Got his first buzz cut this past month

I feel like James has way more written about him, but it is honestly because he’s doing more than the other too. He’s going to be the first one walking…probably in the next month or two.

 

 

Elanor

*Weighing in at 19lbs
*Wearing 12-18 months clothes
*FINALLY started crawling, she’s trying to pull herself up, but hasn’t figured it out yet
*Has 6 teeth and still couldn’t care less about eating
*Has the most incredible and easy laugh
*Wants to be carried everywhere

Sweet, sweet Ellie-Bellie…this girl could melt anyone’s heart. She flashes that big smile with those little teeth and it is just absolutely precious. It doesn’t take much to make her laugh, but when she does it comes from her toes. She doesn’t laugh the way Henry does, but it’s every bit as enthusiastic.

~*~*~*~

I really can’t believe they’re almost one. I just keep thinking about this time last year, knowing what I was feeling/doing then. Matt and I were talking the other night about feeding the babies; I’m quickly realizing that I need to learn how to cook for more people and fast, because what I’m used to doing is not enough. Not only are they eating quite a bit, but they no longer want you to feed them, they want to do it themselves, which of course means way more of a mess. The better part of dinner time is spent with my cutting up food and refilling their trays.

Matt figured out the math on formula the other day: The babies are still getting around 4-5 bottles a day/night, which means that once they’re on milk, we’ll be needing around 5 gallons of milk a week. I’m sure by the time the boys are 8-15 years old we’ll be going through 7-10 gallons a week {we were seriously discussing at what point do we buy a cow}. I’m sure it will still be cheaper than formula…I haven’t sat down to figure out how much we’ve spent on THAT this year.

The kids are so funny in how they crawl. They do this wounded soldier one arm, one leg pull. It’s really hysterical. The best is when I’m getting the kids ready for meal time, they all come crawling. In the afternoon I’ll sit on the floor with them and feed them a banana or some other snack. If you’ve ever been to a petting zoo, where the animals are lose, you’ll have a good idea of what it’s like to feed them.

Nothing else major to report. They’re just growing too darn fast and changing so much.

10 Months Old

There are no more babies in this house: To me, 10 months is the marker of toddlerhood. I can’t even believe that they’re so close to 1. So much of this year has been a blur…the days dragged, the nights even more, but the weeks and months flew.

Henry

*Weighing in at a touch under 25 lbs and just under 30” tall
*He’s finally figured out how to go forward
*His top two teeth are going to be coming through any day now
*Loving his solids and managing a sippy cup sometimes
*He’s been sleeping better at night, we’re usually up once
*I think he’ll be the first to talk
*Just got his first REAL haircut, meaning more than just trimming around his ears.
*I could just nom on this kids cheeks 24/7
*He gives the biggest laughs, just tickle him under his chin

 

 

James

*Weighing in at just over 23lbs and over 30” tall
*He’s now climbing the stairs, pulling himself up on everything, and sometimes will let go and stand on his own: This boy is absolutely Trouble {with a capital T}
*Still loving his foods and is doing pretty good with feeding himself, by hand, when we let him make the mess
*Top teeth are there, but not coming through
*Started clapping hands
*Loves nothing better than to pull up on you and stand with his arms around your neck

 

 

Elanor

*Weighing 18lbs on the nose, and measuring 28 3/4” tall (she’s still fitting in her infant car seat)
*She’s figured out how to go forward
*Doing a great job of sitting up on her own
*Still has no interest in food. If can get her take a few spoonfuls it’s a big deal
*Up once at night
*Got her first "haircut” (just a trim to even things up a bit)
*Claps her hands (she did it first)
*Will do a little shimmy, if you tell her to shake her groove thing

 

 

They’re all doing really great. James is certainly the most advanced of the three of them. We’re still trying to do a nap upstairs, some days there is only one and some days there are two. It’s really a crapshoot as to how much sleep they need.

We’ve been forced to stop doing bottle feedings in the swing and bouncer for the boys, since they’re way too big to fit. So we were able to take one of the swings out of here, giving us a bit more room. Pretty soon all the baby things will be gone and we’ll have all the big kid toys again. I’m already missing baby-hood :-(

9 Months

Be sure to enter the giveaway: Tomorrow is the last day!

Next up: ONE YEAR! I don’t like how quickly time is flying. No matter what I do, it just keeps getting faster and faster. My grandfather once said, “Life is like a dream; one day you blink and it’s over.”

Henry

*Weighing 22lbs 10 0unces (according to the doctor’s office scale)
*Wearing size 18 months
*Has both bottom teeth now
*Can sit unassisted
*Rolling, pivoting and crawling (or pushing, rather) backwards
*Starting to like his solids
*Always up at least twice a night
*Is now in a convertible car seat

 

James

*Weighing in at 21lbs 80z
*Wearing a size 18 months
*Crawling all over the place and starting to pull up on things. My mom found him sitting in his crib once, but it hasn’t happened since.
*Can sit unassisted
*Loves, LOVES, LOVES his food. He wolfs it down and gets really frustrated when you take too long.
*Would probably sleep through the night
*Now in a convertible car seat
*Claps hands on occassion

Elanor

*Weighing 17lbs 3 oz (only 2lbs behind her big sister at 9months)
*Wearing 12 months clothing (she’s too long for 9 months)
*Just started moving around on her own (kind of a rolling, pushing, backwards-crawl thing)
*Can sit unassisted
*Really couldn’t care less about food.
*Would probably sleep through the night too.
*Still fitting in her infant car seat.
*Started clapping her hands

All in all they’re all doing well, especially since we FINALLY have last months bout of sickness over; I think that was worse than when they were newborns and first home.

Ave changing her first diaper

Their weights and measures from their 9 Month Well Baby visit!

8 Months

The past month has been quite eventful in the White House, and not just with the fair.

Henry
*Weighing in at 22lbs
*Wearing size 12 months
*Rolling and pivoting all over the place
*Likes his food, but isn’t crazy about it
*Almost too big for his infant car seat
*Just the slightest of lines where his teeth are coming in

James
*Weighing in at 20.5 lbs
*Wearing size 12 months
*Got his first tooth!
*Just started doing something that mimics crawling…he’s been moving all over, but yesterday was the first time he did something that I would call crawling
*This boy loves his food…you can’t get it in his mouth fast enough!
*Has out grown his infant car seat.

Elanor
*Weighing 16lbs 5oz
*Wearing size 9 months
*Can roll over, but doesn’t unless she wants something
*Couldn’t really care less about eating solids
*Finally getting some teeth action
*Still fits quite nicely in her car seat

We celebrated turning 8 months old by everyone getting sick. We think they have Hand, Foot and Mouth. I’m hoping it goes as quickly as it came, otherwise we will have some very disappointed people on our hands, by not going to Hershey. Of course it’s following hot on the heels of fair-week and Ellie having had a UTI last week with temps in the 103-104 area. Mama needs a vacation.

So far we’ve been fortunate that the 3 infant seats fit in the back row and Ave in the captain’s chair, with the other stowed…giving us easy access to the back row. Now, we’re currently in the process of trying to figure out which car seats and what arrangement will work best, since the boys are going to be moving up to convertible car seats. I’m not really keen on breaking my back trying to get children in and out of the car.

*****I really had no intentions of taking a blogging break, but, alas, that seems to be what has happened lately. Hopefully things will settle down in the next couple of weeks and life can resume our pre-summer schedules. But, feel free to email me :-) jess.white05 at gmail dot com

7 Months Old

I apologize for this being late, but it’s a bit crazy around here.


Sir Henry

*He weighs 20lbs 7ounces, he is a big, heavy boy
*Definitely babbling
*Wearing 12 month clothes
*He tries to grab his toes, but between the diaper and his rolls it’s kind of hard
*Had his first hair “trim”: It’s bald in the back, but there was a lot of long, shaggy bits that needed to be evened up.

King James
*I think he’s weighing around 18.5lbs to 19lbs
*Most certainly doing some sort of crawling…He kind of just rolls and pulls himself along
*Incredibly vocal…lots of Dadadada and other such babble.
*Wearing 12 month clothes
*Started grabbing at his toes






Princess Ellie
*She weighs 15lbs 14.5 ounces
*Always talking, lots of mamama
*Very intense. I cannot believe how intense this girl is; you would think she never laughs or smiles, but she does.
*Wearing 9 month clothes
*Grabs at her toes too
*Very content to sit and play with toys

The kids all started swimming lessons last week and they all seem to love it! The boys just kick and splash away and Ellie just looks, at the people, the water, everything. She does kick a bit, but she’s busy studying.

We do have occasional nights of sleeping through, but more often than not there is one wake up.

Still trying to do one nap a day upstairs: Some days they all sleep a couple of hours, sometimes one of them is up after 30 minutes

The boys seem to have FINALLY bumped up to the bigger bottles (8oz) they still only take around 6-7 oz at a time. Ellie is still only doing around 5oz at a time. I think they’re more interested in smaller, frequent meals than anything else.

We have done a bit with solids…more with soft things we’re eating ourselves. Once we have the dining room <---> living room swapped we’ll have a table to sit them all at near the kitchen.

I’m not sure what to do with the boys about clothes. They fit in 12 months, but just barely…I’m debating pulling out the 18 month stuff.

Nobody is sitting up on their own yet. James and Henry are the closest, but they don’t correct themselves when they start to list to one side or the other. Ellie just flops over.

6 Months

Yea. How did that happen? Didn’t I just write Ave’s 6 month post?

The babies have their 6 month well baby visit next week, so I’ll update this post once I have their stats, but for right now here’s everything else.

Henry
*Rolling over both front to back and back to front
*Will sort of tripod, but his head is so big, he just kind of flops
*No sign of any teeth
*Can sit up by himself if he’s supported (via exersaucer or something)
*Fitting only in 9 month clothes, no more 6 month

James
*Rolling, not only rolling, but moving himself across the floor. If you put him down, you can guarantee you’ll find him a few minutes later about 6’ away from where you put him.
*Starting to tripod.
*Two bottom teeth that are almost there…and he has been such a sport about both of them
*Can sit up by himself if he’s supported
*Fitting only in 9 month clothes, no more 6 month

 
Elanor
*She’s rolled over a few times, but doesn’t seem to want to make it a habit
*Can sit up if she’s supported, but isn’t interested in tripoding.
*No teeth yet
*Laughs hysterically when you’re changing her clothes/diapers, but as soon as she sees a camera she clams up
*We’ve kicked her out of 3 month clothes, which she still fit in separate pieces, but not one piecers.

 
*No one has any interest in rice cereal or “solids”
*Still getting up once per night
*We have successfully de-swaddled and everyone goes peaceably in their cribs awake (have been for a few months now)
*They’re also all taking one (2-3 hour) nap a day upstairs in their cribs, which I conveniently time to coincide with Avie’s nap. They cat-nap the rest of the day in their swings/bouncers, but at least it’s a start.

*sigh* I can’t believe our babies are already 6 months old. How did that happen….

5 Months Old

It doesn’t feel like it’s been 5 months. It goes too fast.

The kids are all doing well and getting big.

Henry
* AKA: Hank the Tank, Henery Penery, Hanky Panky, Hen, Henry, Boomer, Boom-Boom
*Weighing in at 17.5lbs
*Very quickly outgrowing 1 piecers that are 6 months
*Rolled over twice last week, hasn’t done it since, and haven’t gotten it on film
*Probably could wear size 3 diapers (but we cloth diaper, except on occasion)
*Has serious cankles and thunder thighs
*Pretty much always finishes a bottle

 

James
*AKA: Jamesie, Jamie, Jamesie Wamsie, Jammer Bammer, James, Jammer, Jims, Bammer, Bam-Bam
*Weighing in at 16.5lbs
*Hasn’t rolled over yet but is so very close
*Probably could wear size 3 diapers
*Eats almost the whole bottle at every feeding
*He is such an easy going and even keeled kid. He’s definitely the most calm of them.
*He is constantly smiling and laughing. If he’s crying there’s something wrong.

Elanor
*AKA: Ellie, Ellie Bellie, Bells, Bell, Bellie, Ellie Sue, Peanut
*Weighing in at 12.5lbs
*Still fitting into 3 month clothes and size 1 disposables
*Sucks her fingers {almost} exactly the same way Mommy did as a baby and {ehhm} little girl (I finally stopped when I was 14 or 15, but I never needed braces :-D)
*Still fights us with her bottles, sometimes she plows through it, other times we’re happy if she takes a couple of ounces
*She has the MOST INCREDIBLE blue eyes. Seriously. We thought Ave’s were impressive, but Ellie’s are like sapphires.
*She is such a talker and giggle baby (she did not want to smile for the camera though)…she’s always cooing and laughing.

For all of them:Most nights we have our last bottle while Ave is in the shower/bath and then everyone is in bed between 7:45 and 8:30 (Ave is down first). The majority of nights they sleep until between 2:30 and 4:00am when they wake up, take a bottle and go back down…sometimes until 6:15 am (Henry likes to wake up then) or until 9am (James’ preferred wake up time).

We haven’t tried letting any of them go all night. We don’t want to be up with one and then an hour later someone else is looking. We probably could get away with trying to let James sleep through the night. I think he would.

During the day they sleep on and off…usually taking 2 or 3 naps ranging from a few hours (in the morning) to an hour or so in the afternoon evening.

      

Can you tell who’s who (between the boys)?