Isabelle: 8 Months!

Dear Izzers,

You are 8 months old and changing so much lately!  Big news is that you got your first tooth right before you turned 8 months!  It's the bottom front right tooth and so far that's all you have.  You're the one-toothed-wonder these days.  I don't think it was bothering you too much because I never even knew it was coming.  And of course, it popped though during Mommy's first week of work, so Daddy was home and not me.  Let's hope I don't miss other big things like first steps because of work!

Don't mind your poor nose... those fingernails of yours are like daggers!

Other big news is that you finally started sitting up!  It happened right after you turned 7 months.  It was a long time coming, but you are following the exact pattern that your sisters did, so I wasn't worried.  You all are early vocalizers, late movers.  So here you are, in all of your glory... sitting up!

Since this video was taken you have rolled over as well!  You hate your belly, so you immediately roll onto your back if we put you on your belly.

You still have that crazy habit of finding comfort with my hair.  You will only nurse if you are holding onto my hair, and when I'm holding you, you will grab some of my hair and put it in your mouth and start sucking your thumb.  Odd habit little lady, very odd habit.

You still love bath time and I cannot get enough of the post-bath "baby in a towel" photos:

Your love for the outdoors is still in full "swing":

Your very first time on the swings!  Needless to say, you loved it!

Fun on the play set with Daddy

Both St. Patrick's Day and Easter were this month, and you thoroughly enjoyed them both ;)

Otherwise you are still babbling up a storm, and Dada and Mama are your words of choice.  Still don't really think you are saying them "to" us.  You are a very loud lady, and we always know when you are awake in the morning by your groaning, talking, and whining ;)  And though you are much happier than you were in the past, you have no hesitation showing your displeasure if need be.... which is almost always if someone isn't holding you.  Or if you are sitting in poop.  You hate that, and I can't say I blame you there.

You have started shaking your head "no", and it is hilarious to watch your hair go flying while you are vigorously shaking your head!  It makes you laugh every time.  I really need to get a video soon.

You are nursing 4 times a day (morning, before bed, and after both naps).  I keep thinking I'll take it down to three times a day soon, but I'm not sure if you're really ready yet.  You are eating three meals a day with the rest of the family.  Usually a banana for breakfast, either mashed or cut in pieces (depending on whether it's Mommy or Daddy that's feeding you).  Then a baby food for lunch, and whatever we are having for dinner.  And speaking of baby food, we just bought you a boat load of Stage 3 chunky baby food... and you hate it.  It doesn't make any sense to us since you eat plenty of chunky big people food.  But in the baby food form, you prefer purees.  Picky, picky.

You are getting so big these days, and are now in size 3 diapers.  You should really be in 9 month clothes, but we have very few in that size, so we are still rocking the 6 month size when we can get away with it.  

Ooooh I almost forgot the biggest of news!  YOU ARE SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!  Yup, it's official!  I am no longer getting up with you at all in the middle of the night, and it is glorious!  Sleep is a wonderful thing!  You go to bed around 7:30 and wake up between 6-7AM.  I am really trying to push you to wake up in the 7:00 hour instead of 6:00 hour, so I don't go in to get you until 7, even if you are awake before then.  Usually you aren't crying, you are just making noise.  If you cry I go in and get you, don't worry ;)  But despite my best efforts, you aren't budging on the wake-up time.  It is a rare day that you sleep past 7AM.  I'm not giving up though, mama likes her sleep!

For the most part you are down to two naps a day instead of three.  It really depends.  Some days you need that third nap, but for the most part you got for a nap around 9:30 (after preschool drop-off) and again between 1-2 (when the big girls take a nap).  You are a pretty good napper in that you fall asleep quickly, but we never know how long the naps will be.  Sometimes they are only 45 minutes.  Sometimes they are 2 hours.  We just never know.  But if we give you your woven multicolored blanket, you pull it right over your head and go to sleep.  I should get a video of that sometime too :)  You are just like Emma was in that regard.

Here are your 8 month pics:

That tongue!  I think you have recently discovered your tongue and now you are always playing around with it :)

Your favorite toy these days is your comb :)

That hair though!!  It makes me giggle every day!  And based on this picture, it must make you laugh too :)

I love the innocence of this picture :)

Izzy Leigh, this stage of childhood is one of my favorites.  All we have to do is smile at you and you smile right back.  You stay where we put you, so we don't have the craziness of baby proofing everything yet.  You are so innocent and loving and sweet and squishy.  I kiss your soft, smooth checks a million and one times a day.  I am trying hard to relish in all of the little moments, because you are our last baby and I never want to forget these precious days.  I love you to infinity and beyond!

Love,

Mommy

Addy: 5 Years Old!

Dear Addy,

Holy cow, how are you FIVE already???  You are getting so big, and watching you grow and develop is amazingly awesome to watch.  Each new stage is fun and exciting.... and next year you will finally be fulfilling your lifelong dream of taking the "big yellow bus" to school because you will be going to kindergarten!  Again, not sure how that is possible.

This year has been filled with fun, adventure... and of course some drama mixed in there.  It's funny that when I read the letters that I wrote to you as a baby, we called your personality way back then.  We knew you were sharp as a tack and that nothing gets by you.  We knew you didn't like to be alone and that you prefer to be entertained at all times.  We also predicted we'd be in for some epic tantrums... which has unfortunately also come true.  You have a tough time controlling your emotions, and that is still a work in progress.

But during your fifth year you began to learn to control your emotions, so year five was not nearly as crazy as year four.  I would say year four (when you were three years old) was our toughest with you so far.  It was still hard to rationalize with you, and the tantrums were wild and frequent.  Now you do still have tantrums that are still sometimes pretty epic, but they are much less frequent, thank goodness!

You are a perfectionist, classic personality trait of an oldest child.  You want to be born knowing how to do everything, and when you don't know how to do something you get very frustrated.  It is admittedly tough for Daddy and I to teach you things, but once you get it, you get it quickly.  Like riding a bike.  There were many meltdowns along the way, but by age 3.5 you were riding a two-wheeler!

You catch on to things very quickly.  And you are very athletic!  So many people have commented on it with you from an early age.  I can't wait to see what sports you'll get involved with when you get older.  Right now you play soccer, swim, and do gymnastics.  We tried dance last year, but that wasn't for you.  Too boring.  Gymnastics you LOVE, so we now have you taking lessons at the Central PA Academy of Gymnastics.  You play soccer with Soccer Shots and you are good at that too.  Daddy and I would love for you to stick with soccer.  Such a great sport.  And swimming.  You take lessons at the Y, and last summer you really started swimming on your own!  With a life vest you can go for hours, but you take your vest off here and there and you can swim for short distances without it.  You jump in with no fear and you now will wear your goggles and put your entire head under the water.  I'm so excited to watch you really learn how to swim, which I have a feeling is coming soon!

In school you are in the morning 4's class at St. James and you love it!  Ali Slack is your best friend, and I hope you two stay friends for a long time because she is one of the sweetest, kindest kids that I've ever met.  During your school conference Mrs. Michalyszn told me that you are a joy to have in class.  She said that you always follow the rules and that you are kind to everyone and include everyone, which I love to hear.  You are a born leader, and I want you set a great example and be the kind of leader that kids want to follow.  You will set your own path, of that I am sure, and I want to make sure you set a good one;)

You are ready for kindergarten, and I have no doubt that you'll soar.  You know your numbers up to 29, all of your colors, all of the upper case letters, and most lower case letters.  Those are apparently the things they test for kindergarten readiness.  And with coloring, you have come such a long way this year.  From scribbling all over the page in order to "get it done" as you said, to now really focusing on staying in the lines and choosing different colors for different sections.  I'm so proud of the progress you've made!

At your five year well checkup you were such a brave girl and you handled your vaccines like a champ!  You needed three of them and you didn't even cry!  I was so proud of you!  Here are your stats from your checkup:

Weight: 43.5lbs (72nd percentile)
Height: 43.75 inches (73rd percentile)
BMI: 15.98 kg/m2 (71st percentile)
BP: 90/56
HR: 92

You are so very smart and you continue to amaze me with your sense of direction.  You're just like Daddy, and when you've been somewhere once, you know how to get back.  Very unlike your mama, who has to go somewhere about 25 times before remembering how to get there.

You are a great big sister and you love to help both Emma and Izzy with whatever they need.  You are so much more independent now, and you can get yourself dressed, teeth brushed, and hair brushed with almost no assistance.  And then you help Emma get ready, which is such a huge help to me in the morning.  Mornings are our craziest times, and getting you three fed and ready, plus myself.... it is always chaotic.  Always.  And we don't have to be at preschool until 9:30!  I cannot imagine what it will be like when you have to be out the door at 7AM or whatever it is in regular school.  Hopefully by that time you'll be completely independent ;)

Another personality trait of yours is that you like things to go exactly as planned, and you have a hard time adapting when they don't.  We always joke and say Emma is a go-with-the-flow kind of girl, and you are the opposite of go-with-the-flow.  That is where a lot of your meltdowns stem from: a plan that got somehow derailed.  We are trying to teach you to "roll with it", ha ha!  You also like to know exactly what is happening when.  "What are we doing after nap?  What are we doing tomorrow?  What about the next day?" ... and it goes on and on.  You are the type of child that needs a five minute warning before we leave somewhere.  We can't just spring it on you that it's time to go.

In the previous paragraph I referenced nap time.  Yup, you still nap.  You don't always fall asleep, but I'd say that at least 90% of the time you do, so I'll take it.  And we'll see if you are morning or afternoon kindergarten next year.  If you are morning I'm hoping to keep rolling with nap time.  If you are afternoon... Lord help your teachers.  Or more accurately, Lord help us once you get home from school.  On days that you've missed a nap your day almost always ends with uncontrollable tears.  We can tell just by looking at you that you are sooooo tired.  It's because you are so active.  I mean constantly.  Not even just physically, but mentally too.  You are never quiet, always asking questions and engaging.  We joke that you will be a lawyer someday because you argue EVERYTHING that we say.  That may be a slight exaggeration, but not much.  I have no doubt that you are exhausted by the end of the day.  I know I am ;)

How about a few of your favorite things from your fifth year:

-Comfort Items: Baby and Blankie
-Food: Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
-Friend: Alison Slack





-TV Show: PJ Masks
-Movie: Frozen
-Song: Let it Go
-Game: Family (pretending that we are a family... which we are, so I'm not sure how this is so fascinating to you)
-Outfit: Your "Leopard is My Favorite Color" sweatshirt and leopard print leggings
-Toy: The Paw Patrol action figures
-Color: Pink
-Boyfriend (ha ha!): Jack Splawn



And here is your fifth year in photos:

February:

Before Daddy took you skiing.  Oh boy, that was an epic fail ;)


Ah, the purchase of our minivan and the DVD player that went with it...heaven!  And there you are, always focused, always so intent :)


Soccer Shots!


March:



Ali gifted us her old vanity set, and you love having it in your closet just like Aunt Tina!

Nothing like Rita's on a freezing cold first day of Spring!




April:








And so begins the selfie craze....



May:










Last Day of 3 Year Old preschool class

I miss those curls so much!  I'm so sad that when we cut your hair the curls disappeared :(


June:

July:




Your latest dinner to date...9pm at the beach and you were still rocking!






August:

September:



First Day of 4 Year Old preschool class!


Your hair cut... very cute, but I miss those curls!




October:









November:



December:
















January:

And just like that.... you are FIVE!!!

Happy happy birthday Addy Marie!








My darling firstborn, life with you is never dull, never quiet, never boring.  You are full of energy and endless wonder.  Your personality is huge and everyone wants to be your friend.  You love hard and you fight hard.  You are a spitfire one minute and a sweetheart the next.  With you we are always on our toes.  I am so incredibly proud of the bright, fun, kindhearted girl that you are.  You are amazing and so very loved... don't ever forget it!  I love you to the moon Ad!  Happy 5th birthday!!!!!!












Love,

Mommy