I finally separated my "professional" photos (it still feels silly to call myself a professional) from my family photos.
I just posted some new pictures up over on that blog. You can check them out HERE.
Please, don't be scared to Follow Me over there as well!
http://cj-photos.blogspot.com
I need to organize and separate my blogs. One for actually writing, one for posting family pictures, and one for photography clients. I haven't had much time for anything, especially since Jarrod was just here. I'm getting on it soon, but if my blog seems a little random till then - my apologies.
This is a little late, but we've been very busy. On the 1st, my first *official* doula client had a beautiful homebirth! I also have tons of client photos to edit and have been working at running errands for Jarrod.
So, Vincent is 5 months old! It doesn't seem that it was 5 months ago that he was born. He seems younger than that to me. I'm trying to remember Hayden at his age and it's difficult. Time really does just fly by.
Vincent has started getting really excited over things. He about leaped out of Andrea's hands to attack a water bottle. If you wear your hair down near him, it's likely to end up curled into his death-grip. He's rolling all over the place, especially if something is in his sight. Everything he gets his hands on goes straight to his mouth. I am pretty sure he is teething. He's been really cranky lately and it seems as if something is bothering him. I haven't felt swollen gums, but he's showing all the other signs of teething.
I don't know how much he weighs, but I do know he is 27 inches long. He's grown over half a foot since he was born! He no longer fits in the 6-9 months clothes, so I've been on the hunt for 9-12 month onesies.
Vincent has also become quite vocal. He "yells" at people now when he's upset and he blows spit bubbles and raspberries when he's happy. His giggle is infectious. He doesn't laugh as much as Hayden did as a baby, though. I still think he's an "old soul."
He has become quite "jumpy." He loves to move and we bought him a jumper that he adores. He could bounce in that thing for hours if I let him. He's fallen asleep in it on more than one occasion.
Hayden doesn't appreciate the fact that Vincent can now hold, reach for, and eat her toys - but she has been showing a lot of affection for him lately. She often tells him, "It's okay!" and asks him why he's crying. She doesn't like to see him upset. When he's in his jumper, she tries to sneak around us so she can "swing" him. It looks completely unsafe, but it makes both of them crack up (until Hayden gets caught, that is). I love seeing how Vincent looks at Hayden. He'll follow her around the room. I think they're going to have a great relationship as they get older (or, at least, I hope so!)
You can kind of see it in his face that he does not feel well. I tried
He also insisted on lying like this... Getting him to sleep now is
The progression from 1 month to 5 monthsI'm a little late on this. Sorry, we've been really busy!
So, Vincent is officially 4 months old and looking HUGE. He has really started to fill out. He no longer carries that "newborn" look. He has lost hair, but he is not completely bald - which astounds me as Hayden was born with 10 times as much hair as Vincent but was as bald as a bowling ball by now.
Vincent has really started to express likes and dislikes. He likes eating. He dislikes not eating. He is definitely a mama's boy. He really does not like being set down for any reason, which is okay. I don't mind holding and loving my babies. He is slowly learning how to entertain himself, however. He recently started reaching out for toys and he "plays" with them (or, sticks them in his mouth). EVERYTHING goes in his mouth. Mostly, his hands. I have to stop him short of gagging himself sometimes. I think he is going to be a thumb sucker, just like his dad was.
His newest milestone is rolling over. He often rolls on to his stomach and then rolls on to his back. He can easily make it across the living room floor if you give him enough time. He HATES just lying there though. He wants to sit up or stand (with help, of course) He has also become more vocal. He's been laughing for awhile, but he recently started shrieking! It's a little loud sometimes, but he cracks himself up.
He's still exclusively breastfed and we have chosen not to start solids for some time. That being said, he's 26 inches long and when I weighed him on the 26th (when he "officially" became 4 months old) - he was 13 lbs 11 oz. He's growing into a big, strong boy!
Always with his hands in his mouth!
At one month old and now - at 4 months old. He has definitely
Monthly timelineWow. 100 posts? That's a lot of pictures.
I just wanted to let you all know how we're doing.
We've heard from Jarrod a few times since he has been gone, and he seems to be doing pretty good. He sounds like he's in good spirits. His graduation is going to be in the middle of March, and we have already bought our plane tickets to fly out there to see it. We'll be staying with Steve and Anne and it will be extra nice to get to see them. It's been awhile! I am sure Hayden and Mary will make for an interesting interaction. After Jarrod's graduation, it's tech school and then we'll know where he'll be stationed (for good!)
As for me, the doula thing is going great. I'm officially "doula-trained" and just need to complete a few more things before certification. I have 3 births lined up (one in early March, the others in April) and am looking forward to how emotionally rewarding the career will be. I have already bought a few birth balls, massage tools, music - all the goods. I'm excited =)
Hayden is also doing well. She is about half-way potty-trained. She'll use the potty regularly about every other day. It's a start though. Her vocabulary is still amazing and growing fast. It feels so strange to compare her to Vincent. She was once that small and he'll someday be as big as her. She's grown so much and continues to grow (physically and mentally) each day. Once she is completely potty-trained, I think we might put her in a karate class. She's shown general interest in it and they start taking children at 3 1/2 years of age. It's hard to say too much, though - because our moving situation is still up in the air when it comes to the when and where.
(I'll do an update on Vincent when I post his '4 month old' pictures in a couple days)
I hope everyone is doing well.
Vincent passed that 3-month mark! He currently weighs 12 1/4 pounds and is about 25 inches long. He's going bald, but he has kept his blue eyes. He is still pretty laid back but he has definitely began to recognize who his mama is. He doesn't like it when I set him down, which is fine with me. He's super cuddly and has started to giggle. He tends to be mostly serious, but if you tickle him just right (like under his arms) he laughs. It's adorable. Here are his 3 month pictures.
One month/two months/three months (we had to do
A few more pictures. Vincent, mid-sneeze
Hayden giving Vincent kisses
The Zoolander
Alice, Vincent, and Grandma Ehard
Alice put those socks on him and I loved how adorably
(Vincent's update will be coming soon, hopefully). Hayden is officially 35 months, when means I have to (officially) stop saying her age in months. She'll be 3 in less than 30 days and that seems crazy to me. Was she really born 3 years ago? That can't be right. It hasn't been that long... or so I seem to be trying to convince myself.
Hayden's still a spit-fire. She has a little reddish-tint to her hair, but you'd think it'd be more prominent with the red-headed attitude that she carries. She's hot-tempered, impatient, and stubborn - which can also be transferred over to mean passionate, intelligent, and perseverant. She's smart. Too smart. She's a troublemaker, but I love her for it. I see a lot of me in her, and that makes me happy. I think I turned out alright.
She's far too advanced for her age, so we've already committed to putting her in Montessori in August. She can count up to 10 in 2 different languages (Spanish and French) and she can count to 15 in English. Not only can she do the counting in repetition, but she recognizes her numbers. She can also recognize about 70% of the alphabet. She can mostly sing the ABC song, but she struggles a little with the middle. I started her on baby signs and she seems to sign the letters better than she says them, but I'm okay with that. She still signs a lot of things ("more" and "thank you" mostly, though "nurse" is making a comeback as she always signed "nurse" instead of "milk" and she sees me sign it to Vincent). We decided to put her in Montessori because we think she might get bored in regular preschool and Montessori is based on an at-your-own-pace type of teaching.
Jarrod has finally agreed to let me put her in some sort of semi-organized play group, but I haven't decided what I am going to do yet. We've considered enrolling her in one of the Gymboree classes or perhaps a T-Ball for Toddlers group they have here. So far, the only time she really plays with other kids is the 1 hour a week she is at the L.A. Fitness daycare center or the 2 hours a month she is around the other kids at my La Leche League meetings. It's a shame because she LOVES playing with children. She calls anyone her size or smaller "baby" and anyone bigger than her "kid." I think we're leaning more towards the Gymboree music class but... we'll see.
Have I mentioned how polite Hayden is? We're working on the "please's" because she tends to only use them when she is trying to persuade you to give her something she knows she shouldn't have, but she always minds her "thank you's" and "your welcome's." She also likes to burp and say, "Excuse me!" I know the burping on purpose part isn't so polite but... in theory...
Luckily, her tantrums have died down a little, however - I have a feeling she will never truly be done with them. She seems the type of girl who will be throwing tantrums well into her thirties. I told Jarrod she is a "bridezilla in the making."
She's still a Daddy's Girl, though in a more demanding way. It amuses me to hear her shout, "DAD! Come downstairs!" 3... going on 13. Jarrod asked her for a hug recently, while she was putting together a puzzle, and she said, "No. I'm busy." 10 minutes later she went to cuddle up with him. She's a little nicer to him than she is me. I really feel like I am raising a teenager sometimes. Things that have come out of her mouth recently include, "Get out. My room. Close the door" and "Fine, fine, FINE!" and "Blah, blah, blah." She's also in the habit of constantly blowing raspberries when she doesn't agree with what you say. I have no idea where she picked this up from because no one here really sticks out their tongue in disagreement.
I still haven't figured out how such a large personality fits into such a small body.
I need to weigh and measure her here soon, but, for now, pictures will have to do.
Hayden Lisbeth Faith - almost 3 years (35 months) old
Just for the record, the reason her bangs are so long is
.jpg)
