Oliver Frank at 5 months

Dear Oliver,

Sweetheart, you are the most smiley little boy! You're quite a flirt, too :)

• At 5 months, you are chewing CONSTANTLY. You’re rocking bibs every single day because of allllll the drool. Your daddy is convinced your teething…and I keep reminding him that your Sissy didn’t get her first tooth until she was 10 months! 
• You can put your own pacifier in your mouth—when you want to, that is. We put at least 2 pacifiers in your crib at bedtime, in case you drop one!
• The only time you roll from belly to back is at nighttime. We’ve never actually seen you do this during the day, but you’re on your belly every single morning. I prefer belly sleeping, too :)
• You continue to have zero personal space, Sweet Boy. Your Sissy loves you so very much and it literally hurts her not to be near you. She gives you 8,000 kisses and almost that many hugs in 1 day. 
• You’re not impressed with anything that seems like “work”. Sitting up? Too much work! Rolling over consistently? Too much work! Your jumper IS growing on you, though—you like to be upright AND you can see what Sissy is doing. 
• We’ve given you food a few times now. You’ve tried green beans, peas, carrots, and sweet potatoes. You seem to like all of it--for now at least!
• You’ve started giving hugs “back”, meaning you’ll squeeze your arms around us. Your Sissy squealed with delight the 1st time you did this…Remember what I said about how much she loves you?! 

You're such a joy!

Love always,

 Mommy

Eleanor Mae at 18 months

18 months, Pretty Girl. One and a half YEARS. 

• Nora Mae, you hide things quite well. Shoes, puzzle pieces, a lone sock, fingernail clippers, Oliver’s pacifiers, and any other small objects you can swipe and quickly tuck away.
• We are working on learning colors. You know red and green pretty well. Your favorite puzzle pieces happen to be a red oval and a green circle. You have a variety of puzzles; other favorite toys include Tupperware, empty boxes, your little purple purse, activity cube, and plastic spoons.
• Shortly after you turned 13 months, you had a horrible cold that turned into bronchitis.  It was your 1^st round of antibiotics and your Mama was so afraid of you being sick when your baby brother arrived. (Thankfully, you were much better when Oliver arrived!)

Your 1st Pumpkin Festival {14 months}

• For several months (13 months-16 months), you would lay on your belly and spin yourself around with your arms. Then you’d grin at us because it was a “trick”. While you don’t do it anymore, you use to put your hand on your forehead, like “give me a break”. You would do it at moments that proved extra funny. :) One of your favorite games right now is running away, then stopping to ensure someone is chasing after you. When you see that someone is chasing you, you squeal and then continue running.

• At 16 months, you had 4 teeth (2 on top and 2 on bottom). At 18 months, you have 10 teeth (3 on top, 3 on bottom, plus 1 year molars). I don’t recommend getting 5 teeth in all at once. It was a rough couple weeks!
• At nearly 16 months, you weighed 17 pounds and 6 ounces (3^rd%), were 29 inches long (3^rd%), and your head was in the 85^th%! Historically, you’ve been a poor eater. Shortly before Christmas, your eating habits improved (as in, you were actually EATING!). Foods that you consistently eat: yogurt, peanut butter, scrambled eggs, cheese, sausage, green beans, and graham crackers. At 18 months, you weighed a whopping 17 pounds and 15 ounces (2^nd%), are 29 ½ inches long(2^nd%), and your head is in the 92^nd percentile!
• At 18 months, you are only consistently saying “Dada” and “Mamama”. You said “ball” “baby” and “cake” very distinctly, but only a couple of times. One of these days, I’m expecting you to start speaking in full sentences! While you don’t talk much, you are quite good at making your presence known J You sign “milk” and “more”. We’re working on “please”, “thank you”, “all done” and “toilet”. You’ve recently begun shaking your head “no”--and you certainly mean “no”!!!
• When you get excited, you still flail both your arms around. When we’re picking you up, you kick both your legs.

• The arrival of Oliver was a big adjustment. You mostly ignored him for the 1^st 10 days of his life. Occasionally, you’d look at him--but newborns really aren’t that interesting! In the morning, when you got up (Oliver was 11 days old), you marched up to the rock n play (in the kitchen), flashed me your big, beautiful smile, and you gently rocked “your baby”. Mama melted. You’ve loved him ever since!
• You’re wearing 6-12 month, 9 month, 12 month, and even some 12-18 month clothes. (Straight up 18 months is too big at this point). You’re in size 3 diapers and size 4 shoes. You’ll be in size 3 diapers until you’re potty-trained!

• You absolutely adore your baby aka “Brudder”. You give kisses so gently and are obsessed with trying to grab his face. You also do lots of helpful things, like quickly locating Oliver’s pacifier when he is crying, getting burp rags, and stuffing toys around wherever he is. You are very good at giving your baby “loves” (aka hugs) and lots of kisses. It is so very sweet! Oh, and your baby brother has absolutely NO personal space.
•  At 18 months, you’re quite the little sponge—always absorbing what is going on around you. You’re still my water baby, Nora Mae. Bath time is always a hit—although you strongly dislike having to put pajamas on when your bath is done! You’re a Daddy’s girl and you love being outside. You cannot get enough of Beau and Jake. I think you’re right-handed. We’re still working on coloring on the paper, instead of putting the crayon in your mouth (they’re non-toxic, right?!). I love that you follow me around and “help” with anything I’m doing.

Eleanor Mae, you’re sweet, sassy, and energetic. You are a determined little girl; I see you as a future leader...definitely a take-charge, no-nonsense person! You’re a complete joy and you challenge this Mama to grow in patience! Stay little, Peanut. We love you!

Love always,

 Mommy

Oliver Frank at 4 months

Dear Oliver,

At 4 months, you are so very giggly. You have an amazing belly laugh--and yes, your eyes still almost disappear when that big grin takes over your face!

Here’s a few things I want to remember about your 4 month self:

• You love to be in the ring sling. Grumpy? Cuddly? Chatty? Overstimulated? Unsure? Excited? You love to be all cocooned in right next to me. I’m eating it up right now because well…you’ll be a toddler before I know it! 
• You’re beginning to show interest in toys. Small teething toys, single plastic rings, and your 0’ball are a few that you like. Your activity mat is also a hit--so many toys to swing and kick at. Nora Mae tries to bury you in toys, hoping you’ll jump up and play with her. 
• Your 1st Christmas was pretty special. As expected, you had no interest in any presents. You preferred to be swaddled and held. 
• A couple days after Christmas, Grams, Auntie Em, and I took you to Chicago for our annual shopping trip. It was your first time riding the train. You seemed thrilled :)  The real reason you went is because your food supply was going and I’m pretty sure you would have been sad without me. 
• You usually take a short nap, right after we eat supper. However, you seem to protest quite loudly during that catnap now, because you‘re “not tired“. Occasionally, you get antisocial in the evenings. You literally want to be laid down and left alone; you don’t want anyone to mess with you. Some times you scoot around, some times you chat, and other times you’re pretty quiet. Your daddy gets this way sometime, too :)
• This Mama is afraid you’re trying to grow teeth. Really though, there’s no need for teeth for AT LEAST SEVERAL MORE MONTHS. Trust me on this one. Your hands are in your mouth 24/7. 
• Speaking of eating, you are one distracted little dude when you eat--oh look, LIGHTS! 
• After months of being swaddled (and absolutely loving it!), you do not seem to enjoy it very much anymore. You prefer trying to scoot yourself around (on your belly) or grab your feet. You love it when we sit you up so you can see what all the noise is about, too. 
• 10 days AFTER your 4 month birthday, you weighed 12 pounds & 9 ounces (2nd%) and are 23.75 inches long (2nd%). Your head is in the 50th percentile. You've gained 2 pounds in the last 2 months--but most 4 month olds are bigger than you! 
• At 4 months, you’re in size 1 diapers and 0-3/3 month clothes. HOWEVER, 1 whole week ago, I pulled out your 6 month sleepers, 3-6 month socks AND 3-6 month shoes. You’ve completely outgrown 0-6 month hats. 

Last January, we were super excited to learn that we were having another baby. And now, we have the sweetest 4 month old little boy! Love you, Oliver Frank!

Love always,
 Mommy

Oliver Frank at 3 months

Dear Oliver,

Sweet, sweet boy—it seems nearly impossible that you’ve only been here 3 short months already. You’re already so much a part of this family that it seems like you’ve always been here J

• At 3 months old, you’re becoming more fun by the day! For real, though—you’re getting more interactive and it’s my favorite! I love how chatty and expressive you are.
• You’ve recently discovered you have hands and they are the COOLEST. They’re so fun to stare at, scratch your face with, and put in your mouth.
• You enjoy sitting up and seeing the action, whatever that may be. Eleanor is absolutely DYING for you to get up and play with her. You two are going to best friends; so glad you will grow up together!
• You have a big smile! It takes up your whole face & when you smile--your eyes almost disappear. 
• You had a clogged tear duct (that you’ve had since birth), but I’m happy to say that it is FINALLY all better. As glad as I am that it cleared up, it’s a little strange to see your left eye not watering constantly.
• Sweet Boy, you’re helping keep this Mama of yours sane by SLEEPING. You may not realize how important this is, but just know I appreciate it very much! You sleep about 10 hours straight at night. 10 HOURS!!!! 10 HOURS!!!! (And I refuse to believe I’m “jinxing” your sleep habits by typing this.)
• You are a “low maintenance fella”, according to your Daddy. Most of the time, this is a true statement!
• You’re still rolling from belly to back. On your back, you will roll to your side—but not all the way to your belly. If you’re anything like your big sister, you’ll be crawling before you roll from back to belly!
• You had your 1^st Thanksgiving & looked completely adorable in a brown onesie and striped pants with a turkey on the butt J
• You have already mastered the poochy lip—and I do mean “mastered” it!
• You were dedicated at church the day after your 2 month birthday. We were thrilled to have both sets of grandparents and 3 of your aunties come witness this special day with us.
• Sweet, Oliver—you have absolutely no neck. I mean, not even a little neck. You have a giant, square head sitting on top of your shoulders.
• You're wearing 0-3 month/3 month clothes and size 1 diapers (still), so while you are growing--most babies your age are bigger than you! #smallbutmighty

We love you, Little Turkey!
Love always,

 Mommy

Oliver Frank at 2 months

Dear Oliver,

Oh, Sweet Boy, I’ve been trying to write this blog post for the last 10 days. Let’s see how far we get today. You’re as adorable as ever. Those little smirks and smiles are simply to die for! Oh, and those squishy cheeks? They’re also my favorite!

Here’s what you’re doing at 2 months…

• You’re much more alert and awake for longer periods of time. You’re starting to get chatty (occasionally), especially when Eleanor is playing nearby. You also make a grunting noise when you "get nervous". Typically, this involves your sister nearly squishing you as she does her very best to be affectionate! 
• One of your favorite things is being swaddled. I wrap you up like a little burrito for naptimes and bedtime. It almost always calms you right down! You also  love your swing & I love that your sweet sister hasn’t figured out how to pull you out of it :) 
• Opening day of gun hunting fell on your 2 month birthday. Your daddy is hoping that you’ll be a hunter. 
• Daddy calls you by your middle name, Frank. He’s done this since you were in my belly and he probably won’t ever stop :) He is crazy about you!
• We took you to the Kelley Reunion and you got to meet more of your family. You are certainly a popular little fella, Oliver, and you didn't mind being passed around. 
• You, Sweet Boy, are a good little sleeper. You go to sleep around 9pm, then usually wake up around 1 or 2am. You get moved back into Mommy and Daddy’s room, where you sleep for a couple more hours. You typically think you’re starving between 3:30am and 4:30am :) Then it’s back to sleep until 7 or so. Most days, you & Eleanor take afternoon naps at the same time.
• Your new “trick” this month is rolling from belly to back. It works out pretty well for you, as you’re not a big fan of your belly. You started rolling at 7 weeks and I nearly cried because you're "growing up". Your daddy tried to calm me down by saying "Frank will still be in diapers for a while." :) 
• Much to my dismay, your hair started falling out. I was really hoping you’d keep some of that fluffy stuff on your head, but you are rocking a Mohawk! As for the hair on your back and tufts of hair on your ears? Well, you’re keeping it for now! 
• At 2 months, you weighed 10 ½ pounds (13th%), are 22 inches long (26th%), and have a head circumference in the 60th percentile! You’re in 1 size diapers and 0-3/3 month clothes. Nearly all of your newborn clothes have been put away, with the exception of a few onesies that still fit. I feel that you're getting much too big, but most people look at me like I'm crazy when I talk about how big you are. Various family members think you'll catch up to your sister in no time, but I have a feeling you'll stay pretty small. Time will tell! 

Love always, 

 Mommy

Oliver Frank at 1 month

Dear Oliver,

You’re a month already, Baby Boy! Our days are flying by and your newborn squishiness is fading already.

• You’re a pretty laid back little guy—as long as you’re not hungry! Your favorite things to do are sleep, eat, and poop ;) If you’re getting hungry, you let out 1 cry, which we call the “warning” cry. You’ll wait ever-so-patiently for about 60 seconds, then work yourself into the “yelling” cry. You have the ability to turn yourself as red as a tomato during your yelling cry!
• During the daytime, you like your pacifier. Nightime? You think it’s the most ridiculous thing! When you’re swaddled at bedtime, we leave your right arm out. You reeeeeaaly like your right arm near your face and you’ve been trying to suck your right thumb at night time. Oliver, you sleep on your back and actually prefer it that way. 
• Sweet Oliver, you are SO hairy. You’ve got back hair that could compete with any grown man! And you’re sporting tufts of hair on the back of your ears. I was assured that this hair would fall out, but you seem to be hanging on to it. Speaking of hair, you have a decent amount of it on your head! Fingers crossed, THAT hair doesn’t all fall out! 
• You have a birthmark on your lower lip. When you were born, the doctor tried to convince me it was a bruise. It’s just one more way you’re totally unique! 
• Most of the time, you’re a good sleeper (for a newborn, that is!)…but you are the NOISIEST little sleeper! Your daddy and I have both gotten up at different times at night because we were certain you were awake--when you were actually still asleep!  
• Diaper changes have to be fast. That’s all I’m going to say about that! #boymom
• Sometimes, you do what we call “swimming arms”. You’ll stretch your arms above your head and then reach as far away from your little body as possible. When you do this repetitively, it looks like you’re trying to swim. 
• This month, some of your firsts included: 1st trip to church, 1st trip to Illinois, 1st trip to your pediatrician, 1st trip to the chiropractor, 1st trip to MOPS. (Your first roadtrip was a quick one--a mere 24 hours in Illinois. Grams came to our house on a Wednesday evening, we left Thursday morning and then came home on Friday. You handled the car ride like a champ!)
• You had an ultrasound of your hips to rule out hip dysplasia because your hips were extra “clicky“. Thankfully, they said all is well and that you have “extremely elastic tissue”. 
• You’re in newborn clothes and newborn diapers. HOWEVER, you are actually trying to outgrow some of your newborn clothes. Your daddy wanted to know why I had capri pants on you the other day! ;) Your sister could still comfortably wear newborn clothes at 2 months, but I don’t think that will be the case for you.
• At 13 days, you were still sporting your umbilical stump. Truthfully, you were smelling like “rotting cord” and I mean that in the most loving way possible ;) One morning, I had you undressed and was getting ready to change your diaper. Eleanor was nearby, of course. As I reached over to grab a wipe, she ever so quickly removed your umbilical stump, then held it up for me to see (with a smile on her face). You were slightly disgruntled about this event (meaning you grunted and squirmed for about it for 15 seconds). Mommy had a near-breakdown, but you really were ok—and I was glad that stinky thing was gone!
• At 1 month, you weigh 8 pounds & 8 ounces (13th percentile), are 21 inches long (33rd percentile), and your head measures 14 ¾ inches (75th percentile). As I was telling your pediatrician that you’re much too big already, she smiled and said, “My babies weighed more than this at birth.” Nonetheless, you seem to be outgrowing this newborn phase in a hurry!

We're so thankful you’re here, Oliver! You're definitely my favorite son!

Love always,
 Mommy

Eleanor Mae at 12 months

Dear Eleanor,

I don’t know how it’s possible, but here we are—you’re a 1 year old already!

Here you are at 12 whole months. Gone are the days of you laying on your blanket for a picture. Your 12 month sticker is actually on your fluffy tutu dress, but you can’t see it. We love your big smile, goofy laugh, and endless energy, Pretty Girl!

• You’ve been opening cabinets for a while now, but you recently discovered that it is SO much more fun to take everything out and climb in! Kitchen cabinets, Daddy’s nightstand, and dresser drawers. You also pull out the drawer on the stove and sit in there. 
• It could be a rough transition when your Little Brother arrives. You’re still not impressed one little bit when Mommy holds other babies! When Daddy set up Baby Brother’s crib last week, you absolutely refused to look at it. You also express extreme dislike when Mommy and Daddy kiss ;)
• Nora Mae, you are a tan little girl. Yet another thing you didn’t get from me! 
• We took a quick weekend trip to Evansville to visit the Pell’s. While we were eating lunch & you were exploring (because you had no interest in eating lunch), you located the dog food and proceeded to put a piece in your mouth! You had a 2nd piece in your hand all ready to go! Fortunately, you didn’t actually swallow it--and the dog food was relocated for the duration of our stay! 
• For several weeks, you would burst into tears when we told you “no”. You’d look at us with your big brown eyes, stick out your bottom lip in quite the poochy face, and then cry alligator tears. (It was heartbreaking!) After a few weeks, the hysteria died down and you’d just stick out your bottom lip when you heard us say “no”! 
• You have this off way of scooting, that your daddy refers to as the “crippled Indian crawl”. I’m pretty certain you’ve developed this crawl because of all the wood floors in our house. You’re not a fan of bare knees on hardwood ;) 
• The evening of July 4th, we were all playing in the kitchen. You stood up, did a couple of your deep squats, then took 3 whole steps all by yourself!! You made us wait a whole week before you took any more steps (on 7/11). Since then, you’ll pop up and take a few steps--but your preferred method of moving is still crawling and scooting. We’ve unsuccessfully tried to “catch” you walking on video, but you have not cooperated with that yet! 
• You’ve been trying to cut a top tooth for a couple weeks now. Your poor gums will get all puffy; some days, we can “see” the tooth, but it isn’t through all your gums. This big “toofer” has definitely caused you discomfort, and I’m hoping it comes through very soon! 
• We celebrated your first birthday with a very small party on July 16th. It was a special day! You got some fun new things, including wooden puzzles, books, swimming pool & water/sand toys, a tent, and a tunnel. 
• You acquired your first fat lip the day before you turned 1. You’d had a full, fun day of birthday celebrating and you were exhausted! You were standing up (which you do ALL THE TIME), lost your balance, and landed on your face. Needless to say, you talked about it for a few minutes. It was your first injury where blood was involved. (Yes, your mother nearly had a meltdown and was certain your bottom teeth had gone through your lip!)
• You’re up to 16 pounds and 6 ounces and are 27 ¼ inches long. Your weight is at the 6th percentile and your height is at the 2nd percentile, meaning most 1 year olds are bigger than you! Like we’ve known along, you’re a smart one—your head is the 85th percentile J You’re wearing 6 month, 6-9 month, and 9 month clothes these days. Both pairs of your sandals are size 2. 

You might be tiny in size, but your big personality certainly makes up for it! I love you so much, Sweet Girl!

Love always,
 Mommy