Twelve Months!

Goodness! Britta is turning 18 months tomorrow, and I'm realizing I never posted her 12 month post. Poor second child. :-( To be sure that I have record of her first year, I'm posting it, despite its EXTREME tardiness.

Britta Alice,
You are 12 months! A whole year. I've said it before, and I'll say it again...this has been, without a doubt, the fastest year of my life. I can't believe it. We had another great month to wrap up your first year, and love you more than ever (though I didn't think it was possible).

You teethed...big time...
We knew for a while that you were working on some teeth. You had had your bottom teeth for a while, and we knew you were due for some top ones. And then came the crankiness, and sleeplessness (worse than usual)...sure signs of teeth.

And then early in July, when we were at Lake Harriet taking in a concert, I was bouncing you on my lap and tipping you backwards (which you love). As you were laughing/shrieking, I saw your that your top gums were super swollen, and discovered that you were working on all 4 (!!!!) of your top teeth! Youch!  I could actually see all four teeth trying to poke through. Poor girl! No wonder you were crabby!

Around mid-month, the first one popped through. We lovingly refer to it as your "snaggle tooth," since it is not the middle one, but the one to the side (your right side). It looks a little silly now, but I'm sure the other ones will follow soon.

You started walking (with support)!
As I said last month, one of your big milestones was learning to pull to stand. You worked hard to improve your confidence, and got steadier by the day.

I knew you were capable of a lot more in terms of movement. Since birth you have been big, sturdy, and strong...you just needed to gain some practice and confidence. At the beginning of July, I encouraged you to try walking behind push toys. And sure enough, after a couple tries, there you went! True to form, you took off like a pro.

You still aren't walking on your own, but I'm sure you will be in a month or so. For now, you are very proud of how you can walk with the help of your push toys. It's so fun to watch you explore the world in new ways! Once you learn to walk on your own, there REALLY will be no stopping you. Watch out world!

You vacationed in Duluth...
This month daddy and I decided that we needed a little bit of a getaway. Magna was closed for a few days near the end of June, and we decided that was the perfect opportunity!

We headed up to Duluth for a long weekend to enjoy some time away just the four of us. We lucked out in terms of the weather - it was perfect for the majority of our time up there. It was just gorgeous!

The highlight of your trip was DEFINITELY exploring the rock beaches. I think you would have stayed there all day. Seriously. We had to keep a very close eye on you though...you wanted to try to eat the rocks.

The only downside of the trip was that we had a poolside room in the hotel and there was a girl's soccer tournament in town. It was SO loud, and really disrupted your sleep the whole weekend. You handled it like a champ though...sleeping when you could, and keeping a pretty good attitude. We had a really fun weekend.

Up next is your first flight later this month! We can't wait!

We celebrated your 1st birthday!
We had a fun day celebrating your birthday! We spent the morning at the zoo - we rode the carousel, watched the bird show, and enjoyed the beautiful day.

After your nap, we had a star-themed party for you at Grandma and Grandpa's house. You were surrounded with lots of family and friends to celebrate. We were so thankful for the weather - we stayed outside the whole time.

You loved your cake. It took a little bit for you to get into it, but once you did...game on!

It was a great day to celebrate a year of Britta Alice!

You've grown and changed a lot too...
You had a well baby check with Dr. Khan the week you turned 1. Per usual, you are doing great - growing and developing just as you should! You weighed in at 25 pounds, 10 ounces (98th percentile) and 31" long (96th percentile). You are continuing your trend of being big and strong!

Not many 12 month clothes are fitting anymore. You mostly wear a mix of 18 month and 24 month/2T clothes. The 24 month/2T stuff is still a little big, but it tends to be more seasonally appropriate. You haven't really been wearing shoes, but as you are starting to get more mobile, I'm thinking we should get some good shoes for you!

You're still in size 4 for diapers. They're fitting pretty good, so no switch it sight at this point.

For the most part you are still jolly and easy-going. As I said last month, your limitations are probably what frustrate you the most. I have a feeling that this is going to continue for a while. You are a determined little girl, who knows what she wants - and can get a bit frustrated.

Linnea continues to be enjoy being able to play with you more and more - and you love it too. Watching your friendship develop and grow is a HUGE joy to watch. I really hope you two stay friends forever.

You continue to love to eat! You are trying more and more foods, and will eat most anything! You have continued the bottle boycott. Some days you'll take it, and some days you just aren't having it! After last month I got a little nervous. I didn't remember Linnea doing anything like that. I looked back at my notes from when she was your age, and sure enough...she did! That made me feel a lot better. That, and that you are, as I said last month, obviously still healthy, happy, and growing. We're still working on the sippy cup (it's going better, but not super great). I'm thinking the bottle will be ditched completely very soon.

Bedtime is about the same - get ready for bed shortly after 7, down around 7:30/7:45 (after eating). You're still pretty flexible if needed, which is nice/

Sleep is still difficult. As I've said before, there's just no rhyme or reason to it. I try to pay attention to if there's anything that leads to harder sleep, and I'm not finding a connection. So I just ride it out - I try to have you "cry it out" a bit, but it doesn't seem to work for you. That, and I don't want you to wake your sister. Teething has definitely seemed to make it worse, which I guess I understand. So it's a work in progress. I remind myself that you will sleep through the night some day, and enjoy the snuggles.

You are pretty much always just napping once/day (unless you are at Grandma and Grandpa's or are REALLY tired). You can tend to get a little crabby around 10:00/10:30...but most days we can sort of push through it. You're still napping well in the afternoon (1:00-3:15/3:30).

I can't believe you are 1! It's been an amazing year watching you become your own little person. You have brought us more joy than we could ever have imagined. We look forward to experiencing even more with you in the year to come!

Love,
Mama (and Daddy and Linnea)

Eleven Months!

Now that Britta is just days shy from turning one (!!!), we are long overdue for her 11 month post. She turned 11 months on June 17th. Not as significant of a developmental month, but a great one nonetheless...

My Sweet Britta Alice,
How is it possible that you are nearly one?! This has seriously been the fastest year of my life. It's really incredible. Every day you are becoming more and more of a big girl/toddler and less and less baby. This month was mostly a month of building on your "big girl" skills. You've done great!

You learned how to pull to stand...and got a major ouchie!
You were close last month (pulling up to your knees), but this month you learned about to pulling to standing. Big girl!

Unfortunately, this new skill did not come without issue. At the end of May I got the dreaded midday call from daycare (oh man, does that immediately get my heart racing!). Magna shared the exciting news that you had been pulling yourself on one of her play tables...but after doing so one time you fell hard and bit your tongue. REALLY bad. Poor girl! Magna said it bled quite a bit, and wanted to give you some tylenol since she could tell it was bothering you.

It opened a up a couple more times that week when you ate anything really hard or textured. Each time it bled a little, but not as bad.

The sore itself stuck around for a LONG time...a couple weeks. It looked really painful...worse than any tongue bite I've ever given myself. Thankfully, past those first couple days it didn't seem to bother you too much. And the incident certainly didn't stop you from continuing to pull yourself up!

You became an absolute PRO at crawling...
Like I said last month, you learned to crawl right as turned 10 months. True to form, once you got it, you got it! (That's how you've always been...you take a bit to get something, but then you're off and running - or in this case, crawling!).

More than ever you are in to EVERYTHING. You are getting FAST. You delight in pulling all the books of the shelves, crawling on to Luther's bed, and bee-lining for Linnea's room and the bathroom. Silly girl!

We still walking is a few months off for you. You still have a lot of confidence to gain in terms of supporting yourself, and standing up on your own. But for now you are really enjoying your new found freedom.

You are LOVING finger food!
Like I said last month, what a difference from a few months ago! We went for a couple months thinking we were never going to get you to eat food. And now, just a few months later, you are eating anything and everything! More and more we are just giving you what we are eating (or some sort of variation of it), and you love it.

We are still doing purees, especially if we're out and about and in a pinch, but you are showing less interest in them. You just want regular food! Some favorites recently: fish, mashed potatoes, chicken, pasta (especially ravioli), and avocado. More on this later, but more finger food means WAY less milk.

You learned to dance...
Don't get me wrong, you wiggled and boogied a bit before this. But this month you learned how to dance on command. It is quite the delight to your sister (and to me too, if I'm being honest). You genuinely seem to like to listen to music and move your body to the beat.

When you dance, you bob your head up and down, clap your hands, and wave your arms. Linnea loves to say, "Please dance!" to get you to dance. Love my little boogie baby!

You've grown and changed a lot too...
We still haven't had you weighed since your 9 month check. I can definitely tell your growth has leveled off. You are still growing (of course) by much slower than the last few months. You seem to be growing taller...stretching out. I'm really not quite sure what to expect for your weigh when we bring you for your 12 month appointment. Maybe 25 or 26 pounds? We'll have to see!

You're still wearing 12 and 18 month clothes, although fewer 12 months clothes this month (partly due to size, partly due to season - though some of Linnea's old clothes are still fitting you. I've actually started pulling out some 24 month and 2T clothes. Although sometimes a little big still, they often fit better than the 18 month stuff. It's nice because for the most part, those clothes are seasonally appropriate (Linnea wore them the Spring/Summer before she turned two). It's fun to pull some old favorites out of storage and see them on another cutie!

You're still in size 4 for diapers. They're fitting pretty good, so no switch it sight at this point.

You continue to be our jolly, sweet baby. Now that you are bigger (less fragile) Linnea is more and more rough with you. We try to remind her to be gentle with you, but you are good about taking it and holding your own. You love the attention from her!

Not much upsets you, though as you get bigger and have more freedom, your limitations get you frustrated.

Like I said earlier, you have really taken to finger food, which continues to create a dramatic drop in your milk intake. It picked up after last month for a bit, but then really took a nose dive. You've had some days at Magna's that you've basically had a bottle boycott. Again, it alarms me a little bit, but I know that it's all really normal. You're obviously still healthy, happy, and growing, and that's what's most important.

We're still giving the sippy cup a try, but you're not too interested. Magna's reported better success at her house, but still not great. We'll keep trying...

Bedtime is about the same. Most nights we start to get ready for bed a bit after 7:00. I feed you, and then you're down around 7:45 or 8:00. You have continued to show flexibility around bedtime if we're out doing something in the evening, which is much appreciated.

You had a GLORIOUS stretch of several nights in a row that you slept through the night! It was awesome! Silly me, thinking it would last. It didn't. It's frustrating because there's no rhyme or reason to what gets to you sleep through the night (i.e. it doesn't matter when we put you down, how well you eat before hand, etc.). I enjoyed the nights you slept through, but I'm happy (relatively speaking) to get with you in the middle of the night.

This month you pretty much dropped your morning nap entirely. It got down to 20-30 minutes. Magna said it always took you a bit to fall asleep, so she gave it a try without, and you did well. You still take a morning nap on Fridays with Grandma and Grandpa, and occasionally on the weekends (just as needed). You take a good nap in the afternoon...usually 1:00-3:15 or 3:30 or so. This is generally shorter on the weekends, but it never seems to impact you too much. On my birthday you showed great flexibility - we were gone for the day, and you managed well with car naps, and little snoozes in the baby carrier. Awesome! This will serve us well when we go to Seattle, I think.

You are simply awesome, Britta. You bring so much joy to our family. You are sweet, silly, kind, and curious. We all adore you beyond what I could ever express.

We love you SO much!
Mama (and Daddy and Linnea)

Ten Months!

Yup. Still behind. But such is life when you are a working mama with two littles.

Britta turned 10 months (10?!!) on May 17th. It was a HUGE month developmentally. WOW!

Britta Boo,
10 months. 10. Double digits. Wow. I can't even believe it. Just a couple months months and we'll have a one-year-old. It's hard to believe. You had a HUGE month developmentally this month, and it was so much fun to have a front row seat. You are had such a fun age - so much change and learning happening every day. Here's a peek at what you were up to...

You learned how to wave!
I think waving is one of my favorite baby skills, because it is so darn cute. This one kind of crept up on us at the end of April/beginning of May. You started raising your hand, and reaching out (almost like a slow high five). I didn't think much of it, but all of a sudden you were waving!

We discovered it by surprise. Linnea and I were playing/talking with you one night and were waving, saying hi, and generally being a bit silly with you - and you shocked us by waving back! I thought it might be a fluke, so I tested you a couple more times - and you waved again...and again! So sweet!

I had you and Linnea at Target together once this month and we were like our own little parade - Linnea was waving to you to get you to wave, and you were waving to...well...everyone and every thing! Way. Too. Cute!

Your waves are usually accompanied but one of your giant smiles, which makes it even better! Such a sweet girl!

You are sitting up on your own...
Magna saw you do this before we did. She said the first time you did it, she didn't even see you, you were so fast. One minute you were on the ground, and the next you were sitting up like a big girl!

It was spotty at first - just here and there, and not done without a little bit of work. But now you're getting faster and faster, and are doing it all the time. You love your new found freedom!

In addition to getting yourself to sitting up by yourself, you are pulling yourself up. You're not quite pulling to stand, but pulling to your knees at the very least. You are so proud of yourself (I am too!)

You started crawling!!
This month you did it! After being so certain that crawling was just around the corner for weeks, you finally got it right as you turned 10 months.

It started with just a couple clumsy strides forward, but within days you were crawling all the way across the living room floor!

Don't think you did it with a little drama. Linnea and I stacked a cup tower for you to crawl to. You made it there - eventually, but had to stop every few strides to sit and fuss. So dramatic.

I'm sure now that you are on the move you will keep us even more on our toes!

You've grown and changed a lot too...
The last time you were weighed was at your 9 month well baby check. You aren't due back to the doctor's until you turn 1! I'm guessing you weigh around 24 pounds, though I can tell your growth is really slowing down. Though others may not be able to tell, Daddy and I can see how you are slimming down - you are losing some of your baby chubbiness.

You are wearing 12 and 18 month clothes. Anything smaller tends to be too small. I'm putting away most of the 9 month clothes. As the weather is getting nicer you are able to wear some of the summer clothes that Linnea wore when she was a baby. We're also buying new stuff for you, which is fun. It's fun to see you in warmer weather clothes, after the long fall and winter season.

You are wearing size 4 diapers. They seem to be fitting pretty well. There was a short time where I wondered if we would need to bump up to 5s because of how they were fitting down your tummy. But I think as you've slimmed down a little bit, it's been enough to keep your diapers fitting okay.

Man, I say it every month, but you are such a sweet, happy, and content little girl, sweet Britta! There is not a lot that gets you too upset. You don't love being changed (or really slowed down at all). You still don't like having your nose or face wiped, but you're actually getting better with it. You don't like being too tired or hungry (though who does?).

Now that you are moving around more, you love getting into anything and everything you should! Somehow, even before you started crawling, you managed to scoot yourself over to shelves, cabinets, lamps, power cords, you name it! Stinker! It's hard to be too mad at you, since you are so proud of yourself, but man, you are keeping us on our toes already, Britta!

As expected, your eating has really started to shift. Your bottle intake is REALLY up and down. Some days you take your bottle like usual, and some days Magna reports only being able to get you to take an ounce or two. At first it made me panic a little, feeling like it was early to have such a shift. I looked back on my notes from when Linnea was a baby, and sure enough, same thing! Grandma always says eating is one of those things you just can't make babies do. All we can do is to continue to offer it, and trust that you will eat/drink when you are hungry/thirsty.

One thing that's contributed to your milk intake changing is your increase in solid foods - particularly finger food. You are loving the ability to feed yourself. You love puffs, toast, little pieces of fruits and veggies (especially banana and peas). We laugh, thinking back just a couple months ago when we thought we'd never be able to get you to eat solids. Wow, that's changed! It's fun to be able to introduce you to new flavors and textures. Your hand-eye coordination could use a little work -as a lot of the food ends up in your lap rather than your mouth, but I know you'll get there. We're also starting to introduce a sippy cup at mealtime. We fill it with water, though you mostly bang the cup rather than drink anything. Again, you'll get there.

Your bedtime is about the same - maybe a bit later. With our busy evenings, it can be hard to get everything done and get you down for bed, but you do just fine which we are thankful for. We start to get ready for bed around 7:15 or so, and you're typically down by 7:45 or 8:00. Admittedly, I take advantage of our nursing time to sneak in some Britta snuggles. I love playing with your hair (so do you while you eat!) and stroking your face, legs, arms, and back. It's a blessing to have those quiet moments just the two of us.

You're still up at least once a night. As I said before, I've mostly stopped trying to figure it out. There's not much consistency in terms of when or how often you're up. I do try to let you "cry it out" a bit when you are up in the middle of the night, but usually that just results in you getting more crabby. You always eat and eat well when you're up. I trust that "this too shall pass." And until then, I try to enjoy the middle of the night snuggles with you.

Your morning nap continues to shorten. It's down to about 40 or 45 minutes (though Magna does wake you typically). Sometimes on the weekend you go without (not intentionally really, but because it doesn't fit in with the activities of the day and you do just fine). I remember being nervous about naps when you were born - just how we'd make it work. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I appreciate your flexibility! You've made it a lot easier than expected to have a morning nap back in the mix of our schedule.

What a big month you've had! It's been so fun to watch you gain some new independence and skills. You are still a sweet, happy little girl. You bring daily joy to our lives and we love you so much!

Love you as big as the sky,
Mama (and Daddy and Linnea)

Nine Months!

I've officially been "lapped." But seriously...each month goes faster than the last. Britta turned 9 months on April 17th. We had another great month!

Sweet Britta,
How is it that you are already 9 months old? Each month goes faster and faster, and you just get more and more fun - and more and more sweet! Perhaps it's a bit cliche, but we can't imagine our life without you! You've had a great month!

You got the hang of eating solids!
As I said last month, you FINALLY started to eat solid food right as you turned 8 months. This month, you really took to it!

You still eat best for Magna - I think partially because by dinner time you are just tired and wanting your milk and bed - but you are doing great all the way around. After a bit of trial and error, we discovered that you are a bit particular with the texture and temperature of your food. I guess this shouldn't surprise me, since you are pretty picky with the temperature of your bottles.

We tried making our own baby food for you (which is what we did for Linnea), and you just weren't taking it well. Magna consistently said you were doing great for her, so we decided to give store bought a try. Sure enough, success! In addition to the food being store bought (read: really, really smooth texture), you like it heated up just a bit. Initially we mixed in a little breast milk with it to thin it out a bit, but as the month went on that became less necessary. Your food at Magna's is usually a puree with rice or oatmeal mixed with a little milk.

You've tried quite a few different foods in the last month. Some favorites are: bananas, berries and oats, carrots, and apples and chicken.

We think you're ready for some finger foods, so we'll start adding those soon as well.

You celebrated your first Easter
At the end of March, you celebrated your first Easter. We had a great weekend! On Saturday we ventured out to an Easter egg hunt in Excelsior. While you didn't really participate (more just along for the ride), I think you still had fun watching all the kids and activity.

On Easter Sunday we headed to church for a quick breakfast before the service. While it was a little exhausting (as usual) to make it through the service with you, you did pretty well. We went home for lunch and naps. After nap we went back over to Eden Prairie - this time to Grandma and Grandpa's house for Easter dinner. In addition to Uncle Steve, Aunt Cindy, and Chris, Kirstyn, Dave, and Jack were there. It was fun for you to have a little playmate (Jack is exactly 4 months older than you)!

Your big sister spent her first Easter in the hospital - we are so happy you had a MUCH better first Easter than that! You wore the same dress that we intended her to wear on Easter. We did a little photo shoot with her shortly after Easter, and did a little one with you too on Easter. It's fun to have pictures of you around the same age wearing the same dress.

You tried out swings!
Right before you turned 9 months you tried out a swing for the first time. We were over at Grammy and Grampy's house to dye Easter eggs, and decided to walk to the park for a little play time. You loved swinging right away. Huge smiles and lots of giggles.

After that experience we decided that it was time for us to get you a swing for our swing set. You absolutely love it. Like your sister, I think that you could swing all day. Speaking of your sister, she loves to push you. It's so fun to watch both of you enjoy it.

I'm certain your swing will get a lot of use this Spring and Summer!

You got SO close to crawling
Oh sweet girl, you want to be moving SO badly. For the last couple weeks we've been so sure that crawling was right around the corner for you, but you're still not quite there.

You can get around pretty well with rolling, and you have a REALLY good reach. You love sitting up, and actually get quite upset now when you are on your tummy.

From the sitting position you ALMOST get to a crawling position, but one leg gets stuck. That gets you quite frustrated.

I'm sure you'll be crawling in no time, and I have a feeling that when you do there will be NO stopping you.

You've grown and changed a lot too...
We had your 9 month well baby check right about the time you turned 9 months. Dr. Khan says you look perfect! You continue to rock the upper 90th percentiles on all measurements. You weighed 23 pounds, 9 oz. (98th percentile) and 29" long (97th percentile).

You are wearing 9 and 12 month clothes - mainly 12 month stuff. There really aren't any 6 month clothes left in the regular rotation. I feel like I'm packing up clothes that are too small nearly every day. I anticipate I'll be pulling out 18 month clothes before too long. Although it's still a bummer that much of Linnea's 12 month stuff won't fit for summer, it's been fun to buy some new things just for you.

Other than a few stragglers in the diaper bag, you are firmly in size 4 diapers at home. Magna and Grandma and Grandpa are finishing up their packs of 3s, which still fit, but not great. Any diapers than we buy for you moving forward will be 4s.

You are still a fairly content and happy girl, though you have gotten increasingly crabby that you can't move around like you'd like. I am grateful that you are so "go with the flow." It serves all of us pretty well!

Your likes and dislikes remain pretty consistent. You love moving around (as best you can), sitting up like a big girl and playing with your piano and other larger toys, jumping in your Johnny Jump Up, watching Linnea be silly - or do pretty much anything, and being outside. You dislike getting your face or nose wiped, being changed (i.e. stuck on the changing table), being "stuck" on your tummy, and being over tired or over hungry.

Your eating is still consistent, although I anticipate bottles/milk may level off or go down soon as you eat more solid foods. 3 bottles per day with whatever is left over after Magna mixes milk into your food (usually about 4 oz.). You nurse once or twice before bed - and as needed during the night (still!). Depending on when you were up in the night, you may or may not eat when you wake up in the morning.

Your bedtime has snuck just a bit later..we're usually getting you ready for bed shortly after 7:00, and you're down for the night around 7:30 (unless we're out doing something a little later). No matter when you are down for the night doesn't seem to help you sleep through the night, or greatly impact your sleep overall. You're still up once a night, sometimes twice. I've given up trying to figure out what's going to get you to sleep through the night. Nothing seems to make a difference. I'm trying to just remember that this is just a phase, and it will pass.

You still are napping well. Your morning nap is starting to get just a bit later and a bit shorter. You continue to be a little more flexible on the weekends, which is helpful! I'm glad you are fairly consistent in this area!

Britta, you are 9 months old! How can that be?! It has been so fun watching you this last month. You are developing your own little personality. You  are sweet, happy, content, and loving. We love having you in our lives, and look forward to the month ahead!

We love you, Britta Boo!
Mama (and Daddy and Linnea too)

Eight Months!

The months are just going faster and faster. Despite best intentions to post this in a more timely manner, I'm once again basically a month late. Britta turned 8 months on March 17th (St. Patrick's Day!). She's doing great, and continues to be such a joy to watch learn and grow.

Boo Boo,
You are 8 months old! I can't believe it. Despite my desires for time to slooooooow down, it's just going faster and faster. You are growing up so fast, and changing so much. We love every minute with you, sweet girl! Overall, it's been a fun month.

You finally started liking solid food!
As I said last month, it's been been a bit of a battle getting you to get going on solid foods. Although we were certain you would love adding food to the repertoire, it did not go as planned. You just weren't into it! We tried several different foods (peas, green beans, pears, bananas...), and the result was the same - you'd just close your mouth, and turn your head. The running joke in our house has been "Britta puts everything in her mouth - except food."

So we tried, and we tried, and we tried. Nothing worked. But then, just as you turned 8 months, things changed! At 8 months, Magna is required to at least offer you solid food - it's part of her nutrition/food program with the daycare. We warned her that it hadn't been going great, and gave her a list of what we tried.

And of course...you ate for Magna! Seriously, that Magna. She is a miracle worker. Once again, she saves the day with something that had been so frustrating for us. Now she did say it was a bit of a struggle at first. But with a little patience, you started eating! Magna said that first day that by lunchtime you were opening your mouth like a little bird.
You stinker! Ha ha ha! Oh well, I'm just glad SOMEONE got you to eat. Here's hoping it continues to go well...

You caught a really nasty cold...
Tis the season, huh? Although you've had a few little colds here and there over the winter, this one was a big one.

It started mid-February, shortly after Linnea had a bad cold (the joys of germ sharing). Though you never ran a fever like your sister did, you got a horrible, horrible cough. Poor girl. When we went on church retreat near the end of February you struggled a lot, particularly at night. You'd cough and cough overnight and then cry (presumably because it hurt). You were so congested that you'd gag and cough up mucus.

We felt so bad for you - and there was nothing much that we could do for you. When we returned from the retreat I took you in to urgent care to see what was going on. No ear infection. Lungs were clear. The doctor said it was just a really bad upper respiratory infection.

We ran the humidifier overnight for a week or so. I spent a few nights getting up with you so you could cough junk up. We also would do some steams in the bathroom. That seemed to help a little.
Slowly but surely you got better, but man did it take a while - with lots of less than stellar nights of sleep.

I gotta say though, sweet girl, you were such a trooper. Even when you were super sick you were still our happy little girl. Magna mentioned several times that you were in such good spirits for the cough that you had. Such a strong girl. Proud mama.

You got your second tooth...
I mentioned last month that I thought a second tooth was coming in. Sure enough, at the very end of February, your other bottom tooth made it's appearance!

It came right in the middle of your cold (mentioned above), so it's hard to tell what symptoms were your cold, and what were from teething.

We've been on the lookout for more teeth, and though we've thought the top ones have been coming, nothing yet.

You learned "So Big"...
Early in March you quite quickly picked up a new "trick" - "So Big!" It's interesting, because you were almost exactly the same age as Linnea was when she learned it.

You have been so enthusiastic about it - you get the BIGGEST smile, and through your arms up over your head. We laugh because sometimes you are less into it, and will only put up one arm. It's like you're saying, "Alright, mama and daddy, I'll do it..."

This is a fun age for this type of stuff. Next up...patty cake?


You've grown and changed a lot too...
Once again, we're between well-baby visits, so I'm not exactly sure how much you weigh. When I took you into the clinic for your cold bug, they did weigh you, though I can't remember exactly what you weighed - somewhere around 22 pounds? It seems like your growth is leveling off a bit. You are still big, no doubt about it, but it doesn't seem like you're growing in leaps and bounds quite like you have been. I'll be interested in how much you weigh when we take you in for your 9 month check in April.

You are almost exclusively in 9 and 12 month clothes. There are just a few 6 month stragglers, but more often than not when I pull those out, I realize they are too snug and they end up in the pile of stuff to pack away. The 12 month long sleeve onesies we bought have served us very well. Since a lot of the other 9 and 12 month stuff we have is short sleeve, we've been doing a lot of short sleeve shirts over white long sleeve onesies. I'm super bummed  knowing for sure that the 12 month summer clothes we had from Linnea are not going to fit during the right season. I'm certain by the time summer weather comes around, you'll be wearing 18 month stuff (crazy!!).

So much for size 3 diapers fitting for a while! They still fit okay, but we won't buy them anymore. The next diapers we buy will be size 4. We have some size 4s from when Linnea was little (that was the last size she ever wore!). We've been putting those on you at night to help so you don't soak through. We're trying to use the 3s up, but like I said will be buying 4s from here on out.

You are continuing the trend of being a happy little girl. We often use the word "jolly" for you. Even when you are sick or tired you don't get horribly fussy. You let us know when something is wrong, but for the most part you are just happy and content. Everyone who spends time with you is surprised with how content you are and how intent you are on the world around you. It's so interesting to see your personality come through. And actually, you've been this way since birth - content and intently taking in the world around you.

You love sitting up, grabbing anything remotely in your reach, playing with your piano, rolling around and reaching every which way, jumping in your Johnny Jump Up, Linnea, and being outside. Your major dislikes? getting your face/nose wiped (this did not go well for you when you were sick), being overly tired or hungry. That's about it.

Your eating remains super consistent. Your cold and teething affected things for a bit there, but generally speaking you take 3 bottles during the day (5 oz. each bottle) - breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack after nap. When you're home for the night you nurse once (sometimes twice) before bed. Depending on when you are up in the night you nurse a bit in the morning before Magna's

You're usually ready for bed by 6:45, and down for the night between 7:00 and 7:30 (sometimes later if we are out doing something). Yay for you being so flexible.You're consistently up once - sometimes twice a night. Rarely more than that - just when you're sick or something else abnormal is going on. I tried to just enjoy my quiet nights with you. I'll admit it is nice to have a little one on one snuggle time!

You continue to do great with your naps at Magna's, and pretty good at home too. I'm sort of hoping we'll start to be able to wean you off your morning nap sometime soon so we don't have to worry about it.

Oh Britta Girl, how are you 8 months old already? You are such a joy to have in our family. It's cliche, but it's hard to remember what life was like before you were born. We love watching you grow and learn. We are delighted by the happy, spunky, jolly, curious, sweet girl you are becoming.

We love you so much Britta!
Mama (and Daddy & Linnea too)

Seven Months!

Once again, I'm behind. Britta turned 7 months on February 17th. Better late than never, right?

Britta,
7 months! I'm certain I sound like a broken record, but I just can't believe how fast the time is going. Each month seems to go faster than the last. Each month you become more "alive" - more active, responsive, and become more of your own little person. It's so fun to watch!

We've had another great month!

You got your first tooth...
At the very end of January those days and weeks of drooling, chomping, and a little bit of crankiness paid off. You got your first tooth - the bottom right. Although we will miss your gummy little smile, Your little snaggle tooth is pretty darn cute too.

At least one more tooth is coming in - we'll see how and when the others come in. Thankfully, teething hasn't been too rough for you yet (knock on wood).

You MASTERED sitting up...
Man, I forgot how quickly you babies master some tasks. Although you just started sitting up last month, you very quickly mastered it this month! You very easily sit unassisted now - for longer and longer amounts of time. You still have a tiny little bit of bobble, but not much and you continue to get better by the day.

Because you are getting so much better at sitting, you have new world of toys available to you. Your favorite is your little piano (a hand me down from Linnea). You are happy to sit at that piano for a long time. We've also taken out some large floor toys (a big block with some spinning toys) that you enjoy as well.

You showed zero interest  in solid food...
As I said last month, we started you on solid foods. We were so certain this would be a big hit for you. For the last few months you showed all the signs - you grabbed at our food, you followed our food with your eyes, you chewed on everything.

When we started with rice cereal, it seemed to go okay. But since then you have completely lost interest. We've tried rice cereal, peas, and bananas. I mean, not even bananas?! How do you not like bananas?

We try to get you to give the food a try. But when we get close to your mouth, you just turn your head away. You like smacking the spoon if it gets close to you. If any food does manage to get into your mouth, you make a yucky face and sometimes even gag too! So dramatic.

I'm trying to be patient with you. I know it will just take time. I'm just really surprised... I was sure you would love trying all new kinds of food. You'll get there, I'm sure. Until then, we'll keep trying!

You switched into a big girl carseat...
We had been talking about getting you into a big girl carseat for a couple weeks. You were getting so uncomfortable in your infant seat...especially since we had a cover over top of it for winter. You were also getting too heavy to lug around in that seat! Although you still technically had quite a bit of room to grow (it technically goes up to 30 pounds), we knew it was time to get you into something bigger.

Once Linnea got a new booster seat, you switched into her old seat. It's crazy how little you look in it! You went from looking HUGE in the infant carseat to looking little in the new seat.

You seem to enjoy your new seat - you seem to like the extra space. Riding in style now, girlie!

You've grown and changed a lot too...
We're in between well baby visits (your last one was in January for your 6 month check, and the next one won't be until April for your 9 month check). I know you're over 20 pounds, since you were last month...so somewhere in the low 20s is I'm sure where you are weight-wise. It seems like your growth is slowing down a little bit - which is normal at about this age.

You are in a mix of 9 month and 12 month clothes. There are a few 6 month items still in your drawers (mostly shirts), but you don't really fit in them as well. I'm sure I'll be packing them away soon. We've had to buy a few new long-sleeve onsies, since Linnea's 12 month clothes are summer clothes.

You are in size 3 diapers, and they seem to be fitting you pretty well (and probably will for a bit yet).

You continue to be SUCH a happy baby. Some of your favorite things: your sister, baths - and generally being naked, putting things in your mouth, grabbing anything in reach, grabbing your toes/happy baby pose, sitting up, playing with mama's hair.

Your eating continues to be the same. 5 oz. each bottle. 3 bottles during the day (9:00, noon, 4:00). The only weird thing this month is that you had a few days in there that you were not as interested in eating. On those days you'd skip a feeding and/or eat less at one or more of your meals. I think that was due to have a bit of a cold and teething. Even on the days you didn't eat typically you were jolly as usual. You are up at night once or twice to eat, nurse before daycare in the morning (if you weren't up in the 4 or 5:00 hour), and then again before bed.

Your bedtime schedule is the same as well - ready for bed around 6:30 or 7:00, down for the night by 7:00 or 7:30 unless we're out and about (like I said last month, we are thankful for your flexibility!).

Per Dr. Khan's suggestion, we started using gas drops at your last feeding. It seems to have helped quite a bit! You get up a lot less at 9:30/10:00. You still get up later, but it seems to be because you are hungry rather than gassy. Nighttime sleep continues to not be great. Usually up twice, and there isn't really any rhyme or reason to it. I'm trying to keep a positive attitude, knowing that it won't be like this forever. I enjoy our snuggles at least!

You still nap like a champ at Magna's - super consistent. Yay! We continue to take the weekends as they come. Sometimes you don't nap in the morning on the weekends - or you'll snooze in the car. Have I mentioned we're thankful for your flexibility?!

My sweet Britta Alice, you are 7 months old! We love you so much - you bring all of us so much joy. You are jolly, happy, content, observant, sweet, silly, snugly, charming, determined, and curious and we love you to bits. We can't wait to continue to watch you grow and learn.

We love you to the moon and back, Britta Boo!
Mama (and Daddy & Linnea too)

Six Months!

Uff. Nearly a month late in posting this...Britta is just days away from being 7 months old! How is time going so fast?! Better late than never, right? Britta turned 6 months on January 17th. Here's the update...

Britta,
6 months old. Half way to a year. How on earth did we get here? Daddy mentioned recently that it seems like your baby-ness is already going away. And I completely agree. Yes, you are still a baby. And will be for a while. But you are growing and changing so much. All of a sudden you aren't just a little baby laying in a bouncer seat. You are a busy, grabby, mobile, chatty little one. It's so amazing and such a joy to watch. We love you so much, little lady!

It's been another exciting month...

You celebrated Christmas...
The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is a family favorite. We are big into traditions, particularly around the holiday season. We had a great time last month and this month including you in our special celebrations. Unfortunately, a few traditions didn't work out this year - cutting down our own tree, putting up both trees, decorating (for the most part). I need to remind myself that there is time to bring those traditions back, when things aren't so chaotic. What's most important is enjoying time as a family -which we did!

On Christmas Eve Daddy had to work, so it was just the girls for most of the day. I managed to get both of you to the zoo for a quick trip, and we had a really nice time. Daddy came home around the end of nap time, and we got to enjoy some time together just the four of us. Linnea enjoyed opening your presents as well as hers. You loved taking it all in.

We went back and forth about what we wanted to do for Christmas Eve dinner. For the last several years we had the tradition of going out with just our little family. This year we had the opportunity to have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa but ultimately decided to stick with the tradition. We really enjoy that time just the four of us.

We went to Big Bowl for dinner. Funny story - on our way I found out that your godparents and our good friends, Tom and Jackie, and their son Gavin, were at the same restaurant. It was nice to see them, and wish them a Merry Christmas. You had many admirers from the tables nearby - you were staring people down, and flirting up a storm.

After having dessert at Grandma and Grandpa's we went to late church. I was a little nervous about how it would go since it was waaayy past your bedtime, but you did great. You got a little loopy and chatty. You gabbed your way through the service, and were pretty exhausted afterwards, but you managed just fine.

After sleeping in a bit Christmas morning, we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's for the day. We had fun spending time together, playing, and opening presents.

We celebrated Christmas with the Hommen/Carlson side on New Year's Day. You were spoiled rotten by Grammy, Grampy, your aunts and uncles, and Santa. We had a fun time!

You started sitting up...
This month you started sitting up! As you've gotten bigger and strong, we started sitting you up and sitting what you were capable of.

It's still a work in progress. You are a bit wobbly, and lean forward a lot, but you are getting better by the day. You look like such a grown up girl!

I think you really like the change in scenery that comes from sitting up. You love to lean forward and grab whatever you can. It's fun to watch you explore in this new way!

We will continue to practice, and work those muscles. You'll be a pro in no time!

You tried your first solid food...
For months, you've been grabbing for things, and showing great interest in what we were eating. At your 4 month appointment, Dr. Khan gave us the go ahead to try solid food. We had planned to wait until after your 6 month appointment, but decided early in January that that was silly - and we should just give it a go.

We started with rice cereal on January 9th. You completely surprised us by being not at all interested. We've tried a couple times, and while you'll take a few bites, you are generally far from impressed. We really don't want to push it - we know you'll eat when you're ready. We'll try more foods in the coming days...maybe you just don't like rice cereal? We are very surprised that you aren't more into it...but you'll get there.

You fell in love with bouncing...
A month or so ago we got the Johnny Jump Up out for the first time. You seemed to enjoy it right away. But this month? Oh man, baby girl. This month you fell in love HARD with bouncing in that thing.

You could spend all day bouncing! Even if you are crabby, when you start bouncing in the Johnny Jump Up, you have the biggest smiles! You are super strong, so you are able to jump really high.

It's a bit of a bummer - I fear that you'll outgrow it quickly. But we will make sure you get to enjoy it while you can!

You've grown and changed a lot too...
You had your 6 month well baby check with Dr. Khan right as you turned 6 months. You are continuing to rock the 95th-99th percentile in all of your measurements. You weighed 21 pounds, 10 ounces, and were 28" long. Big girl! What surprised me the most was when I looked back at your sister's measurements and found that you weigh the same as she did at a year. You didn't seem that big to me - you are just perfect. Right as you should be. Dr. Khan said you look awesome. She was surprised how well you support your own weight. Your legs have gotten SO strong (must be all that bouncing, huh?).

You are mostly in 9 month clothes. There are a few 6 month clothes still in the mix, but most of them are too tight and/or too short (6 month pants are totally capris on you these days). There are a few 12 month clothes I've started to pull out...and will likely pull out more soon since the 6 month clothes are dwindling. We'll probably have to buy more clothes for you than planned because the 12 month clothes we have are more summery. It's fun seeing you in the same clothes your big sister wore! I enjoy taking pictures of you in the same outfits, and seeing my beautiful babies side by side.

You are in size 3 diapers (though Grandma & Grandpa and Magna still have size 2s they are using up). We still put you in size 3 overnight diapers. They work better at night to keep you dry.

You are absolutely in love with your big sister (and vice versa). No one can get you laughing like Linnea can. She loves to make silly sounds and do goofy dances, and delights when you smile and laugh at her. Linnea often requests that you lay in bed with her, particularly around bedtime, and again in the morning. I love watching the two of you. I can already see your bond forming. What an amazing thing to watch.

Nothing within your reach is safe these days. I thought it was bad last month! Your hand control is accurate, and you are fast and strong. You'll grab at anything in front of you, pull it towards you, and almost always it will go right in your mouth. Daddy and I were surprised food hasn't been more of an interest for you because of this. We thought you'd for sure gobble it up (literally and figuratively). We'll just keep trying, I guess. And until then, I'm sure you'll just continue grabbing at our food (and everything else you can get your hands on).

You continue to be as observant and content as ever. Magna will regularly write things like - Awesome day, content and happy, loved just watching the other kids. You have your moments where you are fussy - mostly when you are hungry and/or tired, but your norm is content and chill. I'm so glad you got your daddy's disposition!

Your eating has been consistent.You usually nurse at least a bit in the morning, unless you nursed in the 4 o'clock hour or later. Then three bottles at daycare, 5 oz. each time - 9:00, 12:00, and 4:00 or thereabouts. You nurse right before bed as well.

You continue to be ready for bed by around  6:30 or 7:00. Usually down by 7:00 or 7:30. Sometimes we can stretch it a bit later if we are out for some sort of family event. We try not to do that too much, but we really appreciate your flexibility!

Like last month, I'm frustrated with night time sleep. There is just not a whole lot of rhyme or reason to it. You continue to be up usually twice a night. Again, you are still usually legitimately hungry...or at least seem to be. I've tried to settle you down before trying to nurse you, but you just aren't having it. I do still think some of it is gassiness- you wake up fairly regularly between 9:30 and 10:30, and seem to be really uncomfortable. I talked with Dr. Khan about it. She suggested trying gas drops, so we'll see if that helps. You will sometimes randomly sleep through the night, but those times are few and far between. I am thankful that when you are up you eat and (usually) go right back to sleep. That helps at least...

Naps (and everything else for that matter) still are great at Magna's. As was true with your sister, she tells us that she would have 10 of you if she could. That makes us happy and proud. We continue to "go with the flow" on the weekends. Morning naps are generally what suffers the most. Sometimes we're home and can get you down for a good nap, but a lot of times we're out at about - errands, church, etc. so you nap in the car or as needed. Afternoon naps are better because it's nap time for everyone - Linnea doesn't nap usually, but we all need rest time! It made me feel better looking back at my notes about Linnea at this age, and realizing it was the same way with her.

Britta, we are halfway to a year. I just can't believe how fast it's gone. It's cliché, but we really can't imagine our lives without you. You fill our hearts in a way we didn't know was possible. You are such an awesome baby, and we love you to bits!

We love you!
Mama (and Daddy & Linnea too)

Five Months!

Once again, I'm mega-late in posting. Britta is almost 6 months old (say whhhhaaaatt?!). This time around, I blame the holidays. I should just start writing the next month's post as I post the previous month's.

Anyways, as of December 17th, Britta was 5 months old. She's becoming more and more her own little person, and it's amazing to watch.

Britta Alice,
I am in disbelief that you are already 5 months old. Seriously. Where has the time gone? It is such a joy and pleasure watching you learn and grow, little one. You are such an awesome little lady - loving, sweet, content, happy...you bring so much joy to our family. I hope that as you get bigger you always know that.

We've had a good month...

You celebrated Thanksgiving...
I think Grammy was looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving with you from the moment she knew you were on the way. Seriously. The big reason is because when your sister was a baby she was our Thanksgiving centerpiece. She sat in the Bumbo seat in the middle of the table for our Thanksgiving dinner. It was very cute. So Grammy was set on having you be our centerpiece this year.

Unfortunately, Grammy and Uncle C.J. were under the weather a bit on Thanksgiving, so we had to postpone. Thankfully, since Grandma and Grandpa live so close and were hosting, we were able to celebrate with them. We had a very nice evening with the Broste side of the family.

By the day after Thanksgiving, Grammy and C.J. were feeling better and had some antibiotics in them, so we were able to have a second dinner with them. It was a bummer because Uncle Ethan, Auntie Rachell, and your cousins couldn't make it that day, so it was a bit of a quiet celebration. But you, my love, were of course the Thanksgiving centerpiece in the Bumbo. Adorable, of course.  We had a great holiday!

You became a rolling pro!
Last month I was posting about how you were learning to roll - tummy to back. Well... this month, you became a rolling pro - both ways.

I forgot how quickly learning can come with you little ones. You had been working and working on rolling. You were doing pretty well tummy to back, but you weren't able to do back to tummy. You'd get most of the way, but then get stuck.

Magna mentioned a couple times that she had seen you go from back to tummy, but I hadn't seen it. But then one night, right as you were turning 5 months, you rolled so fast I didn't even see it. I put you down on your back, looked down for seriously 30 seconds - and then there you were on your tummy! So of course I put you back on your back so you'd do it again - and you did! So fast... just like that! You want to be a mover, Britta Girl. There will be no stopping you soon!

You saw Santa...TWICE! (among other holiday festivities) 
This stretch between Thanksgiving and Christmas is me and Daddy's favorite time of the year. Lots of festivities and fun. We are big into traditions, especially around this time of year. We've so enjoyed adding you to the mix.

So far we've done some decorating around the house, caroled with our faith group, and met Santa - twice! First, you met Santa at our neighborhood tree lighting. You did not freak out at all (again, you are so chill), but you were totally underwhelmed. The pictures I got were hilarious - Linnea was all smiles, and you had this "who is this guy?" look. Too funny.

We saw Santa again at Bachman's. We discovered an awesome little play there. The show was about Santa and his head elf. You didn't get much out of that, of course. I hope to make this a new tradition - so hopefully in years to come you will enjoy it more! After the play, Santa took pictures with all the kids. Same underwhelmed look from you. I know you'll learn to love him!

I'm looking forward to more Christmas fun with you!

You've grown and changed a lot too...
We're in between well baby visits (your last one was on November 18th, your next one is scheduled for January 20th. As such, I don't have a whole lot of concrete measurement information. I do know this - you are a solid little nugget of baby love! You are sturdy, with lots and lots of baby rolls. You'll hate me for this when you are older...but I quite regularly stand you up when you are naked just to admire the adorable chunkiness. You love being naked, so you are happy to oblige!

You have officially outgrown your 3 month clothes. You're in a mix now of 6 month clothes and - get this- 9 month clothes! I had gotten a few 9 month long sleeve onesies when I realized that you would need them (since Linnea wore 9 month clothes in the Spring/Summer). I put one on you one day, sure that it would be quite big. But it fit! Wow!

We ended up getting size 3 overnight diapers since you were leaking so much overnight. That has helped a lot. You're still in size 2 diapers, but they are getting really small. The next pack of diapers we buy will FOR SURE be size 3s.

As always, you are so observant. It's so clear that you are REALLY paying attention, trying to figure everything out. Generally speaking, you are content to just sit and watch the world around you. Your favorite thing to watch is Linnea. You love watching her do ANYTHING, and she can make you laugh more than anyone else. I love it.

You continue to smile with your whole face and body. You are such a happy baby! It's so fun to catch your eye, say your name, and watch your huge smile spread across your face. Happy girl.

Your hand control has gotten a ton better this last month. You are grabbing for things like crazy, and are much better at getting things on the first attempt. We have to be really careful these days if we have you on our laps at the table. You'll grab at our plates - and start to pull them towards you! I think you are ready for food (though we haven't started anything yet - soon, little one!).

Your eating is the same - consistently 5 oz. each bottle. Just like the last couple months, depending on when you last ate in the night, you sometimes nurse in the morning. You have 3 bottles at Magna's/Grandma and Grandpa's - around 9:00, noon, and 4:00. Then you nurse usually just once before bed.

You're usually ready to get ready for bed by around  6:30 or 7:00. Usually down by 7:00 or 7:30. I have given up trying to figure out your bedtime sleep. I know that it's totally normal, but your bedtime sleep is so frustrating. You are almost always up twice...sometimes even three times. You're usually legitimately hungry...so you're eating a lot overnight. You've also had some gassiness, which I really thinks affects your sleep. You had had a bout of constipation shortly after Thanksgiving. Once you finally "cleaned out your pipes" you had some of the best nights of sleep you've had in a long time - straight through the night. I'm trying to take it all in stride, and know that "this too shall pass," but it's hard. Sleep deprivation is no joke!

Naps continue to go great at Magna's. I'm so thankful for how well she does with you - and how good you are for her! Magna always has nothing but good things to say about you. I'm so glad! I'm learning how to just "go with the flow" on the weekends - recognizing that it's not realistic to keep your schedule the same as it is during the week. I'm getting there... :-)

Britta, I can't believe you are 5 months old. Who told you you could grow up so fast? You are beyond a joy, Boo Boo. Your smiles, your laughter, your silly antics...they all brighten our days so much. We've had a great month. I can't wait to see what next month has in store for us...

Love you so much,
Mama (and Daddy & Linnea too)

Four Months!

As of November 17th, Britta was 4 months. I've had this post in the works for a while. Time to post (before she turns 5 months!)!

Britta Alice,
Each month goes faster than the last. I find myself so torn in my emotions...on the one hand, it's so fun to watch you grow and become your own little person. You change and develop every day. It's such a joy. But on the other hand, it's going so fast. You very well could be our last baby...I'm in disbelief that each of these exciting firsts could be the last time I experience them first hand. Moral of the story...one day at a time - both surviving and savoring, I suppose!

It's been another big month...

You were baptized!
What a special celebration! Like your big sister, you had the privilege of being baptized by Grandma. Words can't describe what an incredible gift it is to watch her baptize you girls. It's very emotional for all of us.

While we had a nice celebration, the service didn't quite go off without a hitch. In the days and weeks leading up to your baptism (October 25th), our baptismal font at church was having issues. I LOVE our font. It's HUGE, and always full...with a little waterfall feature. It's really beautiful. Anyways, it was having some issues as we approached your baptism. Grandma kept reassuring us that they were fixing it. However, when we got to church before the service, she came up to us to let us know it had sprung a major leak, and we'd need to go to plan B.

Plan B was a little stand set-up in the front with a simple glass bowl filled with water. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed, but I tried to focus on the most important thing - the baptism itself.

We made it in the sanctuary just in time for the ceremony after getting you fed, changed, and dressed.You did great during the baptism...some tears were shed during the ceremony - but not yours! You were content the whole time.

We had a nice little reception at church after the service - just a little gathering of friends and family for cake and coffee. It was such a joy to look around the room and see the loved ones who support you and our family. You are so loved!

You celebrated your first major holiday...Halloween!
This month brought your first holiday - Halloween. We had a wonderful time celebrating. Before you were born, Grammy found a cute bumblebee costume for you. Leading up to the day I was nervous it wouldn't fit, but because you have been growing like crazy, it was just right by Halloween.

You were so cute in your costume. We called you "BumbleBritta." You got to partake in a few celebrations.
First, you came along on our annual trip to the Crosstown Covenant Church party. The church is just a few blocks from our house, and we've gone the last few years with our friends the Winters and the Olsons. It's awesome - just a couple years ago it was just three kiddos, now between the 3 families we have 7 kiddos! So it's a little crazy, but a lot of fun.

You actually slept through most of the party (in the carrier), which is impressive because it was pretty loud. It will be so fun to bring you next year - I imagine you'll be running around by then!

You also celebrated Halloween at Magna's. She reported that you loved watching the other kids dance around, and were completely baffled by her Minnie Mouse ears. Hee hee.

Finally, we had a great day on Halloween itself. First, we went to a Trunk or Treat event at church - people decorated their cars and did trick or treating in the parking lot. You got lots of oohs and ahhs at how cute and cozy you looked. After the event at church, we headed over to the Getchius' house for pizza and trick or treating in their neighborhood. You slept through most of trick or treating - I liked having you as a little snuggle buddy as we went house to house. Once again, it will be fun to the contrast next year - I'm sure you'll be running around trying to keep up with the big kids by then!

You scared us with a fall...
Oh Britta Girl, you gave us a scare. On a normal night early in November I was getting you ready for bed. Linnea and I were in your room...I was at the changing table getting your pajamas on and Linnea was just behind me on the chair in your room. She needed help to put the foot rest up.

I turned for just a second to help her and turned back just in time to watch you go head first off the changing table. My eyes well up with tears and my stomach ties in knots just to type it now. I hadn't realized how strong you had gotten - you didn't roll...your kick was powerful enough to propel you right off the end of the table.

You fell right on your head on the wood floors below. I have never heard you cry so hard. I picked you up right away and managed to get you calmed down after a minute or so. Once you were calm you just sort of whimpered. I could tell it really hurt you - and probably scared you too. To say I felt horrible is quite an understatement.

We needed to get you checked out to be sure you were okay - so we all went to the ER (I was too shook up to take you myself). It scared me because you were falling asleep, and I didn't know if you had a concussion or something.

Thankfully, you were 100% fine. You absolutely charmed the nurses and the doctors at the hospital. They talked about how sweet and alert you were. They were so confident that you weren't seriously hurt that we didn't need to do any scans or other tests. Thank God!! I don't know what I would have done if you would have gotten hurt. I'm so beyond thankful that you are okay.

You started rolling (with consistency)...
I have to laugh a bit. I took you in to the doctor's office after your fall (they wanted to do a follow-up appointment just to be sure you were okay). The nurse who saw you said to me, "Watch out for this one." She explained that she could tell you are very strong, and very much want to be on the move. She said it likely wouldn't be the last time that you surprised us with your strength and independence.

We are definitely seeing that. You love to kick and move your legs. At a very early age you could get yourself over to your side. This month you started rolling! So far you're just rolling from your tummy to your back, but I'm sure back to tummy is just around the corner. And then, just like the nurse said, we better watch out! There will be no stopping you!!

You've grown and changed a lot too...
We had your 4 month well baby appointment on November 18th. You continue to rock the 95th+ percentile in all of your measurements. Your measurements were: Weight: 17 lbs, 8 oz. (95th percentile), Height/Length: 26 1/4" (98th percentile), 17.2" (99th percentile - big head for big brains I say!).

Dr. Khan said you were doing great! You are growing just as you should be. She told me, "People will tell you she's big, and should can say 'Yup, she's big...but she's just what she should be!" That made me feel good...I'm so glad you are healthy and thriving. People can be a little insensitive, and make comments that can make me feel a little insecure. But what's most important is that you are healthy!

You are mostly in 6 month clothes. 3 months pants are definitely too short. There are a few shirts in the mix that are 3 months or 3-6 months that still fit...but 6 month is better. The 6 month sleepers are already getting really short, so I think I'll big digging out the 9 month clothes soon. I can't believe that you are already wearing that size! Growing girl!

You are in size 2 diapers. They're fitting okay, but starting to get a little tight. Diapers are problematic at night - you leak a lot, so we might need to go up a size so you don't soak through.

You are as observant as ever. It's so awesome to see. When you are awake, you are focused, curious, and observant. I can't wait to watch you learn and grow. Your mind is so active already, little one. It will be amazing to see what you are capable of.

You are smiling a lot more readily now. Grandma and Grandpa were in Israel for 10 days at the beginning of the month. When they came back, Grandma made a comment that your smiles were the biggest difference she saw since they were gone - that they were more regular, bigger, etc. I just love your smiles. They are huge, and come so easily - sometimes just when I look at you or say your name. Daddy and I often comment that you are such a jolly baby.

You are discovering your hands and learning to grab things, and it's. blowing. your. mind. Utter bafflement and wonderment are regular emotions to come across your face. It's so funny to watch - you look shocked (and slightly concerned) by your hands. You're still learning to control them - sometimes you'll accidently smack yourself in the face, or your hands will work against each other - one hand will be trying to get to your mouth, and the other will be pushing your first hand away from your mouth. You'll get there in no time!

Your eating is about same - although now consistently 5 oz. each bottle. Like last month, depending on when you last ate in the night, you sometimes nurse in the morning. You have 3 bottles at Magna's/Grandma and Grandpa's - around 9:00, noon, and 4:00. Then you nurse usually just once before bed.

You're usually ready to get ready for bed by around 7:00. Usually down by 7:30. Bedtime sleep continues to not be great...although I keep trying to remind myself that you are more typical than your sister was. You are always up once - usually twice. Times vary. Since last month it shifted a bit - to earlier...like 10:30 or 11, and then again around 2 or 3. There's not a whole lot of regularity or consistency with it, which is hard for your Type A mama, but I'm managing.

Naps go great at Magna's. You take a nap sometime mid-morning (around 9:30-10:30) for about an hour, and then take a solid nap in the afternoon (usually around 2 1/2 to 3 hours). You also tend to have "car naps" on the way too and from daycare, which I think is part of the reason you don't go to bed super earlier (which I like because I get more time with you!). Naps on the weekend are harder because your schedule varies more. Often you sleep as late as 8:00, so your morning nap is shorter, and usually in the midst of stuff we're doing as a family. The last couple weeks we seem to have missed your nap window in the afternoon so we have to be flexible (which is, again, hard for your Type A mama. I'm a work in progress, and so are you I suppose).

I say it every month, and I mean it more every month. You are a joy. You bring us all such happiness with your smiles and sweetness. I can't believe how fast these last 4 months have going, and how big and strong you are already. I look forward to seeing what our next month brings.

I love being your mama, sweet Britta Boo.

We love you,
Mama (and Daddy & Linnea too)

Three Months!

I say it every month, and I'm sure will continue to say it for forever, but time is just flying. I can't believe that, as of October 17th, is 3 months old!! A quarter of a year!! Cue the mama tears. I just want to put the brakes on a bit, and be able to savor each moment.

Yes, this is ridiculously late. Yup, she's less than a couple weeks from 4 months, but I want to be sure to document these monthly updates.

So here we go...

Britta Boo,
3 months. 3 months?! It seems like yesterday that you were born...and actually just yesterday that I was pregnant with you. You've had a big month...lots of changes and milestones. More and more we are realizing what a content, peaceful baby you are. It will be so interesting to see your personality take shape! Here's what you've been up to in the last month...

You started daycare!
Probably the biggest transition this month for you (and me...and the whole family really)... I went back to work on October 8th, and you started at Magna's that same day. The combination of you being an all-around rockstar baby, and Magna having some sort of awesome voodoo magic skills means that you have been doing AMAZING!

Much like with your big sister, Magna managed to get you on a schedule right away. You take 3 bottles at daycare (9:00ish, noonish, and 4:00ish) - between 4 and 5 ounces each time. You take a morning nap around 9:45/10:00 for between an hour and an hour and a half. You take an afternoon nap from around 1:00 to 3:00/3:30.

Magna reports you are happy, very chatty, and snuggly for the vast majority of your days there. You are getting better at tummy time each day, and love watching the other kiddos play and interact.

We had a bit of a scare right before you started daycare - you were refusing to take a bottle. I panicked BIG time, but discovered just in the nick of time that it was a temperature issue. You are a bit of a diva, and like your milk REALLY warm (body temperature, thank you very much!). Daddy and I had a date night for our anniversary the week you started daycare, and you cried (LOUD) for Grandma for most of the 2 hours we were gone. You are SO chill usually, but will definitely let everyone know when something's wrong.

Thankfully, we figured it out just in time and you have had ZERO issues with bottles. Wahoo!!

In addition to starting at Magna's, you are joining big sister for what is now "Linnea AND Britta Day" at Grandma and Grandpa's. I think it's a bit of an adjustment to have two to take care of, but they are enjoying it.

You took your first vacation!
We've had a few overnight out-of-town trips before this, but this month was your first REAL vacation. We had planned long before you were even born to take a trip up north. Since I was still on leave we took our usual trip to Grand Marais with Grandma and Grandpa, and then headed over to Bayfield, WI for another couple nights.

Admittedly, it was a bit crazy. Almost a week gone...staying in three different places (we stayed in Duluth the first night)...sleeping all in one room. Sleep was never really great...you had a bit of a cold, and didn't sleep super well in the pack 'n play.

All of that said, we had a really good time. It was so fun to introduce you to all our favorite places up north. We look forward to many, many more years of time up north as a family. I look forward to throwing rocks in the lake with you in a few years.

You started laughing!
This one took me by total surprise! I was "chatting" with you before dinner one night when we were in Bayfield. You were smiling and cooing (per usual), but all of a sudden you were laughing! It happened so fast that by the time I realized what you were doing, it was over! I called Daddy over to try to get you do it again, but I didn't have any luck.

We've had a few more little laughs since then, but not regularly quite yet. It was like a little gift for mama, to have the laugh from my Britta girl!

You've grown and changed a lot too...
You continue to be a big, happy baby!!

We haven't had a doctor's appointment since the beginning of September, so I'm not really sure how big you are. I won't be surprised if you are well over 15 pounds by your next appointment mid-month. You are regularly mistaken for older than you are...which doesn't really surprise me. I think you look older than you are too...not just because of your size, but because of your head and neck control, and level of alertness.

You are still squeezing into some 3 month clothes, but are mostly in 6 month clothes. Pants and sleepers in particular got too short/small practically overnight. It's a bit of a bummer, because I think we'll end up being off the right seasons with the clothes that Linnea wore as a baby. I suppose there are worse things, but it's fun to be able to give new life to old clothes.

You are fully in size 2 diapers... well actually, we found a few 1s here and there and used them to get rid of them - crazy how quickly they went from fitting fine to WAY too small!

You continue to be alert and attentive. Nearly everyone who meets you/spends any sort of time with you comments on that. You are SUCH an observer. Maybe it sounds silly, but you can tell that even at 3 months you are just wanting to take everything in.

Like I said before, we are realizing more and more what a content baby you are. It's rare that you will cry or get upset. When you do it usually means that we aren't feeding you soon enough...or you have a little gas bubble...or are a little overtired. But as soon as your needs are met you calm down. Even when you wake up at night you don't cry...you just grunt and fuss a bit to let me know you're hungry.

It's fun to watch your relationship with Linnea continue to develop. She loves to talk to you and get you to smile - and she's good at that. She loves to lay with you and say sweet and silly things to you. She gets mad at Daddy and I if we "hog" you too much. It's so fun to watch how sweet she is with you. I can't wait to continue to watch you become friends!

You continue to eat well. Depending on when you last ate, you nurse a bit in the morning before Magna's. You take 3 bottles there (between 4 and 5 oz.), and then nurse once or twice before bed.

Your bedtime has moved up again this month...usually between 7:30 and 8:00. It's nice that you stay up a bit later than your big sister did at this age because it's nice to have a bit of time with you when we all get home for the night.

Bedtime sleep has not been as good as it was previously... I'm not quite sure what to attribute that to. You are pretty much always up once, and usually twice. Times vary a bit, but are usually around midnight and then again around 4. Those times are my least favorite times because it breaks up my sleep in a bad way. However, I am thankful that you continue to go back to sleep very easily. You wake up, eat, and are back out without much of a peep. That makes it a bit more manageable.

Naps have become more consistent now that you are at Magna's (yay Magna for helping me get you on a good schedule!). Like I said before you have a shorter nap in the mid-morning, and then a long nap in the afternoon. (It's awesome that you and Linnea nap together in the afternoon!). We can't get you to nap quite as well when you're home with us on the weekends (like I said, Magna has some sort of awesome voodoo magic).

You are so awesome, Britta! You are sweet, observant, strong, and calm. I love learning who you are...I love being your mama...I love watching you learn and grow.

You have brought so much joy to us in your short little life!

We love you so very much, Britta girl!
Mama (and Daddy & Linnea too)