Dear Collins,
At one month old...

• You weigh 8.2lbs, which is two pounds more than when you were born!
• You have graduated from premie clothes and are fitting perfectly in newborn sizes.
• You nurse every 2.5-3 hours during the day for about 30 minutes. You still get very sleepy while nursing so the process often takes 45 minutes because we do a lot of burping and changing diapers to keep you awake.
• You usually cluster feed in the evenings, eating every hour and a half from 5-9.
• You don't like to fall asleep for naps or bed at night.
• The only place you like to nap is in the baby bjorn, as soon as I put you in and walk around the house with you, you fall dead asleep.
• At night time you often fight going to sleep for an hour (sometimes two), but once you go to sleep you stay asleep! You usually do at least a 5 hour stretch and last night you slept for 7 straight hours!
• Even when you are fighting sleep you aren't much of a crier, more of a whiner. You will fidget and whine and make random loud noises, but thankfully, you rarely ever full on cry.
• You use a paci to fall asleep during the day but spit it out after you fall asleep. You don't need it to go back to sleep at night.
• You sleep in the rock n' play at night time.
• You HATE your car seat. You cry the whole time you're in it unless your paci is in
• When we put you by the Christmas tree you lay very still and stare at it. You do the same thing on our bed when I turn the ceiling fan on.
• You have started making some cooing noises the past couple of days.
• For the most part we hang out at home because it's easier to manage your long nursing sessions. We've been to church once and you slept through the whole thing (in the baby bjorn, of course).
• You don't seem to have any major problems with reflux but you are a major spitter upper. You also get hiccups ALL the time while nursing which you don't like and makes it hard to eat.
• Your brother and sister love you very much! Sometimes too much, they are always in your face.
• You seem very concerned and confused when you get a bath, but you don't seem to dislike it. You do hate being taken out of the bath, no matter how hot the room is you don't like the change in temperature. You generally only get upset when you are cold.

Haddie: 3 1/2 Year Update

Dear Haddie,
At three and a half years old...

• • You weigh about 35lbs and are pretty average height and weight for your age, although you are petite and thin.
  • You are a very picky eater, it's our biggest battle with you. Your favorites foods are banana, yogurt, cheese, and basically any type of cracker or chip.
  • You are very dramatic when you don't get your way, there is a lot of wailing and tears involved, although the tears magically dry up as soon as you get your way.
  • You get so excited about the little things, I love seeing the joy you have in life!
  • Your favorite activities are playing with play-doh and anything that you can make into friends. You will literally take plastic eggs and make them into a mommy egg and a baby egg and then play pretend with them.
  • You love baby Collins a whole lot, sometimes way too much. You try to pick her up (she's only 4 weeks old!), want to hold her at all times (you get really jealous when anyone else is holding her), and are constantly getting reminded not to touch her face or pacifiers.
  • You hate getting in trouble but you also like to push the boundaries
  • You sneak into Titus' room and wake him up almost every morning. You also ask to sleep in his bed at night but then you won't go to sleep!
  • You love all things princessy and girly- you only want to wear dresses
  • You are very affectionate and love to hold hands or randomly give big hugs just because you're happy
  • You love My Little Pony and PJ Masks (You were Owlet, a girl superhero from PJM for halloween this year)
  • You do funny little dance moves randomly to make us laugh. In fact, you love to do lots of little things to get a laugh out of people.
  • Your hair has finally grown back enough to look like an actual hairstyle and it's really cute
  • When you go to the bathroom you ask me to close the door so you can have some "price-acy"
  • You tell me all the time, "Mommy, you're my bestest friend."

Titus 5 1/2 year update

Dear Titus,
At five and a half years old...

• You weigh just under 40lbs and are still very small for your age (in the 5-10th percentile for height)
• You LOVE kindergarten! I was a little nervous about it this summer, but you are thriving with the routine of it all
• Everyone at school loves you, especially the older kids. I joke that you are the Butterfield Elementary Mascot
• You have gotten much better at learning to use words when you are upset, except with your sister who you still usually just hit or push when you're angry
• You love to make books using construction paper and a three hole punch. Sometimes you will ask us how to spell words but a lot of times the whole book consists of words like "No!" "OK!" and other small words you can spell on your own.
• You like to do the same activities at home that you do at school (math stations, which word doesn't belong, etc.)
• Your favorite Encore class is PE
• You are a really good big brother to Baby Collins. You talk to her sweetly and know not to touch her face or hands.
• You love drawing with chalk in the driveway. Usually it's either marble mazes or writing numbers (sometimes you'll just write all the way to 100 because you can)
• You still don't have much of an interest in sports. Daddy wanted to get you to play catch but you weren't into it, so he showed you a video on hand-eye coordination and now you like to play catch (except you say "let's play hand eye coordination!")
• You do like to play dodge ball upstairs or make up games like throwing a ball into a laundry basket
• For breakfast you like to eat a waffle with nutella or cheerios. If you had it your way, you'd eat a Wendy's cheeseburger for every meal. Your favorite halloween candy was Kit Kat Bars.
• You went to a Razorback football game with Daddy and loved it. Now you ask to go to every game and get upset when you can't.
• We were doing gymnastics which you were very good at, but since school started you got too tired and frustrated doing it after school so we're taking a break.
• You love poop jokes.
• You and Haddie are extremely competitive and want whatever the other person has. One day while you were at school I took Haddie to McDonald's for lunch and you have never let me live down how unfair it was that she got a Happy Meal and you didn't.
• Most nights you go to sleep by 8:00 and would sleep til 6:30-7 if Haddie would let you, but she usually comes into your room by 6:30 and wakes you up for the day
• We taught you the word defiant this month because you decided you want to be in charge and started saying the opposite of whatever we say just because you can
• When Haddie says something that doesn't make sense you and I will catch each other's eye and start giggling (I love this so much!)