Zoe Faith at 4 months

Little Zoe is doing well and continues to grow!  At her four month check up, she was 11 pounds, 5 ounces and 23.5 inches long.  She loves to be around people, and she especially enjoys it when Enoch plays with her.  At this point, she tracks toys well with her eyes and can grab them when they are within reach.  Zoe is quick to smile at people when she's engaged, and she laughs when tickled.  The big girls like to hold her in their laps and give her toys.  She's very adept at rolling both ways now, though she does still fuss sometimes if she feels like she can't get off her belly.  The only other time she usually fusses is when she is over-tired or lonely.  Also, Zoe's favorite two places to be are either: in my lap/on my hip, or in the floor with Enoch playing with her.  She just loves to laugh and squeal when he pays attention to her, and he honestly does a very good job of being gentle and fun when he engages her (which is so, so sweet for my mama heart to witness).

Eating & Sleeping:  We haven't started her on solids yet, and she is still nursing around 10 times per day (with 3 of those at night).  Her naps have settled down into a shortish morning one (45 min - 1.5 hours) and a long afternoon one that corresponds with the big girls nap (~ 2-3 hours, but sometimes she needs to nurse in the middle).  We put her to bed around 7:30 or 8:00 at night and she typically wakes up around 6:30 or 7:00 am (with a few night time nursing sessions in between).  When we put Zoe to bed, she typically nurses and then gets laid down either asleep or very groggy with a paci.  As you can see in the photo below, we also transitioned out of a swaddle blanket a few weeks ago, and now Zoe sleeps in a little sleep sack.

Hair & Skin Care:  Zoe loves taking baths, especially kicking in the water!  We are continuing to use coconut oil in her hair once per day after misting it with water and de-tangling it with a pick.  As long as I'm gentle and slow, she doesn't mind this process, and I just love seeing how her locks keep getting curlier (I always wanted a kiddo with curly hair!).  I also use the coconut oil on her skin anytime it looks dry.

Other Daily Life:  Zoe is regularly in some type of wrap.  The picture below was of her first time in the Ergo carrier, which I think she liked (she certainly took a good cat nap in there while I made lunch, anyway).  This is the only way I can make it to the grocery store or out to run errands, but she gets fussy/squirmy if I have to bend down and do something for a few minutes. (I also still use the ring sling with her quite a bit.)

Sometime during this fourth month Zoe learned how to insert her paci.  Now she technically can't always find it, but if she can get her hands on it, then she usually either chews on it or sucks it like normal.  Additionally, just this past week, Zoe definitely found her voice.  She has been babbling quietly for awhile now, but all of a sudden she has started talking louder, yelling some, and even shrieking (in excitement) sometimes.  This has been a harder transition for me than you might expect (given that we always have a loud/active house) because my mind is having to re-adjust to her new noises and discern which are happy noises (most of them) and which are "help me" cries.  It probably sounds crazy, but I really have had to take some time to get used to these new louder talks by reminding myself that she's not hurt or sad... she's just more excited these days.

Cloth diapers:  Now that we are well out of baby-bootcamp, I've also started using cloth diapers on Zoe.  I use a combination of prefolds with a snappi & cover as well as pocket diapers.  I usually use a disposable liner to catch solids, but since Zoe only poopies once every 5-7 days, I don't need them too often.  Cloth diapering does take a bit more work, but this has honestly been the easiest transition into cloth for me because the big girls are still going through a lot of underwear with their potty training. (I've been doing a load of cloth/underwear every other day.)  

Here are some more Zoe smiles:

her 4 month photos with her little lamb

(attempting to eat the blanket, ha!)

Baby girl loves her bumbo (it's a different brand technically) because she gets to be right in the action during meal times.

And a classic pic of Karis checking in on her (both big girls love to keep tabs on Zoe and tell me anytime she cries, goes to sleep, loses a toy, etc.).   :)

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Karis Grace at 4 years old

Well, somehow Karis managed to sneak in another birthday this year, and she is now four years old!  Time sure does fly when you're having fun... and especially when your fun involves chasing two active little girls around!  Here is my run-down of everything Karis at this stage in her life...  

First of all, to go along with this introductory picture, Karis still loves to eat!  She enjoys fruits, most veggies (not a huge fan of broccoli or cauliflower), most meats (not a fan of roasts), and all desserts.  Karis is a fast eater, and she usually asks for more after she cleans her plate.  Because she eats fast, we also have to pay pretty close attention to her while she eats because over-stuffing is an issue that can lead to choking.  

 Karis typically eats all of her meat first (she had grilled chicken on her plate at the beginning of lunch) and then takes a little break before plunging into everything else (cucumber strips & cherry tomatoes made up the other half of this particular lunch).  Karis' basic meal schedule still includes two snacks (mid-morning and post-nap) as well as 2-3 cups of milk per day (with her meals) and some water with snacks. 

She can also independently feed herself most things with either a spoon or fork.  Sometimes if the food is difficult to spear with a fork, she will scoop with her fork, so there is still some room to improve, but it's been fun to watch her fine-tune these skills... and there certainly is incentive when you have a shake from Sonic!

 Potty training is still moving forward for both girls.  After Zoe joined our family, they both reverted for a few months and wouldn't do anything on the potty, but we've officially been diaper-less since July 21st (except at night and using cloth pull-ups for naps and at therapy).  This was a huge step for me (one that I'd been putting off), and I think I'd say it's going well overall.  We have little portable potty seats that we tote all over the house (and we even bring them in the van), and on a normal day we only have 4-6 accidents total.  Also, Karis has taken the plunge into both peeing and pooping on the potty, which is such a monumental step... Now we're just working on saying "I need to go to the potty!" when it's time.  I'll have to do a separate potty training post sometime, but suffice it to say that I do a lot of laundry these days, and we spend a lot of our time sitting on the potty.  :)  

Big girl underwear

 

Singing "Twinkle, twinkle little star" while on the potty

When it comes to playing and interacting with other kids, Karis generally loves to be included in the mix.  She enjoys playing with her siblings (though there are still some squabbles), and they get along best when they're doing something together like throwing balls, playing dress up, or even cleaning up a room.  Speaking of cleaning, Karis is quite the little helper with dusting, laundry, and carrying her dishes from the table. She is also pretty good at listening to instructions, but sometimes the stubborn toddler streak gets the best of her.  Karis' strongest love language at this point seems to be physical touch.  She enjoys giving kisses and hugs to everyone, and she's always willing to say "bye" and blow kisses, even to random people (unlike my other shy children).   

 reading at the table

 pretending to be a monkey while getting dressed (a random game we play)

 dressing up with Enoch

cooking lunch

checking on Zoe during a walk

 

playing "night, night" with Enoch

 telling me about something on our walk

Developmentally, Karis has grown a lot this past year.  She's so so close to running, doing better with stepping up and down, learning to watch for obstacles in her path (like water hoses), and falling much less often.  Karis has also come a long way with playing intentionally: she loves playing with her baby dolls, "cooking" in her kitchen, reading to her animals, and working puzzles.  Shes's still not crazy about coloring, but she is doing a better job holding crayons and making her vertical lines.  :)  Over the past few months Karis has added on quite a few new sounds, but my absolute favorite one is "mmm" because now she can say "mama" and she can make the "mmm" sound when she gives kisses.  She continues to use some sign language along with her words (all done, wait, stop), and she can say each of her siblings names well enough for them to understand ("Ena" is Enoch, "Dayda" is Alaythia, and ).  Additionally, I feel like when she is speaking in context, she's pretty understandable overall.  What I mean by this is that if she is talking to me about something we are doing (eating, reading, pottying, etc.) I can generally guess what she is asking for or telling me about.  But if she comes up to me out of the blue and wants to tell me about how her therapy went (or something else out of context), I have a hard time understanding her.  Speaking of therapy, Karis is still doing OT, PT, and ST (two sessions of ST per week).  Her therapists are all great about teaching me what they are doing with her and sending me home with ideas of how to continue working on her goals.

One of our neighbors helped me by sewing this onesie for Karis  because she no longer fits into most typical onesies (2T is the biggest you can usually find in the stores).  The reason we need onesies for Karis is that if she dirties her diaper/pull up during nap, she likes to play in it as soon as she wakes up... which gets pretty gross real quick!  So we always put her to bed in a onesie with some bermuda shorts.  :)

 Karis is also still in AFO braces.  I had a hard time finding shoes this time to work with them because they really need to tie (otherwise she just slips them off any chance she gets).  Thankfully, I found some at WalMart that I made a few changes to, and they've been working well.

Daddy gave Karis some pig tails a few months ago, and I thought they were too cute!  I usually just put her hair in a regular ponytail because Karis really dislikes having her hair brushed and fixed, but every once in awhile we fix it, and then (after she endures it) she likes to get up and spin and show everyone how pretty it is.  

And to end, here are a few birthday smiles.  We sure do love our Sweet Karis!!

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Karis Grace at 3.5 years old

Now that it is 2017, Karis has officially reached the 3.5 year old mark.... and I'm not sure when the last time I actually did an update on her was, so it's about time!!   Here are some things that I'd like to remember about my Karis Grace at the 3.5 year old stage.

First, Karis has really blossomed lately in her desire to play meaningfully.  She loves being a mama to her baby dolls by changing their diapers, nursing and burping them, putting them to sleep, feeding them, etc.  Another favorite for Karis is dressing up.  She absolutely loves putting on any and every piece of clothing she can find.  In fact, she prefers to wear about 7-10 items at once.  :)   Karis also happily joins in on any games that the other kids play, such as phone, digging in the dirt, play-doh, stacking blocks, cooking in the toy kitchen, etc.   In addition, she loves to be held and to sit in laps, especially when that involves reading stories and singing songs (ABCs, Twinkle Twinkle, Tea Pot, Sunny Sunny).  And when Daddy comes home, wrestling and being tickled become her two main endeavors.  When we are out and about in town, Karis is always a social butterfly.  I can always count on her to wave hello to strangers or say "bye" to the store's cashier, and she never cries when I drop her off at therapy or school.  She is also my bravest child so far - almost any place or new thing sounds like fun to her (like the 20' slide at the pumpkin patch that she slid down at least 5x).

  

Developmentally, Karis has been learning a lot of new skills and really working hard at her therapy sessions.  She currently has one Physical therapy, one Occupational therapy, and two Speech therapy sessions per week.  I still love all of her therapists, and they care about Karis so much - I'm so thankful for them!  With PT, Karis has begun walking independently (no more walker), and she is currently working on things like: going up and down steps without losing balance, jumping, running, etc.  Below is a video of her running at the refuge... she is so so close!!  For OT, Karis is working on fine motor things such as: peg puzzles, coloring (vertical and horizontal lines), cutting with loop scissors, and manipulating other small objects.  A big leap for her with OT over the past year has been her growing understanding of purposeful play - meaning that she now sees purpose in putting the puzzle back together or putting all of the shapes into the bucket.  With ST, Karis has improved so so much over the past 9 months!  She is now speaking in 2-4 word phrases, and she can repeat almost anything you ask her to (or at least give it a good try).  There are still a handful of sounds that she can't pronounce clearly (mainly throat sounds like "k" or "g"), and she is working on saying the ending of words (like the "t" in cat, or the "f" in woof).



As for other more general things, Karis is a pretty good sleeper.  She typically naps for 1-2 hours in the afternoon, and she enjoys listening to me read a story before naptime and bedtime (usually she will fall asleep while I read for the naptime reading session).  At night she will sleep from 8 pm until around 6:30 or 7 am, but randomly (maybe once or twice a month) she will wake up multiple times at night crying because she wants water.  On those occasions, she will take one long drink and then go right back to sleep without any fuss.  Now that she's in the big girl (toddler) bed, she does sometimes fall out of the bed, but she either just crawls back in herself or unconsciously sleeps on the floor until the morning (we often have no idea when or how she fell out when we find her on the floor).  Also, on a side note, all of our kids are currently sharing the same bedroom (Enoch sleeps in a loft bed over Karis' toddler bed.) and it actually has gone better than I expected at first.  After I read to the kids at night, they stay awake and sing songs or the girls answer Enoch's silly questions (like "Are you my silly goose?"  "Are you my sweet pea?"  "Are you my monster truck?").  Eventually they all get quiet and drift off to sleep, and I personally think it has made them better friends overall.

snuggling after nap time.  Sometimes if she wakes up early from nap I can go lay down in my bed with her and we can both get a 20-30 minute snooze.

When it comes to food, Karis is still a big eater.  There are very few foods that she doesn't like (broccoli, spicy food), and she always asks for a second helping.  Our fairly routine meals include: oatmeal with berries for breakfast, lunchmeat and cheese on a tortilla wrap served with carrots or celery or a bell pepper for lunch, and then a dinner with a balance of meat, veggies, and carbs.  And just like clock work, every morning between 9:30-10:00 she fervently reminds me that it is time for snack (her favorite of which is a banana).  She loves soups and casseroles best because they're so easy to scoop with her spoon (which she now does independently!!).  We do watch very closely while Karis feeds herself though because she sometimes stuffs too much in her mouth which sometimes results in choking.  Karis is also now learning how to drink from a cup with no lid, and she's getting much better with her fork.

This is a video of two of her most endearing traits right now - her laugh and her love of giving kisses.


Of course, it's not all roses with our 3.5 year old little girl.  Karis has definitely entered the testing phase.  For months after she learned how to clearly say the word "NO" she said it all the time.  Thankfully we've worked past that milestone, and now her boundary she is testing is quick obedience... meaning that she looks for your eye contact and concentration to be sure you mean what you say when you give her a command.  When she plays with other kids, Karis can sometimes be rough (by hitting or taking toys away), but it seems to be attention seeking more than anything, and she is always willing to be gentle after a reminder or two. Overall though, these little quirks are pretty similar to those we've walked through with Enoch, and we are so thankful for our little girl.

Karis loves to get in on the action whenever Enoch is working on a project.  Here she was carrying cups of water from the ditch over to a hole he was digging in order to make a pond.  She loves helping and getting his attention when she does a good job.  :)

My little selfie buddy who is always ready to say "cheese!"

Kissing her lamb (this toy walks and sings "Mary had a little lamb."  It used to scare Karis, but now she thinks it's cute and silly.)

She has really caught on quick to the potty training concept.  She typically potties on the toilet 1-3 times per day, though she isn't quite telling us when it's time to go to the bathroom independently yet.

pretending to sleep with Enoch

"talking" on the phone

Looking big!

Karis does well swinging in a big girl swing, but dismounting is still a tough task for her. 

This little monkey is bad about pushing a stool over to the counter where treats are cooling off and stealing one.  I think she had just taken a chocolate chip cookie here and then climbed off the stool to sit down and enjoy it.  

This was Karis' first time to walk like a big girl during an office visit (her eye check up).  She did great, and now she often walks when I need her to.

Karis had her blood drawn after her 3 year check up, and her blood work and thyroid looked good, praise the Lord!  Poor thing did not appreciate the process though.

On a fun ride at the pumpkin patch where a four-wheeler pulled a little train of barrels through a pine grove.  

And one last video.  I love how she helped the monkey climb the steps and then slide down.  :)

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FFF: Enoch's First Loose Tooth

It seems impossible to me that my firstborn should already be loosing his first tooth, and yet it happened just last week!  He began jiggling it on a Monday, and it was out by Wednesday morning.  He was so proud of himself for pulling it out on his own, and he remarked that "it didn't even hurt!"

 Jiggling it

Showing me how far it can move forward 

That small white speck he's holding is the tooth!  And that little gap in the bottom center of his smile is where it came from.   I was expecting this to happen closer to 6 years old, but after it began getting loose, I remembered that as a baby, Enoch got his first teeth in incredibly early (maybe 4 mos?).  So maybe that's part of the reason they started coming out early...  And in case anyone forgot, this is how cute he was at around that 4 month mark when those first few bottom teeth broke through his gums... 

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