Breakfast with Santa

On Saturday the 17th we went to the Banbury golf course club house to have breakfast with Santa.  Brooklyn couldn't wait to give him the list that she had "written".  We ate some yummy pancakes, sausage and eggs and then went to meet Santa.  Brooklyn just went right up to him and started telling him what she wanted for Christmas and then hopped right onto his lap.  McKay was totally fine hanging out with the big man for a while.  We got some good pictures and had fun hanging with Brian and his family.  After we left Brooklyn just kept asking when Santa was going to come to bring her the gifts she asked for.  Luckily we did get most of the things she put on her list, although her list does continue to change and get added to.  To say that Brooklyn is excited for Christmas would be the understatement of the year, but it is so fun to watch her excitement.

4 Months Old

December 15, 2016
Weight: 12 lbs 10 oz (3rd percentile)
Height: 24.5 inches (16th percentile)
Head: 40 cm (6th percentile)
Size 1 diapers
Size 3 and 3-6 month clothing

Well our little man is just that, little, but he is still growing as he should be so the doctor was happy with where he is at.  His 4 month check-up went well.  He is a healthy and happy baby.  His spit up is still on the lower end which is good, all of his body parts are looking good, and he screamed like a banchy when the nurse gave him his shots.  His head is a little flat, but unlike Brooklyn it is just completely flat on the back not just off to one side.  The doctor said they would keep an eye on it and send us on to a Neurologist if he felt like he might need a helmet.  Keeping our fingers crossed he doesn't.  He continues to sleep pretty well.  At "night" I wake up to feed him once, usually between 5:00 and 6:00 am and then he will go back to sleep for a few hours.  His naps are still hit or miss.  When he was going through a growth spurt he was napping really well.  He would have two short naps and then two longer ones, but now that the growth spurt is over he is back to mostly 45 minute naps, 4 times a day.  Regardless of how much he naps he is still a happy baby.  He will get a little fussy in the evening around 8:00 until it is time to feed him around 8:45/9:00, but nothing a binky can't fix.  He loves to smile at everyone, but his biggest smiles are definitely saved for his Daddy.  He just lights up when Craig smiles at him.  He likes to giggle, but doesn't have the big laughing fits like Brooklyn used to.  I must have been funnier back when Brooklyn was a baby.

A new development this month is that he completely refuses to nurse.  At the end of last month he was starting to not like it so much, but soon after he turned 3 months old he decided it just wasn't for him anymore. So after a very frustrating week of trying to get him to nurse but then ending up having to pump because he refused, I now just exclusively pump and bottle feed him.  I'm not going to lie, it is not fun.  If formula wasn't so dang expensive I would just switch him over, but I really can't bring myself to spend $40 + a week on formula when I can still produce it for free.  So I will continue to pump for as long as I can keep my sanity and we have no idea when that will be.  Luckily I have some milk stashed in the freezer that can get us by for at least a few weeks, but I know I will give in at some point, which Craig keeps reminding me is just fine.  Luckily he takes the bottle really well and has even started to try to hold it himself this last week or so.  Hopefully he will figure out how to do it all by himself and that will definitely make my life a little easier.  This last week he has also started rolling on to his sides.  he still hasn't figured out how to get his bottom arm out of his way, but he will get there eventually.  He loves to grab at toys.  The poor kid, most of his little toys are pink and purple, because they were Brooklyn's, but luckily he doesn't know the difference and we did get him some more "boyish" toys for Christmas.  This kid is definitely more of a binky kid then Brooklyn.  He likes to be sucking on something, when he doesn't have his binky in he will suck on his hand or fingers and recently has started to find his thumb every once in a while.  I really hope that he becomes a thumb sucker, I know there are mixed feelings about thumb sucking, but his thumb is attached to him and he can always find it, unlike his binky that falls out all of the time.  I know I might regret this in a few years, but it would sure be nice right now.  He started sitting in the Bumbo a few weeks ago, so hopefully that will help with the flat head situation.

Brooklyn continues to be a great big sister.  She loves to help entertain him.  She is also very good at getting diapers for me and throwing the used ones away and also wiping up his spit up.  She is so good to share toys with him, she does always ask though before she gives him a toy if it can be easily washed off.  She is too cute.  I sure love my kiddos and I am so blessed that I get to stay home with them everyday and watch them grown and develop.  I can't believe they are mine!!

He loves holding his hands

Clara's Tea Party and the Nutcracker

We were so excited to be able to go to Clara's Tea Party and the Nutcracker this year with Paige and her kids.  We were supposed to go with them last year, but Brooklyn got sick the day before.  At the College of Idaho in Caldwell they put on a super cute tea party for the kids and then do a few scenes from the Nutcracker for them.  We went to the tea party first.  The started by introducing each kid as they walked in on a red carpet.  So Brooklyn went through the door and they said "introducing Princess Brooklyn".  She thought she was the most special thing in the whole world.

After that we headed upstairs to get the kids face painted.  We then stopped at a few craft tables to make gingerbread people and Christmas cards.

The kids were then hungry so we went to the tea party.  They had cookies and cake, cheese and crackers, and punch to drink.  The kids all loved it and we all ate way too much sugar.  Then we headed off to dance class.  A few of the ballerinas taught the kids a dance to one of the nutcracker songs.  Brooklyn was in Heaven.  All she could talk about afterwards was when she could take ballet class.  She did a really good job following the instructions and doing what the ballerinas were doing.  It was so stinkin cute to watch.  After their little ballet class we headed into the auditorium to watch the Nutcracker.  The kids had so much fun and it is so much fun to be able to do things like with with cousins.  We will for sure be doing this again next year.

Christmas Prep

We have had the opportunity to do a lot of things already to get into the holiday spirit.  The weekend after Thanksgiving we put up the little Christmas tree in Brooklyn's room and made a chain to countdown the days until Christmas.  We didn't do much other decorating around the house since Stan is gone, he's the one that always put up all of the Christmas decorations.  We did put up the stockings and a smaller tree (not the 15 footer) upstairs.  The next week we went to the Botanical Gardens A Glow.  This year was not near as cold as last year.  We had a lot of fun looking at all of the lights and visiting Santa and frosting cookies with Mark and Paige's family.  McKay did great.  We just bundled him up and stuck him in the front pack.

The next weekend we then went over to Mark and Paige's for the annual Grinch night.  We ate a bunch of green food, the kids played some super cute games and decorated ice cream cone Christmas tree and then watched the cartoon version of the Grinch.

We also had a lot of fun making muddy buddies to give to family and friends.  Brooklyn loved licking the spoon and eating as many muddy buddies as she could before I stopped her.  Aunt Missy and Uncle Dallin also gave us a Gingerbread House kit and Brooklyn and I had a lot of fun putting those together and decorating them.  It definitely helped us get into the holiday spirit. And we of course had to make cookies for Santa.  We made sugar cookies and frosting and Brooklyn was in charge of the sprinkles.  She did a great job, we only ended up with 2 that were a little on the sprinkle overload side. I think Santa really enjoyed them!