BROOKS GRANT | ONE YEAR

this guy, ha!

he really is the sweet boy, just did not enjoy taking 12 month pictures.

weight: 25 lbs (75th%)

height: 32 lbs (73rd%)

dr. appt: All looked well. I was slightly hoping for another infection since he's been sleeping... terribly. but nope, ears were great! 

eat: He is a great table food eater, doesn't dislike much at all.

He was exclusively drinking breast milk until this birthday-whether nursing or pumped into a bottle. Last week I stopped pumping and pulled our last bag of frozen milk, so I was on a mission to introduce milk to him. lets just say. he's not a fan. We've tried whole milk, formula, almond milk, bottle, sippy cup, etc. He is refusing and closes his mouth. So, he's been back to nursing 2+ times  a night right now which is exhausting, but we're trying to power through. Unfortunately, theres not much Cody can do to soothe him in the middle of the night. 

sleep: He really is a great sleeper, up until the last few days. He usually goes down about 8pm-8am. And takes 2 naps throughout the day.

whats new:

-still cruising alongside furniture like a champ but no steps yet.

-says "dada", "hi", "bye bye", "mama", and something similiar to "thank you" when he give him food.

-waves at people

he loves: making a mess, making noise, playing with Evynn, splashing in the bath

he dislikes: getting in the carseat, laying down to be changed or dressed... like really dislikes it!

Somebunny Turned ONE!

We celebrated our Brooks man turning 1! I Had planned a "peter rabbit" party months ago when deciding on the theme-I figured spring and boyish but also reserving mud/trucks/sports for a birthday where he would be more active ;)

Of course, weather didn't quite cooperate for us. it was a windy 40-50ish degrees outside, making playing outside not the best. Evynn didn't care though and spent a ton of time on the bounce house we borrowed from friends.

For food we had chicken salad sandwiches, rolls/jam, spinach dip and chips, chocolate covered strawberries, cookies, veggies and cupcakes. Drinks-lemonade and tea from Chic-fil-a. Most decor was spring/Easter decor that I either had or picked up recently. I did buy the picture of the rabbit off etsy and framed it. 

  

 I had plans to make the chocolate covered strawberries but after a bakery said they could make them, I was happy to have one less thing on my list! 

I got white cupcakes from market street, then the morning of the party I added these "bunny ears". I cut big marshmallows diagonally in half, and then pressed the sticky side onto a plate of light blue sprinkles then pushed them into the icing! So easy and cute! I found the picket fence cups in the 75% Easter sale at Target!

how stinkin' cute are these cookies?! My sweet co-worker, Caroline, happens to be wildly talented and makes cookies in her "spare time", so naturally i had to have some made for the party!! 

 I should add that by now he is saying "mama" and "thank you", ha!!

I found this pottery barn basket cover on sale around Easter. For party favors I filled icing bags with Annie's Cheddar Bunnies and tied with green ribbon to look like a carrot!

sweet guy, I bought this outfit a long time ago anticipating a warm April day but what did I know?!

I also anticipated a light blue cake, but we instead received a BRIGHT blue cake. Oh well, it sure made it fun! We're still seeing blue come out of every part of Brooks, ha!! We braved the cold long enough to keep the smash cake mess outside, and crowded our guests into the corner of our porch, ha!

Happy Birthday, Brooks!!

BROOKS GRANT | ELEVEN MONTHS

We are one month away from having a one year old, and I can't believe it!! Which in my world means-full fledge party planning. I love celebrating this babies (and celebrating that we made it through the first year, ha!)

weighs roughly 21 lbs. wears size 4 diapers and 12 mo clothes. still rocks 3-6 mo shoes, ha!!

eat
this kid is a great eater! he eats whatever we do at the table, with the exception of nuts, dairy, etc which we haven't tried yet. he loves eating and often signs "more", or just hits the table and loudly exclaims hah!

he is still exclusveily breastfed as far as milk goes. my goal is 1 year and I'm hoping we can make it for 3 more weeks (I think we can!). I'm pumping for when I am at work and trying to keep up bottles in the fridge. We still have a few frozen bags to lean on in case. He nurses 3-4x a day when we're together. I'll be done pumping/supplying bottles at 1 year, but I'm not sure when I'll be done nursing for good.

sleep Brooks is our great sleeper!! He takes 2 naps a day-about 1.5-2 hours each. Then around 8pm at night he is done. After bath, jammies, and a nursing session he is ready to be laid down. he may fuss for a few minutes in his crib, but then goes asleep and usually sleeps until 7am!

development He is still cruising furniture but not interested in standing on his own or taking steps. He does pay attention to actions more than I think; he holds a hairbrush to his head and pretends to brush his hair. He even held up Evynn's bow to his head one day, ha! He goes backwards to go down steps. He says "dada" and "hi" but thats about it for now.


he loves wrestling with sister, eating, playing in the dirt, swinging outside, splashing in the bath

he dislikes getting dressed, getting in the carseat, being too tired or hungry

BROOKS GRANT | TEN MONTHS

we're in the double digit months! what?!

which means you know I'm planning his birthday party already :)

whats new

this kid and his ears! ahh!!! he had 1 ear infection when he was 4 months old, and Dr. S worried that having an infection so early usually means he is prone to several more... boy, was he right!! We had another (1 sided) infection on Dec. 21st and did a round of amoxicillin. That started a straight up month of not sleeping through the night and we were all on edge. Then, Jan 23rd we went in for his well check and sure enough, he had a double ear infection. I was relieved we had a culprit for the no sleep but also so defeated. We then started a round of augmentin. Sure enough, the next day he slept through the night and got back to the super sweet, smiley boy he is. All praise for antibiotics! BUT, on day 10 of the augmentin he was grabbing at his ears again and waking 3+ times a night... again. You. have. got. to. be. kidding. me. 

So on Feb. 6th, I took him in, again, in the middle of flu season and hoping I wasn't going to look like a fool. Dr. S is so patient with me though! And... right sided ear infection it is. Sigh, he got a shot of rocephin and prescribed a different oral antibiotic. Hoping this works!! It has been quite the month or 2 of fussiness and sleep few and far between. 

sleep

taking the above into consideration, we've had our rough days. but when he is well, he sleeps 8pm-6am then back down until 8am on most days. Then 2 naps (10-12 and 2-4).  We usually just put him in his bed around that time and he puts himself down.

eat

he is still breastfeeding 3-4 times a day (or 3-4 breastmilk bottles) then eating table food with us at meal times. Theres not many things he won't eat, but we are steering clear from dairy for the most part. He loves oatmeal, steamed broccoli, and eggs!

I am in a constant worry of if we'll make it to the 1 year goal of breastfeeding! I cried the other day, thinking I would have to wean him sooner than later. In a combo of him biting me (yikes!!), my supply going down, and me going out of town, I was stressing. But, I glanced in our freezer and still have quite a few frozen bags. I think we will make it, even if we end up supplementing some this month or next. As ready as i am to have my body back for the first time in 3 1/2 years.. I don't want to rush this nursing season to be over.

development

-he loves to stand up onto things all.the.time but not taking steps yet

-waves.. kinda ;) and moves his lips when we say "bye bye".. so maybe he'll be saying it soon?

-sometimes does baby sign language for "more".. but perfers to stiffen his arms and screech 

-LOVES splashing in the bath. 

EVYNN CLAIRE | TWO AND A HALF YEARS

Evynn is at such a fun age, also very much a moody toddler, so I want to remember this specific stage! With her entire being she LOVES fruit snacks, her baby dolls and singing songs.

She could dress up in princess dresses, wash dishes in the sink, and breastfeed her baby dolls everyday.

Over the last 6 months, her vocabulary has picked up SO much!! She is speaking in full sentences. We've moved her to a big girl bed, and she's working on potty training. 

big girl bed

This kind of happened by accident. We bought an inflatable mattress to prepare for holiday traveling and knew we should test it out with her before traveling. She LOVED it and from that moment on, napped and slept through the night on it. I felt bad after a week of her sleeping on an air mattress, ha!, so we went on a bought the cutest twin size low to the ground cream wrought iron bed. She picked out her sheets-hearts and ice cream cones. We haven't fully decided on the "theme" of her big girl room, so I haven't bought a new comforter yet, just stick with a blanket. Which, she hardly uses anyways. Guess thats what happens when I didn't allow a blanket in her crib for 2 years, ha! She has a hard time staying in bed at naptime more-so, she needs some convincing to stay in her crib. At night she does better. But so far, no middle of the night walks around the house so thats a win! We just hear her door open at 7:30/8 am and here she comes.

potty training

This process is dragggggging out. A few months ago (i don't even remember when?) she showed alot of interested in going potty. We bought panties and celebrated BIG the first time she peed in the potty. She has a portable potty and a toddler seat on her bathroom toilet. She for the most part has worn panties while at home and has stayed dry. She tells us when she needs to go potty, pulls them down herself, pees, wipes, flushes, the whole bit. We've even left the house a few times in panties and stayed dry. Every time, without fail, she pees and asks "I want a black treat" (brown m&m). Haha! Why she doesn't want a red, blue, yellow, orange M&M is beyond me?! HOWEVER, she refuses to poop in the potty so she either 1) makes a huge accident or 2) stops herself up and waits for a diaper (insert eyeroll). I've bribed her with everything and she knows the conditions "black poo poo, chocolate milk". I'm hoping something will click soon and she will want to go?! maybe?! any advice?!

chatterbox

This girl talks all.the.time. Over the holidays her vocabulary increased by a TON and its amazing to have a conversation with her!

-her favorite saying is "my turn" meaning she wants to do it and doesn't want anyones help!

-second place phrases are a tie: "uh oh what happened?" and "no brother, thats mine!".

-she is conscience of her surroundings and will ask "mommy, wheres daddy?" and vise versa
-she is putting things together in that little head of hers. "I take a bite, mommy take a bite, we share"

new tricks:

- loves singing "twinkle twinkle little star", "Jesus loves me", "wheels on the bus"

-at Christmas when we had the nativity set out, she set her animals in a line, picked up a bible and read (in gibberish) scripture to them, hahaha!!

-She can count to ten, and points to items to a 1-1 association, BUT if you ask her "how many cups are there?", she first answers "four five six", so we have to prompt her to start from number 1!

-she recently started playing hide and seek and i love it! she hides her face, says "four five six, i'm coming!" and chases you

-if we tickle brother or play with hi, she says "my turn" and wants the same attention

-she loves taking pictures of her toys/things. Usually with her pretend camera facing the wrong way.

-She loves target and often pushes her cart saying thats where she's going "for fruit snacks"

-she loves playing doctor and checking on anyone and everyone

-also loves makeup and purses, princess dresses, and being a mama to her babies

-she loves jumping on her bed singing "no more monkeys jumping on the bed"

the tough parts:

-she is at a stage that fights eating SO much! Every meal is a constant battle of "sit down", "eat one more bite", etc.

-she is SUCH a creature of habit. One day I let her have a popsicle after nap time, now every day after nap time, she expects a popsicle. she does this with EVERYTHING.

-she constantly wants to take all her clothes and socks/shoes off. At home she rarely wears a full outfit. And when we're in the car, within 30 seconds, her socks AND shoes are off.

-she still hates the car and being overly tired

-she is your typical stubborn, defiant toddler. Give us grace.

we love:

-she gives the SWEETEST, TIGHTEST, and LONGEST hugs and kisses. 

-if he helped you make, buy, organize anything, she will point at and tell everyone "I made that!!!" with the biggest grin on her face

-she loved Christmas this year and it was so fun to see. We're still talking about "Wesus Birthday"

-her new bob haircut! The stringy mullet had to go, so we took her to her first salon day for a hair cut and get her nails painted!

Everyone that knows her, knows her BIG personality and says she'll go far with that someday! I can't to see her be a leader hopefully with her leadership qualities :)

BROOKS GRANT | NINE MONTHS

nine months in, nine months out.

weight 20 lbs 4 oz (50th%)

height 28.5" (75th%)
we went in for our 9 month well check, which was kind of crazy on my part to try to do that in the midst of a wild flu season but Brooks hasn't slept through the night in a month and we needed to catch up on vaccines. I'm glad we did go, because during the routine exam, we found (the 3rd) double ear infection, yikes. Explains the waking 2-3 times a day and general grumpiness. He also has busted all 4 top teeth recently so I was blaming that, but i'm glad we have more of a diagnosis. So, back on antibiotics we go!

food 
when he reached 8 months old he finally started eating!!! he pretty much eats our table food. he doesn't like baby food or pouches, so he eats what we eat! No yogurt or milk yet, but we may have to give him some yogurt after all these antibiotics! He loves steamed broccoli, crackers, and fruit. He has iffy feelings about avocado and bananas which is funny to me.

breastfeeding
as far as milk goes, he is still exclusively breastfed. nine months is such a big goal so I'm glad I've made it, even though I hope to make it to a year!! He still nurses every few hours, either right before or right after a meal and before a nap/bed time. I leave 4 or 5-5oz bottles when I'm at work. Somedays we have a surplus of pumped bottles in the fridge and other days we're pulling a frozen bag or 2 out of the freezer but I'm hoping we can make it 3 more months!

sleep
teething and ear infection x2 have really troubled us in the sleep department! We put him in his crib awake but know that he is tired/clean/fed and he may cry a few minutes before going down. He takes 2 naps a day usually, at 10am and 2pm. Bedtime is at 7:30/8pm. We do bath/jammies (which he still screams about), then I nurse him. He sometimes falls asleep nursing and I carry him to his crib but mostly he is up and fighting the urge to doze off.

play/development
he crawls so well and so fast!
pulling up on EVERYTHING and maybeeee thinking about cruising along the couch?!
currently getting wrestled by sister several times a day
hasn't said a word yet but more babbly than before.
he loves boy stuff-trucks, loud noises, messes, etc. we can tell he is a boy-his plan is always destruction, ha!!
loves patty cake and peek-a-boo
LOVES splashing in the bath and crawling around sister

loves: pulling up-perferably on the brick fireplace or the bathtub (insert stressed out mom), finding crumbs off the floor (usually the scraps he threw down from the previous meal)

dislikes: putting on pjs after his bath-every.single.night., getting strapped in his car seat, having things taken away from him

Christmas

Christmas 2017 was so great! Especially in-comparison to Christmas 2016 when a stomach virus hit the entire McMurray family and all 7 adults and 3 babies were sick.... thanks to Evynn for bringing that bug! Not going to lie, I was still paranoid and during the holidays if E was wandering off by herself I was so worried she was up to something!

Since I haven't blogged in forever (which I am wanting to do more of this year. I love looking back at memories. In fact, this blog is the only way I would ever be able to fill out the kids baby books months at a time, ha!) I'll catch up with the whole Christmas season.

I had never had a real tree before but we figured why not?! So we heard about Double Shovel Christmas Tree farm in Post. About a 30 minute drive. It was precious and a lot of fun. They have candy canes planted throughout with a bucket, assigned number and a stamp. Ev had a card to fill out with the stamps from all of the candy canes, she loved looking for them and running to go get them all. They also had popcorn, hot chocolate, treats and more. We ended up totally cheating and buying a real tree, but one that was imported from up north. Definitely shed some pine needles through our house but overall I loved it!

In between Christmas parties and all kinds of activities, I had also signed us up for a small santa setting at the Science Spectrum. It wasn't quite applicable for Evynn's age but still had fun. We're not big santa people but I did tell Evynn "he's going to ask you what you want for Christmas, so what do you want?" and her reply: "fruit snacks". She held to that and asked every santa from then on out for fruit snacks.

We baked cookies at home and ate wayyyy too many sprinkles.

We decorated, see the real tree? I wanted a 3rd pom garland for the tree but couldn't find one all season so, simple is best, right!?

Our Christmas morning:

We celebrated on December 21st. We woke up, turned on the lights and then started getting the babies up. I've learned to not set expectations for these moments because they will most likely get broken down. Ev was alittle shy, as she is in most "new" situations. Brooks loved climbing on the boxes. We kept it simple, they got stocking stuffers and 1-2 gifts each.

I was pretty excited about this gift I got for Cody-since we have a plan to go to a different state every year/anniversary, I thought it would be fun to have a map for all of it! I'd thought about making one myself but I am so glad I bought one that looks much crisper than I could! I love remembering the trips we've made but we have plenty more adventures ahead together!

Right after gifts we made cinnamon raisin french toast, ate, loaded up the car and headed out to Codys family! We first stopped at his grandparents and enjoyed the afternoon with extended family then to Codys parents that night. The next morning was "Christmas morning"

Like I mentioned above, no one was vomiting this year (praise the LORD!!). We had fun opening gifts with the kids and the big kids (us ;)) 

For days we took lots of pictures, baked cookies, played with cousins, the adults played exploding kittens and heads up a hundred times and we hardly changed out of pj's. It was great except trying to get a toddler to sleep in a new setting.

On Christmas Eve morning we loaded up again and went to my parents! We went to their house, got dressed then immediately went to Christmas eve service at my home church, which is always nice. Since we're in ministry, we're hardly ever able to go anywhere on a Sunday! I got to see my best friend Claire at church, and they had a live nativity scene so Evynn enjoyed that!

The next morning really was, Christmas morning. Brooks, my mom, and I were up first so he got to preview his new whip ;) but everyone else wasn't far behind! Evynn personally loved brothers car, her new (pretend) makeup kit, her dollhouse, and her caterpillar pillow which she calls "lady bug". This visit we also baked cookies and took naps! 

When it was all done we were sooooo thankful for a wonderful holiday with family but ready to unpack our weeks worth of clothes and settle into our overly full playroom.