5 Months!

Emmerson Grace is 5 months old today! 

Our baby girl is getting so big, so fast! This month she turned into a BIG baby. She seems so much older to me all of the sudden. We had her belated 4 month appointment last week. She was 14 pounds and 14 ounces and I can't remember how long she was… but the Dr. said she was 50th percentile in weight and 75th in height. 

 Emmerson has fallen into a nice little schedule this month. Her days are predictable and her nights are getting easier each week. She eats 5 ounce bottles about every 3 hours during the day and is now eating rice cereal 2 times a day too. I am just barely getting by on my milk supply and will most likely have to start supplementing soon. Totally different this time around than it was for Donovan but I am thankful for making it as long as I have. 

 Emme is pretty consistent about sleeping through the night. She has started doing this crazy thing where she pulls both legs up to her chest and then flings them out full force which shakes her crib so hard that you can hear it from all over the house. Sometimes she'll wake up in the middle of the night and do it for awhile, but then she puts herself back to sleep. Just look at those thunder thighs! We have a strong gal on our hands. 

 Emmerson continues to have THE sweetest demeanor. She is so content all the time. She loves to watch Donovan and is so entertained by everything he says and does. She has also taken a liking to our sweet Molly. She likes to reach out towards Molly as she walks by. 

 Emme is so close to rolling over. She rolls to both of her sides but hasn't made it all the way over to her tummy. But she HAS discovered her toes and she can't get enough of them. They are her favorite toy to play with. 

My precious Emmerson,
It's so hard to believe that 5 months have gone by since the first morning I held you in my arms. We fall more and more in love with you each and every day. I love our afternoon cuddles and rocking you to sleep each night. Your laugh is contagious! You are so, so special Emme. Not one day goes by that I don't humbly thank God for bringing you to our family. You are precious beyond words sweet girl.
We love you so very much.
xoxo, Mommy

MIssion: CRY IT OUT

If you were here, actually here in front of me, I would pour you a cup of coffee and make you listen to me go on and on about the sleeping issues we've been enduring this month. Lucky for you, you're not here to hear me vent. But I'm going to make you read about it anyways.

Over the last month, nights with this adorable little guy have been H-E- Double Hockey Sticks!

Here are the issues: He's waking up anywhere from 3-9 times a night! (Crazy for a boy that slept for 1o straight hours just a month or so ago.) When he wakes up he cries progressively louder and louder until I can soothe him back to sleep by either rocking or nursing. I have been getting more and more tired by the day.

At the beginning of this new funky sleep pattern I attributed it all to teething. I tried oragel, homeopathic teething tablets, teething toys, frozen washcloths... you name it. I was certain a pesky little tooth would cut through his gums at any given minute. 4 weeks later... no tooth! Now, I know he is teething but I got the best advice yesterday from my friend Kirsten whose little 6 month old Madeline is fighting the same sleep battle.

Kirsten went to the pediatrician for Madeline's 6 month appointment and the doctor basically said that this craziness is not a result of teething... it's that we have a manipulative little 6 month old on our hands. The doctor confirmed what everyone around me has been saying for weeks. LET HIM CRY IT OUT!

Confession: I have watched Super Nanny so many times and in my great wisdom from having absolutely no parenting experience yet, I would say out loud What is the deal with these moms... put your kid in their bed and let them cry it out already!

But O.M.G. It is a completely different story when it's your baby and your precious amount of sleep on the line.

So my friends I am proud to tell you that I have begun the cry it out mission. This mission is to put Donovan to sleep and keep him in his crib until the morning without taking him out to soothe. When he begins his crying (screaming, screeching, uncontrollable squealing, gasping for breaths and making choking sounds) tantrums I only go in to check on him every 15 minutes and it's simply to tell him that he's okay, hold his hand or rub his tummy and then walk back out of the room.

Night one was so horrendous that I actually called my mom at midnight, held up the phone to Donovan's nursery and sarcastically asked her,

so this is what you told me will work?

Night one was completely hopeless and I think he and I got roughly 4 hours of sleep. No bueno.

Night two, Kirsten and I pumped each other up and with nothing to lose, I gave it another go. This time, he still cried and screamed like he did on night one but I only had to go in to check on him one time. Every other time he woke up to cry he put himself back to sleep within the 15 minutes! Hooray for small glimpses of light at the end of the tunnel!

Night three, Donovan woke up only 3 times to cry and each time he stopped before the 15 minutes was up!

And that's where we're at for now. Progress but still not sleeping through the night. I'm hoping that this goal isn't far from where we stand now. Progress update to follow soon.

Woo hoo!

Yeah it's the weekend!

1. Dustin is currently in the air flying home to us as I type. Yeah! It's been a long week without him.

2. Tonight my Mom's coming to watch Donovan because it's ladies night. We're going out to dinner to celebrate my sweet friend Kim who is the last of our little bunch to say "I do." 5 moms + 1 bachelorette. Much needed time to laugh and let loose.

3. I have completed my mom cave! I'll post pictures next week.

4. I may or may not be on the path to a better night's sleep. More on that next week, too.

Until then, enjoy your weekend. Hopefully it's a whole lot more exciting than my little guy's reaction to eating bananas for the first time. ;)

Sacramento Summers

Here's what we've been up to:

to be continued...

What I'm Loving Today

Time to link up with Jamie for a very overdue What I'm Loving Wednesday post...

I am loving all of this time on the beach lately

Virtual clothes shopping... I am loving this top from Modcloth

These jeans from Gap

And these heels from Urban Outfitters.

They're currently building an UO right across from Anthro and an H&M here in Carlsbad. I'm in trouble!

I am loving that we introduced rice cereal to Donovan.

He would say that it's what he's loving this week and I think it might be buying me a few extra hours of sleep. Thank you Lord!

My friend Hollie, (who's a Momma now! Ella was born on July 5th and I get to go cuddle her today!!!) brought me some of these a few weeks ago. They're a perfect summer treat. Cold, refreshing, and only 100 calories. Try them, I think you'll love them.

I love this movie! It's an oldie but goodie. Have you seen it? You need to watch it again. I have seen it too many times to count. I could watch it just for the interior design inspiration and the French music. Why can't I own a summer home in the Hampton's?

I am loving Emily Giffin's books. I read this one in 2 days, which says a lot when you're the mom of a 5 month old. Now I'm almost finished with her next one, Something Blue, and my sister-in-law just supplied me with the 3rd book. Can't wait. It's ideal for summer reading. Quick and fun.

And as always, I'm loving my boys!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

More beach

More smiles

More snuggles with Great Oma

More rocking time with Mom

More cool breezes

More laughs with Oma

More bottle attempts... with a view

More naps in the baby tent

More summer fun!

Happy Fourth of July!

A bit late, but I hope you had a wonderful day celebrating all the same. We had a perfectly relaxing weekend.

Our friend John came down from LA to spend the weekend with us. We spent a lot of time eating way too much food and being lazy around the house. We posted up in the front yard and listened to music while trying to stay cool in the warm July weather.

Our big 5 month old had a great time socializing with all of the neighborhood baby friends.

We spent the holiday with all of our neighbors at a little block party down the street. It felt like being a kid again, grilling yummy food, playing catch out in the street until dark, and even snacking on homemade sno-cones. The night ended with a bath and tuck in for D and then Dustin and I hiked up our giant hill and enjoyed about 5 sets of simultaneous fire work shows.

The week ahead = more trips to the beach, celebrating 4 years of marriage, and lots of reading and relaxing while trying to stay cool. I love summer!

5 Months

It's official friends, our little peanut turned 5 months old yesterday. And like I say every single month, I can't believe he's already this big!!! The last month has definitely been our favorite so far. ( I wonder if I'll say that every month, too.) I overheard Dustin on the phone the other night talking to his brother. He was reflecting on what it's like to be a Dad so far. I heard him say, "I'm not going to lie, the first few months were pretty hard, but now... it's AWESOME!" He went on to talk about how in the beginning he would almost dread coming home from work to hear the screaming and then be up throughout the night with a baby that was so hard to please but now Donovan laughs and smiles all the time. It's true. Thinking back to the beginning I wonder how we made it through as easily as we did. Things are so much easier now and Donovan is sooooo much fun!

The mini-milestones are all starting to blur together. But this month we've definitely seen some major changes. The little guy is obsessed with his jumparoo. Thank you Auntie Ali for that one! Who knew how much the boy would adore it. He can be in it for almost an hour completely entertained. He loves to jump and manipulate all of the little toys that sit on top of it. He's not so content to just lay on a blanket anymore. He almost always wants to be in the standing position. I'm looking forward to him being able to sit up on his own soon. He's starting to sit up and can support himself with his hands out in front of him, but it's usually followed by a face plant and a disappointed little cry.

Donovan loves all of his toys. He's chewing on teething toys and likes to hold onto his Sophie the giraffe. He's always looking for Molly and squeals in delight when she comes into the room or when she's in close enough reach to grab onto her fur or ears. Thank goodness for a sweet pup that doesn't seem to mind. Donovan has different laughs and expressions for his Mommy and Daddy. I love to make him giggle by tickling his thighs or giving him kisses on his chin, while his Daddy makes him crack up with funny faces and voices.

Donovan's sleeping schedule was completely askew this month, but he's settled into more of a routine again. His most recent schedule is down by 8. Up at 12 or 1 just to have us give him his paci and then he goes right back to sleep. He feeds at 3:30 or 4 and then goes back to sleep until about 7. Even though he's getting up more in the night he's become much more consistent in his day time naps, taking 2 nice, long naps in the day. I usually join him for one of them. ;)

When we hold Donovan now, he can sit comfortably on our hips, which seems like such a big boy thing to do in my eyes. He has discovered his tongue and he loves sticking it out and making noises or singing to himself with his tongue hanging out. He squeals A LOT! Sometimes it's in delight and other times it's not... like nails on a chalkboard! All in all he has been such a sweetie this month. We love watching his subtle changes and seeing him grow right before our eyes.

Is it just me, or does he get cuter with each passing month?