Two Under Two: 4 Months and 20 Months

It's been far too long since I've written a monthly update from my kiddos, so I figured I would do that today! In fact I don't think I've ever written one for Arabella. :( I'll start with her first:

Arabella Therese

Sleeping and eating: From day one Arabella has been quite an easy baby. When it comes to sleeping, she is now sleeps through the night. There are still those nights that she'll wake up once for a feeding, but at this point she sleeps great. In the beginning she was waking up two or three times a night, but during her first week she slept through the night as well! So I don't know! 

My sweet babies always sleep alike!

She is four-months-old now and goes to sleep for the night between 7:30PM and 9PM. Her naps vary throughout the day but she typically takes a good two hour nap with her brother (Thank you God for this!). 

As for eating, she's exclusively breastfed. Around month two I was getting ready to give up on breastfeeding, and she did have a few bottles of formula at that time. It was to the point where she was puking 4 to 5 times per day, and it was extremely frustrating. However, once I figured out that it was the cheese I was eating that was hurting her tummy, things got easier. Also, it was pretty difficult to get a good burp out of her. But that got easier as well. Now that she's four-months-old, I can pretty much eat whatever I want without her tummy getting upset. It's amazing to me that the milk my body produces feeds my daughter. She was 7 lbs. 4 oz. when she was born and now she's almost 14 pounds! 

Likes and dislikes: Arabella is such a smiley baby. She loves to interact with people, and likes to laugh and talk all of the time (I think she gets that from her Daddy ;). Her favorite things are swinging in the baby swing, sitting in her bouncy chair and kicking her feet, and talking to her daddy. She loves to be held, and seems to really like when Gavin talks to her. She also likes when we eat her toes, tickle her belly with our noses, and lay our heads on her belly. Unlike her brother, Arabella does not travel too well. Unless she is sleeping, she does not like to be awake in her car seat. But she does love the Ergo carrier and we've been using that a lot lately. She also just started sitting in the Jumperoo, but I think she's just a tad too small. No teeth yet, but baby girl loves to chew on fingers. :)

Milestones: 

October 5, 2013 -- Rolled over! And I missed it! I'm with her 24/7 and of course the first time she rolls over I was in the shower. But Keith got to see it and I'm so happy that he did. He didn't take a picture after, but I took one of them during a nap that same day. 

September 4, 2013 -- First time sick. My poor poor girl was sick only two months in. Gavin picked up a nasty viral infection and ended up giving it to Bella. I'm just so thankful that I was able to breastfeed her because she wasn't sick for long.

October 2, 2013 -- First official laugh. My girl has the best laugh!

Gavin Josiah 

Sleeping and eating: Our big boy is now twenty-months-old, and is a bit of a crazy toddler. When it comes to sleeping, Gavin takes a two hour nap in the middle of the day, usually between 12 PM and 3 PM. To go to sleep for the night he is usually in bed no later than 8:30PM. Although, we do have crazy days where he is up way past his bedtime and tries to skip his nap altogether.

He is eating mostly everything, and his favorite foods are strawberries, grapes, cheese, almonds, and potatoes. He's not a big meat eater, but he does like a good ham sandwich. Some of his other favorites include Greek yogurt, raisins, popcorn, hummus, fruit snacks, and cucumbers. He is able to eat with a spoon and fork and I am so proud of him. He also drinks lots of water and a little juice each day. Gavin dislikes whole milk (cold, warm, or mixed with formula, with chocolate syrup...he just doesn't like it!), and has been drinking formula to get nutrients. At this point I'm not sure what to do.

Likes and dislikes: Gav is quite the handful! (Hello, toddler life!) He loves to dance, watch Sophia the First, play with chase our cats (Torre and Abigail), and "read" his books. More than anything, he loves vacuum cleaners, brooms, pots and pans, and utensils. He will seriously choose the vacuum cleaner over any other toy to play with. Gav also loves to play outside, and since moving to North Carolina he loves to play on the balcony at our apartment. Music is also something that he enjoys, and some of his favorite songs are "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore, "Blue Ribbon Bunny" from Sofia, anything by Justin Timberlake, and Choo Choo Soul. Being the mischievous boy that he is, he is constantly getting into things and testing his limits and my patience. ;) He is a great big brother and so far, has been super sweet to Arabella, or "bay" as he likes to call her. He also likes to play with my hair, and usually falls asleep doing so. :)

Overall, life is more chaotic than I could have ever imagined, but also way sweeter than I could have ever dreamed. And I am just really thankful for these two. :)

Playing Catch Up

It's been two months since I've last written and so much has changed. For starters, I am happy to report that things are much better since my last post, where it seemed like my family and I were under attack. Here's what we've been up to:

* We moved again! For the fourth time in three years, my family and I have relocated. We are now living in North Carolina, in the lovely town of Mooresville (just 30 minutes north of Charlotte). This move was very sudden, but it is a great one for my family. Keith works mostly in NC, and now we will be seeing a lot more of him. :) So far we are loving Mooresville and cannot wait to start this new chapter with our kiddos.

* I started graduate school in August! I am currently taking my second class and enjoying the material. I'm in the online criminal justice graduate program at the University of Cincinnati, and currently contemplating transferring to a different school to enroll in an MBA program with an emphasis on criminal justice. Regardless, I am happy with this decision to further my education. :)

* Arabella is now four-months-old and Gavin is now 20-months-old! These two sweet (and sometimes crazy) kiddos keep me very busy, but I absolutely adore it. Being a mom is my greatest joy and I love that I get to spend my days at home with them. 

* We are selling our house in Charleston, South Carolina! Obviously we've moved to North Carolina, and we have decided to sell! The last time we moved we rented our house, but that experience was awful. So we're going to try and sell our house. This is such a huge decision for us. My husband bought this house back in 2008 when he was only 23-years-old. It was his first major purchase and means a lot to him. The fact that he is willing to sell this house means the world to me. Once it is listed, I'll post information for anyone who is looking to buy in the Charleston area.

*Halloween came and went, and while we don't really celebrate it I couldn't pass up the opportunity to dress up my kiddos. My little Eric and Ariel. :) 

That's all I've got for today. I'm off to unpack our new home and to spend time with my babies! I'm really hoping to write more. I feel like writing helps to not only document this beautiful life, but to also give me a second to reflect on everything, and have some "me time", too. :) 

I hope you guys have a lovely Monday!

(Halloween pictures were taken by the same lovely photographer who took my maternity and Arabella's birth and newborn pics. Tamara at Bump Meet Baby Studio. :)