John David is 5 Months Old (better late than never)

     Life has been busy, busy, busy lately. So busy, that I haven't sat down to write John David's 5 month post yet. He's 5 1/2 months old now, but I figure better late than never. I love to look back on these monthly posts to see how much he's grown.

At 5 months old, John David. . .
- is sitting up! He started showing off his new trick on his 5 month birthday.
- drools a lot and puts everything in his mouth. There is major teething going on right now. A bottom tooth is just beginning to pop through.
- has outgrown most of his 9 month clothes and is now wearing 12 month clothes.
- weighs about 17 pounds. He's still our big boy!
- is still not interested in rolling over. I think he will walk before he decides that rolling over is worth his effort.
- has a tight grip. He grabs onto anything he can (especially our hair).
- likes to copy sounds. It's hilarious to watch him copy the way Adam laughs. The dinner table is a fun place at our house.
- has a favorite book. His favorite book is Little Blue Truck by far! He giggles, smiles, tries to grab the pages, and kicks his feet.
- went on his first family vacation (to Las Vegas to visit our friends). He did great on the plane ride!
- has spent a lot of time with Mommy at physical therapy sessions. I've been trying to get my knee back to 100%, so he has to come with me most of the time. The PTs carry him around or I play with him while I do the exercises.
- has the best smile EVER! He is a very happy baby and smiles at everyone he meets.
- loves his sister! He lights up when she talks to him.
- gets called "Little Man", "Bud", or "Buddy" more than his actual name. He is finally starting to recognize and respond to his name now!
- sucks his thumb constantly.
- doesn't like laying down anymore (unless he's sleepy). He much prefers sitting up in the Bumbo chair or trying to balance on his own.
- still sleeps soundly through the night.

Here are a few pictures from this month. I wish I had more to post, but my computer is broken right now so I only have the pictures that were on the camera card. Maybe I'll add a few more when we finally cough up the money to get it fixed. Hmm...

Celebrating 5 months while we were in Vegas

Meeting Luke Herbeck. I wonder if they will be good friends like SB and Owen.

Such a good baby! This is what he did on his first flight.

John David is 4 Months Old

     Where did the time go? Four months already? That's a third of a year! Too fast! Too fast! Our little man is doing so good. He is growing up strong and healthy and big. At his 4 month check-up with Dr. Ritch yesterday, he weighed 16 pounds 1 ounce which puts him in the 75th percentile for weight. The nurse measured his length as 24 3/4 inches (50th percentile), but I think she made a mistake or something. I KNOW he is longer than average. He is wearing 9 month clothes for goodness sake!
     As I looked through our pictures, I realized something. . . we didn't do anything worth writing about this month. There was A LOT of staying inside and playing in Sara Beth's room because it's too hot outside. Ooo fun! Oh well. Here are John David's milestones for this month.

At 4 months old, John David is:
- able to grasp toys and put them in his mouth.
- drooling constantly! I guess the teething process has begun, but if he is anything like his big sister, it will take many more months before his first tooth arrives. For now, we just have to change his clothes every half hour or keep a bib on him.
- loving looking at his reflection in a mirror.
- loud! He has found a new voice this month. The sweet little coos were replaced by what sounds like fussing. His face looks happy though. Strange...
- tired of laying down all the time. He much prefers to sit in his Bumbo seat and watch whatever is going on. He'll watch Sara Beth play for a long time.
- getting better on his tummy. His neck is getting stronger and he is able to lift his head much higher than before.
- trying to learn how to roll over (sort of). His cloth diaper makes it hard for him to practice, so he has been spending lots of time sans diaper lately. It's his favorite time of day!
- a morning person. He wakes up so happy every morning. He gives some big smiles!
-still sleeping through the night (about 12 hours). That has not been the case for the last 3 nights, but we're hoping it's a short phase.
- a pro at taking his pacifier out of his mouth. He takes it out, studies it carefully, and then attempts to put it back in. He's had a few successful attempts, but usually gets a little help from us.

Sweet sleeping boy

Mommy and John David practicing our surprised face

Everything looks different when you are sitting upright

A rare afternoon outdoors

Can you get more handsome than this? Ready for church.

This is his morning face.

Enjoying diaper-free time

Love him!

Summer Fun

Sara Beth and Tristen have been friends since birth. It's one of those forced friendships that actually worked out. I love seeing them hang out together! Here are pictures from our day at Riverview Park.

Aw! So sweet!

Love this one!

Come on, Tristen.

We weren't having quite as much fun as them. 

Now T is enjoying himself.

Look Mommy! I got water in my eyes and I didn't even cry!

Train-watching break

Cutie pie!

John David was happy to get some attention from Tristen's brother, Sawyer.

Sitting on the water jets is always fun.

John David is 3 Months Old

     What can I say about our big boy? For starters, he is BIG. . . weighing in at 15 1/2 pounds! He's really not that chubby (although SB loves to talk about how cute and chubby he is), but he looks like a 6 or 7 month old already. He is an amazingly good baby!!!! Seriously, he really is. During the day, he eats, plays for an hour and a half or so, then starts to get a little bit fussy. I put him down in his crib and he naps for a while. Repeat several times throughout the day. When it's bedtime, I change his diaper, dress him in pjs, lay him down in his crib, turn out the lights, and he sleeps for 12 hours. I'm not kidding! No rocking, singing, or shushing (is that a word?) required. I'm sure it can't last forever, but right now it rocks!

     John David is precious. I mean, seriously, I'm smitten with him! That smile. . . that squeal. . . his crazy mo-hawk hair. . . those chubby little feet. . . his sweet personality. . . the way he lights up around Sara Beth. . . I could go on and on. Happy 3 months, Little Man! 

At 3 months old, John David. . .

• sleeps all the way through the night every night! Sometimes I have to wake him up in the morning if we have plans. Other times, he wakes on his own, but even then he never cries. I just notice his legs kicking or hear faint grunting noises coming from his crib.
• is grabbing and holding on to his toys.
• looks at his hands like he has just discovered them.
• sucks his thumb (noisily).
• can "stand up" (not on his own of course).
• likes to squeal and coo like crazy! I wonder if SB will let him get a word in edgewise when he gets older.
• tolerates tummy time. Like his sister, he is not a big fan of it. Poor thing! His head is big and heavy. How can we expect him to hold it up longer than 30 seconds at a time?
• stayed in the church nursery for the first time last week. He did great! His teachers said he was an easy baby. I've let him stay in child care while I work out too. I'm a worry wart about it, but at least I can see him through the window while I work out.
• wears 6-9 months clothes. Yes, you read that right!

Snapshots from this month:

Sciport fun with Nana

Just one of Sara Beth's babies

Working on his grip

Tummy time

Loves to sleep and loves his thumb

These two are a perfect pair!

Sara Beth's Storybook Birthday Party

     Okay. I realize this post is about 2 1/2 months late, but at least I can use giving birth as an excuse, right?
Never-the-less, I had to document Sara Beth's 3rd birthday party. It was too cute and perfectly suited to her! So, here it is. . . Sara Beth's Storybook Party!
     Sara Beth loves books. She loves going to the library. She loves to pretend.  So, I had to seize this opportunity to throw a storybook birthday party for her! The decorations were easy: stacks of books, bunting banners from book pages, and a book page wreath (because I just couldn't throw away the leftover book pages). Both the food and the activities were based off of books that she loves. Everyone seemed to have a good time even though our house was a little bit cramped. Sara Beth received lots of new books to read and fun toys to play with. Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate our sweet little girl who is growing up way too fast!

I loved the invitation! I can't decide whether the library card or the little story was my favorite part.

A few of the kids' activities: Make a picnic lunch for Red Riding Hood's Grandma, Make Max's crown, play dough cupcakes and a tea party with Miss Spider

Some of the party food

The birthday girl and her family

Make a wish!

Nothing like riding your new scooter in your birthday dress.

Reading books with Nana and Nonni--- it was a storybook party after all!

John David is 2 Months Old

    

     Things are settling down a bit now that we have 2 months under our belt. We are back into a weekly routine (for the most part) and starting to get a little bit more sleep at night. John David is growing so fast that he hardly seems like a little baby any more. He eats like a champ and has the weight to prove it! All the newborn clothes have long been put away. Now, even the 3 months outfits are getting snug. I sure wish he would slow down a bit!

     John David has experienced a lot in his short little life. He's been berry picking at Blueberry Hill three times, gone to the movie theater twice, and even hung out at the bowling alley a couple of times. He's been in the pool several times and enjoyed the water at Splash Kingdom Water Park last week too. Basically, he just tags along everywhere we go. Ah. What a life!

     This month, he also got to meet his paternal great-grandparents and great-uncle for the first time. Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Tim came to visit from Texas and we spent lots of time together. John David is blessed to have such a great family. 

At 2 months old, John David . . . 

• weighs about 13 pounds. 
• has the craziest hair! Most of the time, it looks like we gave him a mo-hawk. He is already losing a lot of hair on the sides.
• is only waking up once during the night to eat and get a diaper change. He's even slept all the way through the night (10 hours) twice. I can't wait until he makes that a habit. The first night he did it, I woke up feeling better than I had since he was born.
• has the best smile EVER! I love that he responds to our voices now and lights up when he focuses on our faces. You can't help but laugh when he flashes his adorable smile at you. I dare anyone to try!
• loves his sister! She makes him happier than anyone else can. Sara Beth reads and sings to him while I'm nursing. She prefers him to be in her room when she is playing independently. Sometimes, she plays doctor with him.
• "talks" to us. He has discovered a few new vocal sounds and loves to have some back and forth "conversations" with us.
• holds his head up very well. He is flopping it less and less each day. 
• is starting to grab, hit, and kick the toys hanging from his activity mat.
• took a bottle for the first time this month. It's nice to be able to leave him with someone else when I need to.
• has a bad case of baby acne. Although it's starting to clear up a little now.

Blueberry picking with friends

Sara Beth and Daddy feeding him his very first bottle

Happy Father's Day!

Best big sister ever! She read him 19 little books that day. . . and he listened to every one of them.

4 generations of Hart men

The cuteness is too much! Love his low dimple!

Lots of swimming fun this month!

John David is 1 Month Old!

     Time is flying by! I can't believe John David is one month old already. He is growing so fast. He definitely doesn't look like a newborn any more. Although, he never really has anyway. This month has been quite a transition period and we are just now finding a groove and getting back into somewhat of a normal routine. My recovery was much harder this time than it was with Sara Beth. Thankfully, the first couple of weeks were overflowing with family offering to help, visitors to catch up with, and meals being delivered to our door .
     Everything looked good at his first doctor appointments. He was 8 lb. 15 oz. at birth, but had dropped down to 8 lb. 2 oz. by the time we left the hospital. By his 2 week check up, he had gained over a pound and weighed 9 lb. 3 oz. He never had any jaundice. What a healthy boy!

At one month old, John David is. . .
-almost 11 pounds (I think)! I just held him while I weighed myself on the bathroom scale, and then subtracted my weight.
-starting to get the hang of breastfeeding. Well, at least he's not biting down or making me bleed any more. Obviously, a bad latch isn't keeping him from getting the calories he needs.
-holding his head up like a pro. He does great with tummy time on the Boppy pillow.
-grunting, grunting, grunting. While he does occasionally let out a piercing scream or cry, mostly he just grunts a lot. He sounds strangely like a little pig.
-sleeping in his own room in his crib. We weren't getting any sleep with all of the grunting sounds. So, it was bye bye bassinet and hello crib.
-waking up twice during the night to eat and get a diaper change.
-spending more and more time awake each day. I can't wait to start seeing his personality develop!
-coming with us to church on Sundays. We brought Sara Beth with us for months because she just slept right through it. Not this little guy! He stays awake for 2 or 3 hours on Sundays when we are at church.
-rocking his cloth diapers. After a day or two of relearning how to use prefolds with covers, we've got it down now.
-loving his pacifier. We tried to wait a while before giving him the glorious paci, but a few weeks of nightly screaming will break you. Last week we decided that the pacifier couldn't make his breastfeeding latch any worse than it already was, so we broke out the paci. As always, it was a life-saver!
-tagging along everywhere we go: SB's play dates, grocery shopping, etc.

First check-up with Dr. Ritch

SB is a great big sister. Look at those crossed eyes!

He's a man of many (funny) faces

We also had a newborn photo shoot with Nicole Spikes this month. Isn't that smile precious?

Yay for pacifiers!

Relaxing at the spray park while big sister plays.

On his one month birthday: Handsome little guy, isn't he?