9 months old + the wonderfully terrible two's

At 9 months old, Hayes is unstoppable. Gone are the days of being able to sit him down, grab a cup of coffee and come back to where I left him. In fact, it feels like most days I basically follow him around, reroute him and pull him off of whatever dangerous object he has pulled himself onto.

It's exhausting, but it also has its perks. Now that he can crawl, he loves to chase after Evie. His eye catches her across the room and nothing is going to stop him from reaching to her (except for mom of course.) I just love the little relationship they are forming and am so excited to watch them become friends.

Other fun Hayes happenings during the 9th month:

Becoming more playful and interactive.
Sitting on own.
Eating solids like a champ. So fun having a baby so excited about food. If I am eating a snack and he spots me, he basically attacks my leg and starts crying in frustration.
Sleeping better! Hooray for naps that last longer than 30 minutes.
Two top teeth poked through with two more on the way.
Pulling up (and also falling down a lot as a result of his newfound hobby).
Standing in crib. :(
Understands name and other words (like nursing and Evie).
Size 4 diapers (big boy!)
Loves being in the baby carrier.
Says mamma!

Hayes is an absolute sweetheart, has the most perfect smile, is extremely curious and keeps me on my toes all day.

In other NEWS....Evie has been potty trained for about a month now. It was easier than I anticipated, but a frustrating endeavor nonetheless. It is really nice having just one kid in diapers! Although extremely lovey and affectionate most of the time, she seems to be going through a bout of the terrible two's lately. Some of her tantrums have been insane. A lot of the time I have to remind myself that she is "only two" and she can't possibly express or understand her emotions. Love this kid and all of the craziness she brings to our family.

8th Month & Evie update

Hayes is on his way to being such a big boy! This month was all about movement. He's ALMOST sitting on his own. He's grabbing and pinching. He's picking up his food and putting it in his mouth. Andddd, he's crawling! Well not real crawling, but he can get up on all 4's, then collapse into an army crawl and get to whatever he wants pretty quickly! It's super exciting, but it is also exhausting because he can now move all over the room, and that means I have to keep a closer eye on him. I feel like I am constantly re-routing him all day or listening to Evie yell at him for getting in her things.

Also this month...

• Hayes enjoys eating so much more than Evie ever did. I am doing a combination of purees and baby led weaning and it is working pretty well. I hope in the next month to be done with the purees and just be on table food! So far he's tried a lot of variety, like avocado, sweet potatoes, squash, blueberries, toast, yogurt, corn, apple....and blackberries (only by accident though when he crawled across the floor and snatched Evie's when she wasn't looking.)

• Poor sleep is our jam. But not by choice. Hayes continues to wake 4-8 times a night. WOMP. He also takes 3 naps a day, typically lasting 30-45 minute. The other day he napped 1 hour and 45 minutes and I couldn't believe it. 

• He says "mama!" Aren't they supposed to say da-da first? #momforthewin ;)

Evie is also making some moves of her own. She continues to keep us laughing with her humor and wit. She has the biggest heart and his super aware and concerned of other's feelings. Her vocabulary is outstanding, and sometimes I think she is too smart for her own good. Most days are pretty not "terrible-twos" with her. But man, when it's a doozy of a day, she can bust out a pretty mean tantrum.

She's also just recently started peeing (and one poo!) in the potty. I just need to stop being lazy and do the potty training thing. Who knew seeing your kid poop in the pot would be so exciting!? 

7 month old Hayes

Happy 7 months, Hayes!
(This one is short..getting lazy)

7 days in Florida.

We took the plunge, packed our bags (and kids) and headed to Fort Myers, Florida last week to visit my brother. He moved there in January, and we hadn't seen him since getting there 4 months ago.

Having never flown on an airplane with the kids, let alone taken such a lengthy trip away from home all four of us, I was a bit nervous about how well the babes would do with everything. Everything was pretty OK until Wednesday night. Meltdowns all around as a result of overtired babes. Rest of the trip was a bit of a battle. Nonetheless, we had a great time hanging out with family and soaking up the warm Florida rays.

Evie had a blast playing in the waves with Uncle Matt

First night there...someone was pooped.

Hayes was such a trooper! 

 Such a fish all week. Not even a little afraid of the water. 

 Those cheeks...I could kiss all day. 

We ate a lot of ice cream. 

Like a lot. 

Matt's backyard is pretty sweet. 

 Feeding the fish. 

 Morning at the park. 

Visiting GG in Naples. 

 

Baby boy got his first tooth while we were there.