Emily is Five!!

Emily is FIVE!!!

Emily is growing up way too fast!

Emily loves to be sarcastic, just like her Daddy. She loves to joke and make people laugh.

Emily also has a little attitude. She likes to boss her brother around, but also likes to make them cry at times. I'm really hoping the making them cry is a phase she's going through and will end soon!

Emily is loving "doing school" and learning. We've been working on reading and math mostly. She amazes me often with how much she already knows! She loves to write words...and stories... and is constantly trying to figure out what things say. She knows about 50 sight words and has lots more that she can figure out what she wants to. We've also been playing games on the computer and she's getting pretty good at figuring out how to use the computer and the mouse!!

Emily enjoys working on cars with mommy... and aimlessly wondering around Bumpa's barn and asking what everything is, what things are for, and how things work!

I think Emily is very excited that spring is almost here. She seems to really enjoy being outside. She likes to ride her bike and is excited to figure out her scooter that she got for Christmas. She also likes just being outside.

Emily's favorite toys are all of her little princess dolls. She loves to pretend with them and make them interact with each other and other toys. She also loves to color, draw, and write.

Most days, Emily does not take a nap, but she still does rest quietly for a few hours in the afternoon. She typically is a good sleeper at night and doesn't wake up when Peyton does. Most nights she goes to bed around 7:00pm and gets up when her "clock wakes up" at 8:00am.

Emily loves going to church and learning about the Bible. She asks lots of questions and we've had some pretty good conversations about salvation with her! She also loves to tell other people about the Bible and Jesus' love!

Peyton is One!!!

Somehow a year(and two days) has passed since Peyton was born!

Peyton is into everything and anything. His preferred method of transportation is walking and he is really interested in playing with toys.. specially the ones his siblings are playing with!

Peyton's favorite toys are ones that move and make noise. If the noise is music that he can dance to, he will play with it for long periods of time. He also seems to really like cars. He drives them around making vroom noises.

Peyton's preferred food is mommy milk! He's finally starting to get the hang of puffs and pancakes... but for the most part, it its not baby food or mommy milk, he's not all that interested. He normally eats at meal times with the rest of the family and nurses whenever he wants (most days 6 or 7 times a day).

We are still working on sleeping. Peyton normally nurses to sleep around 7pm and then is up sometime between 11pm and Midnight to nurse again. And most times he also nurses around 3am, and then again between 7am and 8am, then he's up for the day. Lately he's been taking a short nap in the morning around 10, and then takes a long nap in the afternoon while the big kids are resting.

Peyton has learned when we go places, we all put on our shoes. We left a shoe at Grandma's house over Christmas and he was not a fan of not wearing shoes for a few days. He gets very excited to put his shoes on like everyone else!

Peyton likes to look outside. He loves that he's tall enough to look out most of the windows in our house and I often find him playing with blinds or curtains so that he can see outside.

Peyton still doesn't say much, but he does squeal.... mad squeals, happy squeals sad squeals, excited squeals. Sometimes it's cute...

On Peyton's birthday, he had ice cream (coconut ice cream because he's allergic to dairy!).  He seemed enjoy a couple bites of it!

We had a small birthday part today... was supposed to be bigger, but the big three kids have strep, so more than half of our guests ended up not coming. Peyton enjoyed opening his presents, but really didn't care too much about his cupcake!

11 Months Old!

In one short month this little man will be a year old! It's crazy how fast time can seem to move!

Peyton has becoming proficient at walking! It's his preferred way to get around... other than mommy carrying him! He's also gotten good at climbing and getting around things in his way. I'm pretty sure if I allowed him to have enough time and didn't stop him in the process, he could get over the gates blocking the kitchen! Luckily though, he hasn't tried climbing out of his crib yet!

Peyton is still a boob boy! He loves to cuddle mommy and nurse! Today, when I was getting ready, he knew it was time and started clapping and said "Yay!" He still nurses on demand... some days that means every few hours and other days it means three times during the day.

Peyton still isn't a fan of much food besides baby food.... and sometimes he doesn't even like that. He's finally gotten to the point where he will suck on crackers until they are soggy and eat a little bit of them, but for the most part, anything with any sort of texture makes him gag and puke.

We had allergy testing done a few weeks ago. Peyton is allergic to cow's milk, goat's milk, eggs, and soy as far as foods go. He's also allergic to lots of environmental stuff, just like Colby. He was put on a few allergy meds and they seem to be helping. The allergist told me to keep eating everything Peyton is allergic too since it doesn't seem to be bothering him through my milk....and he encouraged me to keep on nursing him as long as he will nurse in hopes that it will help "heal" some of his allergies like it has Colby! (I was already planning on "extended breastfeeding"... but now I have a "doctor's note" to do so!)

Peyton still isn't the best sleeper. If I time things right, I can normally get a two hour naps from him after lunch time. At night, he normally goes to bed around 8. Sometimes he sleep until 4 or 5 am, nurse and goes back to sleep. Sometimes he wakes up every few hours to nurse. One of these days I'm sure he'll consistently sleep through the night.. I'm just not counting on it being any time soon!

Peyton is into everything and curious about everything! He loves to watch his brothers and sister play and then try to imitate them... or mess up whatever they are playing with! He's a big fan of cars. He pushes them around on the ground and plays with them just like the big boys do!

Peyton has two teeth! I can't feel or see anymore. The first one came in without any issues... the second was caused a crazy high fever and crabby boy!

Peyton is not fan of bathtime! He screams and screams and screams... but if he's on the outside of the tub while the other three are in it, he does everything he can to climb in.. and when he gets in, he SCREAMS!

Peyton doesn't really say a whole lot yet! He'll gab if the other kids are being quiet or aren't around... and he'll let you know when he's not happy about something... but he really doesn't say too much yet. He does know how to shake his head "no" though...and does often! He also waves bye bye to people!

Brent says that Peyton loves Daddy more than mommy... I think it's true most of the time... when he wants to eat or in the middle of the night, he loves mommy more!

Peyton loves to be worn! He gets very excited when he sees me getting the wrap or carrier out. He recently has started being worn on my back during the day when I need to do things...like make lunch! He also loves to ride on daddy's shoulders!

Peyton is a pretty good listener when he's told no or not to do something. (He's even left the Christmas tree alone so far!)

Peyton is getting to be a little more social. He does okay hanging out with Grandma Franks is mommy is out of sight. He's also gotten over his fear of Aunt Kara. But, when there are lots of people around, he still likes to be close to mommy or daddy and isn't a fan of strangers!

Peyton is growing into such an amazing little boy. I am so thankful that God has given him to us and am excited to see what is in store for him!

Ten Months Old

Somehow this little man is already ten months old!

Peyton is very much a mommy's boy. Normally he wants to be near mommy or on top of mommy or in momm'y arms. He likes daddy a lot too... He's starting to like more people, but still wants mommy over anyone else most of the time.

Peyton is still breastfeeding like a champ! He gets all excited when it's time to nurse... often he will clap his hands and lick his lips while he is waiting for me to unhook my bra and tank top and be ready for him. He's also started to get mad when Colby nurses if he's not nursing at the same time. It's kind of funny...and kind of annoying!

Peyton is loving solids too... most of the time. He's normally not a fan of getting in his highchair, but once he's in there, he normally loves to eat baby food. He doesn't really care for anything with textures yet. He has had puffs a few time, but after choking and puking, he won't let one anywhere near his mouth. Every once in a while we can get him to eat a rice krispy, and he will eat mushed up bananas all day long... but for the most part he sticks to his baby food and boob milk!

Peyton loves to drink from cups with straws. Only about half of what he drinks gets into  his belly because he opens his mouth when he gets excited that something came out of the straw!

Peyton is crawling and walking and climbing all over. He's still a little wobbly when he walks, but he's getting better every day!

Peyton is wearing pretty much all nine month clothes right now. There are a few other random things in his drawers, but the nine months is what fit him the best right now!

Peyton normally is up for the day between 7 and 8 am. He normally takes a morning nap while nursing around 10, and then most days he takes a nap in the afternoon after lunch. Sometimes his nap is a half an hour and other times he'll sleep for three hours! At night, he typically goes to bed around 8 pm and sleeps for a few hours. Most nights, he still wants to nurse two or three times during the night.

Peyton has a tooth! A few days ago it just appeared. One day I noticed the white bump on his gum, and then the next day it had broken through. He wasn't cranky at first, but after it broke through he got cranky.

Personality wise, Peyton is a spunky little boy! He loves to laugh and loves to get into everything he can. He loves to give snuggles and kisses and smiles! As long as mommy is somewhere in the area, he's a very joyful little boy!

We love our littlest man and wouldn't trade him for anything!

Eight Months Old

I think each kid grows up a little faster... it's kind of sad...

This sweet little boy is eight months old today!

Peyton loves to get into everything and explore. He's crawling... well..crawling a few crawls and then scooting on his belly...everywhere. He is pulling himself up on anything he can. He is furniture walking. Walking when he's holding someones' hands. Standing up for a few second by himself. Climbing up stairs.
It's all craziness and too soon!

Peyton also likes to talk. He tells stories and giggles. He'll have a whole conversation with someone...even though no one has any idea what he's saying yet!

Peyton still loves to nurse and is sort of hit or miss with food. He seems to enjoy fruits more than veggies most of the time, but sometimes inhales veggies and wants nothing to do with fruit. He's had green beans, squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, peaches, bananas, and apples. We think he had a reaction from the green beans, so we are staying away from them for a while. When he's interested in food, he normally eats about 4oz of solids at a meal...and we try three times a day. He's nursing six times a day most days, and then once during the night.

Peyton loves to take naps as much as his big brother! (Meaning he doesn't like taking naps!). He will normally fall asleep while nursing mid morning and then again mid afternoon. If I sit on hold him after he's done nursing, he'll sleep for a couple hours. If I put him down, most of the time he wakes up...every once in a while though I get lucky and he'll take a decent nap in his bed. His car seat is a game changer though.. most the time if we are in the car for more than 10 minutes, he's out..and sometimes it doesn't even take that long!

At night, Peyton has been nursing around 8 or so after the big kids are in bed and sleeps for a little while, nurses some more around 10 or so, and then sleeps until 5:30 or so. Most mornings he will go back to sleep until about 7:30 and then he's ready to go for the day!

Peyton is still wearing mostly six month clothes. There are a few 6-9 month things in his drawers. Some of his six month onies and jammies are starting to get a little snug, so we'll probably switch out his clothes next week when he move.

Peyton loves to have attention... from some people. He loves to be the center of attention at home and isn't too keen on being in a room by himself. He does not like most women though... besides Mommy, Grandma Franks is typically the only other women he is okay being with. He loves being with daddy too, but if Mommy is gone for too long, Peyton is not a happy camper. Other than Daddy, Peyton normally screams if mommy walks away and leaves him with anyone.  

Peyton loves his brothers and sister. He is always curious as to what they are up to and loves being able to follow them around and is constantly trying to play with them. Sometimes they like this...and sometimes not so much... but they all love to baby brother so much and its a blessing to be able to watch!

This kiddo is amazing. I am so thankful to be his mommy. To watch him grow. To nurse him. To comfort him. To hug and kiss him. To love him!