October Highlights

October is a crazy month for us. It's when our schedule is in full swing, and the downhill slide into holidays/birthdays. It is fun, but certainly tiring.

Here are some of the highlights for us in October!

{I got the CUTEST sibling picture!}

{We spent the weekend at Phil's folks house. They have some Play-Doh for the kids, and they just love it!}

{When we got home, we noticed Target was having a sale on Halloween costumes. We decided to go ahead and get them!}

{David wanted to be a Ninja Turtle too}

{Those turtles are so helpful ;)}

{We took advantage of the free kid dinner at IHOP. The kids LOVED trying every flavor of syrup they had on the table}

{I don't even recall why he's doing this, but he sure is cute :)}

{Of course on picture day at preschool, it is super humid so David's hair was wild. He sure was handsome!}

{This popped up on my Timehop app. The one on the left was from our whirlwind trip to KC for a Royals game during the Playoffs. He is still just as adorable <3}

{Obsession: Baby Feet}

{We decorated for Halloween! I got these window clings on clearance last year}

{I really like this banner!}

{This was so adorable! It was a kit from Target for $7! Sure it's not meant to last more than a year. And sure, having a west facing house meant we had to reapply some of the face pieces. Was it fun? Yes! Was it worth it? Oh definitely :)}

{Sleeping Beauty}

{Jillian is loving her new pjs ;) I took this on a day she stayed home from school. We don't think she was actually sick, but we figured we'd better be safe than sorry}

{Struggle Bun in Full Force}

{After-Vaccine cuddles with Lottie}

{We had a Groupon for a local farm. It was warmer than we hoped, but we still had a great time!}

{Cutest little pumpkin in the patch <3}

{We got free pumpkins at the farm, so we decided to paint them!}

{David used every single color}

{I usually hate mixed up colors/paints/Play-Doh, but this was an awesome shot}

{We found out the hard way that Lottie has a VERY sensitive gag reflex :( She vomited for a few days in a roll before we figured out how to help her}

{Went to Tulsa for TU Homecoming! She slept through most of it}

{Eating at the Alumni Tent at Homecoming}
{I got to take Jillian to my sorority house. It was fun to do, even though her favorite parts were 1) the bean bag chairs, and 2) the giant stuffed bear}

{This is my one good hair day since my brother's wedding in April. Look closely, and remember it. It may never look this good again for a long time! HAHAHA}

{Finally joined Pottermore, and discovered I'm a Hufflepuff! And of COURSE Phil is a Ravenclaw :-/ #hejusthadtobeabird}

{Trying out the Bumbo seat!}

{That escalated quickly...}
{Those pictures were taken about 45 seconds apart}

{Had a check up with my Primary Doctor because my BP is still elevated for me. For now, he just wants me to lose a little weight, and trying to stay as relaxed as possible. I don't need medicine yet, and hopefully I won't need it. I'll go back in January for a follow up}

{Came out of the doctor's office to see this...}

{David being a big helper while mama's tire gets patched. Shout out to my local Goodyear store who had this awesome coloring book with stickers for him! Made the wait even easier!}

{Needed caffeine before rehearsals at church, and I found an unused gift card in my nightstand drawer! Yay :)}

{The day I decided to document my day on Instagram Stories, there was a HAWK EATING A BABY BUNNY!!! At first, I didn't know why it was there. A few hours later, I saw the bunny carcass. That's lovely...}

{Ummm... I think you're a little ahead of the game there Jimmy John's}

{Davey "driving" the bus at church}

{I loved the perfect spirals on this pumpkin!}

{Helping sell pumpkins at church!}

{Yes, it's late October. Yes, my children are wearing shorts and short sleeves/tank tops. Yes, we would like some real fall weather if you could spare it!}

{Lottie ALMOST rolled from back to belly! She was trying so very hard}

{Had a Halloween costume photo shoot early. Usually there's too much excitement before Trick-or-Treating, so I do it early. I love my Ninja Turtle, Dino, and French Kiss}

{Now that Jillian can read, this is usually what my car looks like. David and Lottie are fast asleep, and Jillian has head buried in a book}

{Ain't it the truth?}
{Sweet smiles to wish you a Happy Halloween!}

Lottie: {Two Months}

Lottie –

You are two months old today! It was a month full of adjustments for the family as a whole, but you helped us by being a good and calm baby through it all.

According to our measurements at home, you are 10 lbs, 6 oz and 21-1/2 inches long. I will update this when we get your official measurements at your well appointment  in 2 weeks.

We packed up all your newborn clothes last week. You could still fit in a few of them, but they were hard to get your arms through. Mostly 3 Month, and a few 0-3 Month clothes are a little big, but you'll grow into them just fine :) You wear size 1 diapers as of 5 weeks. Part of that was us not having any more newborn size diapers, but it was time to move up due to lots of blow outs ;)

For feedings, you have about between 5 - 6 feedings a day and eat an average of 25 ounces. You eat mostly expressed milk, but sometimes it is mixed with Similac Advance formula. Mommy is starting to wean herself off the pump, so you'll be eating a mixture of breast milk and formula until all the breast milk is gone. After that, you'll be exclusively on formula. We are not entirely set on which kind, but it'll be good, I promise! You are a lazy feeder, so exclusively nursing would not have worked if mommy tried. 7 out of 10 feedings, you'll eat 2 oz, then stop. You will either fall asleep, or just become disinterested for the next 30 minutes or so. Sometimes you'll finish the bottle, and other times you'll drink 1 more ounce before you feel like you're done. You have learned that getting a burp cloth on your chest means you'll be eating your bottle, and you get visibly excited! It's so cute :) You reflux a little, and you spit up from time to time. However, you don't spit up much, and your reflux is not severe enough to require medication. You have a tendency to choke and cough on the nipple if you don't want to eat anymore, or if you're falling asleep. We have to really watch you, especially for your middle of the night feeding. Overall, you eat well and you're growing, which is most important!

You don’t like having a dirty diaper, but you are really upset and uncomfortable when you have gas. Also, your right eye has a clogged tear duct, so you get a goop eye throughout the day. You seem to get the hiccups more often than your siblings ever did.

Bath time is a positive experience for you. As long as the water is warm, you're pretty content. We stopped using the newborn sling, so you're in the water a little more. However, you squirm around so much that we have to make sure you don't slide out of your little seat! We started giving you bubble baths to begin a nighttime routine, but you don't seem to care whether the bubbles are there or not. You don't usually cry in the tub unless you're ready for your bottle. You don't like having to get lotion and pjs on, but I think you're just cold. Once you're all dressed and ready for your feeding, you're perfectly happy again :)

You are usually calm and sweet. Daddy can keep you calm longer, but mama can calm you down faster. You fall asleep with daddy more than mommy. Starting to notice brother and sister. Can get overwhelmed, but getting more interested in us than toys for now.  You have not noticed the dog, nor has the dog really noticed you. The dog is really sweet, so I'm sure you will be friends :)

Your social smile is so sweet! You usually have to be prompted to smile, but you will do it for your parents out of the blue sometimes.

The swing is ok, unless you want to be held. Then that's all you want.

Bedtime routine is just getting started.

Tummy time is not a big deal to you! You're our first baby who doesn't immediately protest when we lay you on your mat. You can already lift your head well. The only time you really fuss during tummy time is if it's been awhile. You've grabbed mommy's hair so far, but no toys as of yet.

Being baby #3, you get to go everywhere everyone else needs to go. You've been to several more places than your brother or sister did at this age, simply because our schedules are much busier. Overall, you do well and usually sleep through the activity or errand we're running. Even if you're awake, you're content 90% of the time. For the 10% that you're fussy, you still barely take a pacifier, and you never take it without a fight or protest. I'd love for you to at least like the paci part of the time, but we'll still love you even if you don't :)

You do pretty decently in the car. Every so often you don't like it and will cry. Most of the time, you're ready to eat when this happens. Your first trip to Tulsa was a success, and you slept the whole way up!

We had a lovely baby shower for you this month. You got a few new outifta, and LOTS of diapers :) We'll need to get you some winter clothes soon because your hand-me-down 6 month cloths are all summer style! Don't worry, mama is watching sales.

We love you more and more every day baby girl. You are so special to your daddy and I and we love watching you grow :)

And now a few outtakes:

{Thinking...}

{Are we almost done mama?}

{Ok, one more}

{Wait, are these my toes?!}

{With the bear}

{I guess she needs to warm up to the bear HAHAHA}

{My sweet babies <3}

{Real life}

And a few comparisons :)

{Lottie at 1 and 2 months}

{Left: Jillian 2/2012 Middle: David 2/2014 Right: Lottie 10/2016}

{Read Jillian's 2 Month Update Here}
{Read David's 2 Month Update Here}