Rhys at Six Months

Time to play catch up! After taking a month off I have high hopes of getting back into blogging over the next few weeks so I can keep this "family scrapbook" alive and post a few pictures of our crazy summer. Will it actually happen? Doubtful. But here's hoping..

Our sweet guy is all over the place lately. He can roll across a room in seconds and is now successfully reaching for things that were previously unreachable. Time to get my game face on.. he's going to be into EVERYTHING before I know it.

Along with a giant leap in mobility our other big milestone this month has been the transition to eating solid foods. If opening your mouth to eat and swallowing food is a learned behavior this kid has it down. Unlike his brother, a bib is hardly necessary since he is happy to vacuum up whatever a spoon brings by and doesn't play the one-scoop-in-one-scoop-spit-back-out game. He now smiles and flaps his arms whenever we bring him near his highchair in anticipation of what's to come. Sweet chubs.

And since I only post the sweet, smiley pics of my bubs here's another side of him..

..just keeping it real folks.

Happy AUGUST!! What the hell happened to July??

Rhys at Five Months

Little stinker is five months old. How did that happen?!

Rhys is seriously the happiest baby on the block. I mean that because I can hear other babies fussing in our neighborhood at all hours of the day (I kid of course). But honestly, I have absolutely zero parenting complaints with Rhysy boy lately. Happy, smiley, and drooly pretty much sums him up. And let's not forget adorable.

Rhys is napping more regularly and sleeping great at night. He wakes up once or twice to eat and goes back to bed without a fuss. (I know that I've jinxed myself now that I've said it out loud.) We are going to take the plunge and get him out of our room and sleeping in his big boy baby crib this month. It's definitely time but I'm really going to miss rolling over to see him kicking around and grinning like a fool in the morning.

Month five was a busy one filled with several walks to the park, a trip to the beach, and a few visits from the grandparents. He tried solid food for the first time and is obsessed with gnawing on anything he can get his pudgy, sticky fingers on.

We have an action packed month coming up filled with several milestones (Rhys 6 months, Cal 2.5 years, and my THIRTIETH!) as well as a few road trips and lots of other summer happenings. I promise to get a lilttle Calvin update put together soon. Poor kid gets zero blog love these days but I assure you, he gets everyone's full attention during his waking hours.

Hope your summer is off to a nice start!

Rhys at Three Months

Mr. Rhys is three months old!

Three month old + crazy two year old + getting back to work = no time for chit chat. I'll let the chalkboard do the talking..

Our drooly boy is all about cooing and smiling these days. He wakes up with a smile on his face every morning and lights up when anyone is talking to him, especially Calvin. Likewise, Calvin is so proud of him and squeals, "HE'S TALKING!! RHYSY IS TALKING!!" at least ten times a day whenever the tiniest noise comes out of Rhys' mouth. Melts. My. Heart. 

As for dislikes, chubby boy hates spending time on his belly and would much rather sit up in his Bumbo chair. He startles and cries whenever a loud noise frightens him and gives a heart-breaking pouty lip when you put him down after playing together.

Our big guy is sleeping for longer stretches at night (AMEN!!) and becoming pickier about where and when he takes his daytime naps. The carseat, stroller, swing, and boob are the only acceptable places to fall asleep during the day. Don't you dare walk over to that crib. 

I'll leave you with a little side-by-side shot showing off how big and happy our Rhys is getting! 

  (1 month - 2 months - 3 months)

So happy!!

Rhys at Two Months

My little Rhys is two months old.

Two months old but I feel like I have known him for so much longer. Happy in the morning, cranky in the evening, round cheeks and big grins, he is just like his brother was at this age. His little newborn personality feels so familiar and with birthdays just two days apart I really feel like I am living a déjà vu from two years ago. Same chilly winter days at home, same music playing from the baby swing, same little blue eyes looking up at me at 3am.

So similar and yet so different. This time around our chilly winter days have been filled with trying to distract a wild toddler with art projects and counting games (and let's get real- far too much television) instead of lounging on the couch and scrolling through Pinterest. Trying to get out of the house this winter has been challenging to say the least. Since I go absolutely insane being home for more than a day or two we have been learning to make it work, even if that means Rhys siting in his carseat in a snowbank while I dig out my car so we can get to Target- my happy place. 

All in all, we are doing well and starting to get the hang of this family-of-four business. So far I have learned that planning ahead with two is key, it takes approximately five times longer to do anything, and a big glass of wine in the evening can cure crazy. 

Now on to the cutesy stuff.

At almost 12 pounds, Rhys is a full 3 pounds bigger than Cal was at this age. My hopes of using Cal’s old baby clothes for Rhys is definitely not going to happen. I just put Rhys in his first 3-6 month outfit today, a size that tiny Cal didn’t wear until the summer. I love that I get to experience a chubby baby!

As for milestones, Rhys is holding his head up, has discovered his hands, and is smiling like crazy. I took these photos a week ago and he was just starting to smile here and there. Now I can’t stop the boy from grinning when he’s awake. He will smile for anyone or anything. Mom, Dad, Cal, a dangling toy- the boy does not discriminate. 

Millions of smiley Rhys photos to come; consider yourself warned. This little smirk is just the beginning.

Rhys at One Month

Our new little guy is already one month old! (Well, now he's more like 6 weeks old.) As it always seems to do, time has gone by incredibly fast. We spent the first month of his life cuddled up inside during the coldest month of my life. I could go on and on about how stir crazy we are staying inside all day but it's more fun to talk about the joy that is spending Rhys' early newborn days cuddled up on the couch next to a cozy fire. And seriously, that is all we have done most days. Calvin now thinks every day is a movie day and Rhys hardly knows that a world outside these familiar walls even exists. All I can say is this spring better deliver.

And now on to our life with Rhys. With the exception of the middle of the night, he is a great baby. After a few sleepy weeks where he pretty much nursed and drifted in and out of sleep he is now becoming more wakeful. During the day he loves to relax on a Boppy or in his swing and stare out the window or watch his brother run through the house. Typically content, he is happy to lounge in the arms of whoever is willing and is just starting to smirk and smile when we talk to him. I adore my daytime Rhys.

Nights are a different story. Our sweet baby turns into a crank baby right around 10pm and continues to wake/feed/fuss on the hour until the sun comes up when he resumes his easy going lifestyle. This was the story of our lives for the first solid month but things seem to be taking a turn (fingers crossed- knock on wood- a sprinkle of salt over the shoulder). Thankfully, we have had a lot of help from the grandparents who have given us (mostly me) some time to nap and relax during the day. This weekend we celebrated Jakob's birthday with a three and four hour stretch of sleep during the night. I pray this is the start of something good.

We continue to learn a little more about him every day. This week he has been super interested in looking at lights and ceiling fans. He enjoys his pacifier and listening to music. As for his features, his eyes are becoming lighter and lighter and taking on a bluish hue. His hair is brown and starting off much darker than Cal's. He has his mother's nose and brother's round cheeks. He is gearing up to be a very different (and much bigger) baby than his brother. Adorably and uniquely Rhys.

Sweet Rhys, we love you so very much and cannot imagine our lives without you. You have brought us so much joy in your one month here. We cannot wait to watch you grow.

Now please don't grow too fast.