Ren {5 Months}

Crazy to think that next month, you will be HALF A YEAR old!

                     

Ren, you continue to be the sweetest, most calm baby ever. This month, here's what you're up to:

*You're probably about 16 pounds by now and you seem long and thin...though you're definitely chunking up.

*You wear size 2 diapers comfortably.

*You're in 3-6 month size clothes mostly.

*Your personality seems to be developing every day. You are now telling us what you like and don't like. Your smiles just light up your entire face and I can NOT get over the cuteness.

*You have probably "known" us for awhile, but you're really starting to show it. You get a huge smile on your face when you see us. You still don't seem to have separation anxiety but you sure get excited when you see me or Daddy.

*Your interactions with Sutton are becoming more fun. This evening, you were sitting with me watching Sutton take a bath and every time he'd splash or make his little bath toys jump up and down, you would just laugh and laugh. You find the most interesting things funny.

*You are really kicking your legs a LOT these days. Bath time includes lots of splashing from your legs that are always moving.

*A new thing in the past week or so...you straighten your legs and push off things. So if you're laying down or sitting up, suddenly you will just do this all in one swift motion so we're having to be more aware of not letting you roll off things, push your way out of our arms, etc.

*You have hair, but it's just so light and so little that you are still looking so bald. 

*You've started wanting to go to bed a little earlier and get up a little earlier. On vacation, there was one day that you were up and ready to go at 6am. No fun. Usually, you start acting tired by 8:15pm or so, but I try to hold you off til closer to 9pm. We rock and sing You Are My Sunshine and Hush Little Baby, then I lay you down and you usually go right to sleep.

*You've definitely regressed in your sleeping. I don't know if it's because of eating, because you're too hot, or because you just want to be comforted, but usually you wake up around the 2am hour to eat, then around 5 or 5:30am again. You're up for the day around 7am ish.

*You seem to have kind of dropped your evening nap, which is probably why you want to go to bed earlier. You still nap in the morning for usually an hour to 1.5 hours, then in the afternoon for a longer nap, anywhere from 2-4 hours. You usually don't sleep straight through though...you'll cry out if you want us to put your pacifier back in, or sometimes you'll get up to eat and go right back to sleep.

*You take your morning nap in the car, in the swing, while someone is holding you, or in the stroller if we're walking or at the park. You still take your long afternoon nap on our bed since you're still not rolling over. You rolled that one time last month, but since then...nothing.

*Nursing has definitely become a comfort thing for you. Sometimes you want to be nursed to sleep, even if I know you're not hungry. Sometimes that's the only way I can get you to sleep.

*You are still only nursing for between 5 and 8 minutes on one side at each feeding. You go 2-3 hours between feedings.

*You've started paying attention to TV. If something bright is moving on the screen, it will hold your attention.

*You're obsessed with your feet! You are constantly grabbing your toes and holding on, and just sitting like this:

*We tried rice cereal for the first time on Wednesday (July 16). We mixed with breastmilk in a bottle and you seemed to not even notice. Our pediatrician said that it might make your tummy fuller at night and keep you asleep all night, which is why we tried it. It didn't work. :) So the next night, I made it a little thicker and gave it to you with a spoon. I put it in your mouth and it was like you didn't know what to do. You just sat there with your mouth open and the cereal was dripping out. So I poured the rest back into the bottle and fed it to you. You still didn't sleep through the night that night either.

*You went on your first road trip(s) this month. We went to Colorado on July 5th, and Kansas City on July 13th. The Kansas City trip I took you and Sutton by myself and was pretty nervous about the 3-hour drive, but you did great. We stopped twice to feed you on the way up and you slept almost the whole time except in the middle where you screamed your head off until I could find a parking lot to stop and feed you at. The drive back was pretty similar.

*You slept in the pack n play and in a tent for the first time when we were in Colorado. You did so great...you kept your same night schedule as you have at home.

*When you sleep while I'm holding you, you always hold on to the neckline of my shirt.

*Your eyes are really changing from the dark grey that they were to brown. I love your eyes...they're so sweet and kind. I think you are such a handsome little baby!

*You laugh all the time these days. Daddy has found your tickle spots...your stomach and upper thighs are the most ticklish. You also love it when we make loud silly noises.

*You're starting to show signs of wanting to play. You have a little baby toy with some hard plastic to chew on and some fabric pieces too. You love to look at it, hold on to it, and put it in your mouth. Yesterday Sutton had a friend over to play and they were running back and forth in the living room. You were sitting on my lap and every time they'd start running, you would start pumping your legs and flailing your arms like you wanted to join in.

And the monthly collage. Definitely a big difference between last month and this month!

Colorado Teaser

This summer has been cah-razy. Between my crazy work schedule, trying to participate in as many summer activities with Adam and the boys as I can, and traveling...I feel like I'm barely treading water. But it's been great! The summer is flying by.

We just got back from back-to-back trips to Colorado and Kansas City, and I thought I'd post my favorite photo from Colorado since I'm not sure when I'll have time to post more. This was taken in a beautiful spot near the top of Pikes Peak as we were making our way down.

Sutton & Ren's Stats {4 Years and 4 Months}

We had doctor's appointments yesterday! We've got two healthy, thriving boys on our hands and we are grateful.

Sutton, at 4 years old:

*Weighs 39.4 pounds (77.95 percentile)
*Is 42 inches tall (85.33 percentile)

Ren, at 4 months, 11 days old:

*Weighs 15.38 pounds (41.02 percentile)
*Is 24.5 inches long (14.04 percentile)
*Head circumference is 17.5 inches (98.29 percentile)

So apparently Ren is short and skinnier than average. Sutton was 25 inches long (50 percentile) and weighed 17 pounds, 10 ounces (90th percentile) at 4 months, 1 day. So they're very different! Except the heads. My babies always have huge heads. Also, Ren still fits length-wise in some of his 3 month onesies, so that makes sense that he's short. It's just strange because when he was born, he was in the 73 percentile for height. Crazy baby.

Sutton {Four Years Old}

Sutton…my sweet boy. I don't even know where to start. I know every parent thinks that their kid is the best, but wow, you amaze me every day. I often find myself wondering how we got so lucky…how WE got to be YOUR parents. I thank God that you're my son.

At four years old, Sutton:

*You are SO smart. You use words that I think are beyond your four years. Of course I can't think of any now. Maybe I'll make a list as they come to me or as you use them and make another post. If you don't understand something, you always ask about it.

*The other day while you were taking a bath, you asked me what these words meant: flammable, violent, and ceramic. I'm sure you heard them somewhere, but I always find it interesting that you think to remember these things and ask me about them later.

*Your memory is crazy. You remember everything. You remember things I don't even remember that happened over a year ago.

*You are so affectionate. You are constantly hugging and kissing us. When I leave for work, you always have to run to me and give me a kiss…on my leg, my hand, sometimes my foot, sometimes my face. You tell me that I'm beautiful all the time. And that I look skinny. Ha. I may have taught you that one.

*You often make statements, then say "Wight?" (Right?)

*You love to help us with anything and everything. The other day, you fixed the bathroom cabinet all on your own while I was in there getting ready. You found a screw and screwed it into a hinge that was missing a screw. It was pretty amazing.

*You are SO goofy. You are always making silly faces, silly noises, trying to come up with original jokes. Sometimes they're funny.

*You like to dance and always try to come up with new moves. It's always "Mommy, watch this move. Daddy, watch this move."

*You have a great imagination. You like to play out scenarios with your cars, pretend the sofas are your pirate ships, and make pizzas for us "fresh and hot!" Usually when we play pirates, you're Jake, I'm Izzy, and Ren is Cubby. Poor Ren will always be Cubby (from Jake and the Neverland Pirates).

*You love animals. Daddy's class pet bearded dragon Draco is living in your bedroom this summer, and you always ask us to take him out and let him run around. You love to feed him. You also like to tell me how much you love Diesel.

*You are right on track with clothing sizes. You wear 4T stuff, though some of it is still a little big. You have several pairs of 3T shorts that you're still wearing and probably will for awhile.

*You still wear a pull up at nap and at night. 85% of the time it's dry when you wake up, but you insist on wearing it because you're afraid of wetting your bed.

*Almost every night, about 30-45 minutes after we put you to bed, you come out of your room, come in our room and say "I'm going to go pee, then I'll wash my hands, then I'll give you a hug, Daddy a hug, and Ren a hug."

*Handwashing is quite the process. You've started to worry about germs so you'll often ask us "Have I washed my hands today?" You move your little stool by the sink, pump too much soap in your hands, and then rub them together without any water (which bugs me, but to each their own I suppose). Then you turn the water on full blast for half a second which barely rinses your hands off but leaves a ton of bubbles in the sink. You can never quite dry your hands off all the way either. :)

*You've started asking us to brush your teeth instead of resisting because you're worried about your teeth getting holes in them. You still won't brush them yourself because you think you can't do it good enough.

*You're able to open the car door and get in your seat yourself. You're also able to undo the top buckle but not the bottom.

*You cannot give me a normal smile for pictures. :) But I love your fake ones and silly ones too.

*You like to copy a lot of the things we do. You tell me that your toy guns are dangerous and that I shouldn't touch them. You've started repeating phrases we say such as "Oh my goodness." The other day you got up on a stool in the kitchen to wash your hands and saw a jar of grease. You said "What is that crap doing here?" I about died laughing but tried to hold it in and tell you that you don't need to say that word. Nor do you need to say "What the heck?" but you do.

*You try hard to be good, but sometimes you can be a very bad listener. Often when you throw a fit, it gets worse and worse and worse and some tiny infraction turns into an all out defiance. So you'll lose a toy, be sent to your room, and in the worst cases get a spanking. Usually when you've calmed down and had time to think about it, you'll come out and tell us you're sorry and say something like "I don't know why I did that, I wish I didn't do it." Today you were telling me something about how you "need to start making good choices." I stopped you and asked if you just said 'good choices' and you reassured me that you, in fact, had. SO SMART.

*You love your brother so much. You are always giving him kisses, asking to hold him, and making sure he's okay. You're such a good brother. You're very possessive of him too. When Daddy told you once that Ren was HIS baby, you got very upset and later said to me, "Ren is our baby too, wight? Daddy said Ren is just his baby, but Ren is my baby and your baby too. Wight?" We've had to explain to you that he's not your son like he is my son and Daddy's son. He's your brother and you're his ONLY brother in the whole world.

*Our bedtime routine consists of changing you into your pull up, turning on your alarm clock (it's a nightlight where the light goes off in the morning at the time we've set, telling you it's okay to get up), reading a book or two, singing 2 or 3 songs, and praying.

*You usually sleep from 9pm to 7:30 or 8am. You still take a nap in the afternoons around 2pm for about 2 hours.

*You love watching movies and shows. Favorites are The Croods, Daniel Tiger, and Frozen. We know ALL the words to Frozen. :)

*You love to play outside, go on walks, go to the park, swing, go camping, play with sticks, play with water guns, do Play-Dough, eat chocolate, watch movies, play cars, and go swimming.

*Swimming is a new-found passion. You've always been fond of it, but ever since you took swimming lessons in September, you've been a lot more confident in the water. Daddy just bought you a floaty that goes around your arms and chest and keeps you up and wow, you just LOVE swimming now. You'll even paddle out in the deep end on your own (with Daddy or Mommy nearby of course).

*You are OBSESSED with Captain America. He is your favorite. You have two shirts, a shield, at least 4 action figures with their own shields, a motorcycle, a poster, a comic book. You always tell us you ARE Captain America. Sometimes it's Captain Wichita. Daddy made you a harness with Velcro that you wear on your back so you can carry your shield on your back just like the real Captain America.

*Your favorite foods are ketchup, mac n cheese, meat-cheese-and-mayo sandwiches, cheetos, chocolate, suckers, bananas, strawberries, PB&J, pistachios, chocolate milk. You eat toast with peanut butter and jelly on it for breakfast each morning.

*You are such a people person. You always want us to be around and would prefer to not ever have to play by yourself, but we make you do that a lot. You finally have your own little friends, some from school, some of our friends' kids.

Daddy and I love you more than we could possibly say and while you definitely have my stubbornness in you, and you test me daily, I wouldn't trade you for anything. You are so smart, helpful, handsome, funny, and AWESOME Sutton Grey. And now you're FOUR which means you are a big big boy!

Edit: I totally forgot to do his 4 year video until today, August 7th. But I figured better a month and a half late than never! So here is the 4 year video with the same questions as the 3 year video.

And the transcript in case you can't understand him:

1.    How old are you? Four

2.    What is your favorite color? Red

3.    What is your favorite toy? Those cars...Captain America shield

4.    What is your favorite fruit? Strawberries

5.    What is your favorite movie? Wreck It Ralph

6.    What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Meat cheese and mayo sandwich

7.    What is your favorite outfit? This.

8.    What is your favorite game to play? Mario...when will we play Mario again?

9.    What is your favorite snack? Goldfish

10. What is your favorite animal? Zebras

11. What is your favorite song? ABCs

12. What is your favorite book? Nothing...butt book {we're really into potty humor...}

13. Who is your best friend? Zane

14. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Toast

15. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play on the playground

16. What is your favorite drink? Chocolate milk

17. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas

18. What do you like to take to bed at night? I'm just, all the time when I go to bed is taking my harness and my Captain America shield.

19. What do you want to be when you get big? I told you a lot of times, a superhero!

20. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? I don't know.

At the end he says "Now I wanna do the Daddy one" cause he wanted me to show him a video he had watched on Daddy's phone.

June Family Photos

Each year around Sutton's birthday we get our family photos taken by my sweet friend Ginger. This year, I took their photos at the same time she took ours. Despite the humidity and mosquitoes, we got some great ones! I'm using these to update the Bio section on my website and on here since I hadn't added Ren yet. Hooray for our first photos as a family of four!

Sutton and Ginger's little guy Ezra matched! We didn't even do it on purpose. They goofed around a bit and I loved this one I got of the "twins."

I took some of Sutton alone that I will post along with his 4-year update (hopefully) next week!

Ren {Four Months}

Ren. At your 4 month photo shoot, I couldn't get you to sit up without sitting forward and crashing, so you're kind of sunk into yourself, which makes you look smaller than your 3 month photo even though you're not. :) Crazy kid. At 4 months:

*You weigh 15.2 pounds according to our scale. Not sure of your length. We have an appointment on July 2, so we'll figure that out then.

*You have outgrown most 0-3 month size clothes and are wearing 3 month and 3-6 month stuff. I really need to switch out your closet but haven't had time.

*We're finishing up using the size 1 diapers and will move onto 2s after we finish this last pack of 1s.

*You had still been nursing every 3 hours, about 10 minutes on each side. But the last couple of days we've run into problems. You started refusing the nipple shield, which is fine. So I began consistently nursing you without it. Now you won't nurse as long or eat as much and I'm in a ton of pain again like at the beginning. We'll keep working on it and I suppose if all else fails, we'll go into the breastfeeding clinic for some help.

*You like to suck your bottom lip in, which I think is part of why I'm in so much pain…your latch just isn't quite right without the shield. You kept your bottom lip in for a lot of these photos, like the one belwo:

*You're still on a similar schedule to last month. You wake up around 7:30am for the day. You take a nap in the morning, for an hour to an hour and a half. Sometimes you'll take a few shorter catnaps instead of a long one. Then you take a long afternoon nap. And a shorter evening nap. Or once again, sometimes just some catnaps. It depends on how busy we are and if we're moving you around or not. Luckily, you're a go-with-the-flow kinda guy.

*You still usually eat just once during the night, anywhere between 2 and 4:30am. Then you wake up again around 6 or 6:30 and I bring you to our bed, feed you laying down and we both go back to sleep until Sutton gets up around 7:30 or 8. If you wake for the day before Sutton does, we just lay in bed and talk and smile. I love these precious one-on-one moments with you.

*You are just so happy. You love to smile at us. When Daddy gets in your face and says "Can you say Daddy?" or if I do the same with "Can you say Mommy?" …your face just lights up! I can tell you love us. Sometimes we'll just catch you watching us and smiling. You give big brother lots of smiles too, but sometimes he can overwhelm you a bit. :)

*In the past couple of weeks (around June 7, 8, 9), you've started laughing. It's the cutest thing. We will rub our face in your belly or kiss your neck repeatedly and you just have this low raspy laugh, just like your voice.

*Around June 6ish, you started reaching for things. Your bouncy seat has some toys that hang down over it, and your Daddy and I both noticed separately that you'd finally noticed the toys, and were kind of reaching for them. I caught you smiling about it one day too.

*Your talking can get really intense, like you're really trying to tell us things. It's so sweet and you get so animated about it. I need to get some videos of this.

*You've started putting your left left straight up in the air sometimes. Like when you're in your carseat, I'll catch you with your leg up in the air. The photo below kinda shows it, but usually it's higher.

*You also like to put your right fist in the air, like you're a superhero flying through the sky.

*We took you swimming for the first time this month. We just put your feet in, and you didn't seem to care one way or the other. Maybe later on this summer we will put your body in too.

*You will not stop chewing on your hands. Your hands are often in little fists, and always in your mouth. We try to keep them out and keep the pacifier in, but we fail at that more often than not.

*I've been putting you in your Bumbo chair more and more and you're doing better but still pretty floppy about it. You always lean to one side or forward and after awhile you get mad about sitting like that.

*You fall asleep a lot after feedings and when I'm holding you. If I'm holding you and walking or talking, you're just lulled to sleep. I know you won't sleep for much longer while I hold you so I'm trying to soak it up.

*I read back through your 3 month post, and I feel like most stuff is still the same as last month. I can't believe we're a 3rd of the way through your first year already!

*I feel that I cannot for the life of me capture your cuteness in photos. I think your photos are cute, but I think you're way cuter in real life. Oh well.

And the monthly comparison. See how I said he looks smaller than last month? But it's just because he was being all slouchy. The thighs have definitely gotten a big chunkier. :)

Dreher Boys {April 2014}

I randomly found this amazing few rows of purple trees while I was driving in the country in April, and I knew I had to do photos there. I called one of my clients and rescheduled her session to that week so we could use the trees before they weren't purple anymore. And after that shoot, I knew I had to take my boys out there too!

This was quite some time ago, but life has been going at warp speed ever since I got back from maternity leave. I figured I should post them before my boys don't even resemble the little people in these photos anymore!

I had Adam take one of me and my boys.

Two peas in a pod: