She's on the move!

Lainey Bug started crawling today! Nothing is safe! ;)

 

Lainey: 8 Months

It's been so surreal this Holiday season with Lainey and our sweet family of four. For the past few years I dreamed and wondered if we would have another babe to share our family traditions with. Waiting, wishing, praying....and to have her here is pure joy. I still can't believe we have a baby...much less a girl. Pinch me!

Lainey and her gal pal Cori! <3 br="">

Lainey is so much fun lately and is into everything! She's still not crawling but gets everywhere quickly! I forget about how busy this stage (and by stage I mean years!) becomes. Every bit of anything goes right into the mouth. Things pulled off shelves and the little trails of evidence she leaves behind.

Her disposition is so, so sweet. She is smiley and happy all the time. She doesn't make much noise but when she does is a growl or 'Dadadadadada'. I adore the way she looks at Dawson and how she searches the room to find her Dad. Melt.

Waiting to pick up big brother from school.

Lainey got her first tooth this month as well! Her bottom, front, left tooth is in! None others yet, but I'm sure they are close behind. Baby food is just about a thing of the past. She way prefers actual food and bits that she can eat on her own.

She still does like her jumperoo but the time she likes to spend in it is getting shorter and shorter and she wants to move!

Lainey's schedule is fairly predictable these days which leaves us house bound a fair amount. I know I don't have to bend to her nap schedule but she's in such a great sleep pattern I don't want to even touch it. A typical day for her is...

7:00am: Wake Up
7:30am: Breakfast of toast and fruit
9:00am: 8oz. Bottle
9:00am-11:00am: Nap
11:30am: Lunch: Cheese, puff, veggie
12:30pm: 8oz. Bottle
12:30-2pm: Nap
4:00pm: 8oz. Bottle
5:30pm: Dinner
7:00pm: 8oz. Bottle
...then sleeping til 7am. A dream. I'll NEVER take it for granted! If we are up at night its because Dawson has a bad dream and/or wants to crawl in bed with us.

At 8 months...
- Claps, (kinda) waves and (kinda) signs 'milk'
- Has one tooth
- Loves to stick out her tounge
- Loves to put all things in her mouth (expect won't take a Nuk)
- Gets a little shy with strangers and will tuck her head into your neck
- Is a great snuggler
- Is in size 4 diapers and 12 month clothes

Four Generations: GG, Nana, Mama and Lainey

Lainey: 7 Months

What a fun month it has been with Miss Lainey. Lots of firsts and new things with her this month. Love the joy this girl exudes and the light in her eyes. Her presence is so calming. She loves to sit and observe all that is going on around her...but there must be something to hold her interest or she won't last long!

Lainey has started talking too! Her first word was 'Mama' and her second word being 'Dada'. She does seem to call out 'Mama' when she is in distress or growing impatient. The moment she is rescued she'll let out a sweet, soft 'Dada' with a smile. That girl!

Lainey has starting eating some more table foods as well this month. Puffs, toast, bananas, cheese, soft/steamed veggies. The girl LOVES to eat.

Lainey and I had our first 'Mother/Daughter' shopping outing, just the two of us. I can't even hardly explain the feeling...it was something I did with my mom a lot and envisioned doing the same with my daughter one day. Oh the shopping trips and memories we'll have together. Love it! And since this is a 'brag-blog' I have to mention how many people stopped us to gawk at Lainey and say how adorable and well behaved she was...and I would have to agree.

A typical day with Lainey at 7 months:
7:30am: Wake up for the day
Followed by breakfast (toast and a fruit)
9:00am: 6oz bottle and morning nap that is 45min - 90 min.
11:00am: Lunch (veggie, cheese, puffs, etc.)
12:30pm: 6oz bottle and morning nap that is 45min - 90 min.
4:00pm: 6oz bottle
5:30pm: Dinner (veggie, cheese, puffs, etc.)
6:30pm: 6oz bottle and bed

Dawson loves reading to Lainey. The sweetest boy.

At 7 months, Lainey...
- Had her first Halloween. She was an adorable Lady Bug (her nickname is Lainey Bug so I HAD to!)
- Says 'Mama' and 'Dada'
- Is rolling all over and can go from sitting to laying on her belly and vise versa. She rocks on all fours and I have a feeling will be crawling in the next month!
- Does this tip her head to the side move with a smile. It's so cute!
- Is content 95% of the time. Then goes right to screaming...not much crying.
- Dislikes her carseat so very much.
- Likes to sleep on her side or on her tummy with her little bum in the air
- Gets so excited after sleep to have someone come and get her. She flaps her arms, stiffens and bounces up and down like she is going to take off
- Loves her Jumperoo

Lainey and GG!

We love this little sweet pea so much and are so thankful God choose her to join our family.

Dawson is 5!

 

Dawson is 5. Five! Just like that we have a little big kid. A whole handful of years. Five feels like such a milestone and I can't believe I'm the mom of a 5 year old.

4 and 1/2 into 5 has been amazing. I'm loving this age with Dawson. His patience is longer, his conversations are interesting, his imagination is exploding and his creativity is expansive. He's learned so much in the past few months.

 

 

Daryn and I were talking the other day about how vast his interests are. Just an example, on his birthday he picked out an easel for his gift and spent the first few hours of the day coloring on it. Then he went outside with Daryn to play kickball and run around the house. Then he came inside read books and played his drums. We then topped the morning off with a dance off in the kitchen. I'll be curious to see what interests rise to the top, but for now I love that he has so many things he likes to do.

 

At the end of summer I wrote a post at how much I love Dawson's personality as is continues to develop. He's so sensitive, kind, caring, energetic and has such enthusiasm. He reminds me SO much of Daryn and that only grows daily. I'm so thankful for how God knit Dawson together and that he placed them in our family. He brings joy and light to whoever he interacts with.

At 5 years old, Dawson...

- Is 3'9" (88%) and 46lbs (83%)

- The Doctor projected Dawson to be 6'1" as an adult.

- Has an incredible memory and can recall details from years ago out of the blue or a fact he learned from a book.

- Is a great helper and is always asking what he can do to help around the house.

- Is a GREAT big brother. He's so sweet to his sister and loves to make her laugh. LOVE watching their relationship develop.

- Really enjoys 4K. He loves to play school at home and make up projects to do.

- Loves going to AWANA Cubbies each week. He enjoys memorizing verses and thinking about how he can tell others that God loves them. Cubbies is a highlight each week and I can definitely see the effect it has had on in heart and in his sweet spirit.

- Loves to help grocery shop and is so excited when I come home with a load of food. He has to taste test it all before we put it away.

Interview with a five year old:
1. What is your favorite color? Red
2. What is your favorite toy? Leap Reader
3. What is your favorite fruit? Watermelon
4. What is your favorite tv show? Caillou
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Chicken Nuggets
6. What is your favorite outfit? My Red Pants and 'Tough Champion' shirt
7. What is your favorite game? Candy Land
8. What is your favorite snack? Fruit Snacks
9. What is your favorite animal? Cheetah, Falcon, Kitty, Fish and Giraffe
10. What is your favorite song? Some Nights, Drummer Boy and TobyMac
11. What is your favorite book? Harold and the Purple Crayon
12. Who is your best friend? Jackson, Veda, Averi and Adelie
13. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Waffles
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Kick the red ball at the garage ball with Daddy
15. What is your favorite drink? Apple Juice and Sparkling Water
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas and October
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Weenie the Beanie Baby ;)
18. What do you like best about yourself? That I'm right handed
19. What is your favorite thing to do at school?  Play with Jenna and Adelie and play with the blocks
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A musician

Lainey: 6 Months

This girl loves to eat! Do her cheeks give that away? ;)

The. Best.

This little squish is 6 months old today. What a milestone that feels like. Hard to believe that in another 6 months we'll be celebrating her first birthday!

I love getting glimpses of her personality and thinking about what will stick and what is just a phase. People that are around her always ask, 'Is she always this happy?'. And yes, yes she is! (With a few exceptions of course.) Lainey is full of smiles, especially when her big brother is around. She is so taken with him. He loves to make her giggle too. Aren't baby giggles the best?!

Lainey sits up on her own and is rolling too. She doesn't roll much on her own and mostly just from her back to tummy. It loves to bang her arms around and suck on her toes. She will sit up on the floor and then folder over to suck on her toes...it looks so funny.

Lainey is a GREAT sleeper at night but her naps are a little touch and go...but I'll take that! She's started a bit on solid foods and is not a fan of green veggies. She will just sit in her high chair with a smile on her face and lips pressed together as if she is saying 'Oh you can try but there is no way I'm letting that in!'.

Seems like she's been growing like crazy too! I was swaying her to sleep and looked at the mirror in the room and couldn't believe how big she looked in my arms. When did that happen?

Man, does this girl ever brighten our world. We LOVE her and the life she brings to our family.

Lainey is 28" (99%) and 18lb 9oz (87%). Doc said she is the size of an average 1 year old!

I mean...seriously?

Here are what Lainey's days look like:

5:30am: Wake for a 5oz. bottle then back to sleep (however this feeding seems to be dropping)
7:00am: Up for the morning. So happy too! I love getting her out of her crib in the morning.
8:30am: 6oz. bottle
9:00am: Nap for 30min - 1.5 hours
11:30am: Baby Food
12:30pm: 6 oz. bottle
1:00pm: Nap for 1-2 hours
4:00pm: 6oz. bottle
5:30pm: Baby Food
6:30pm: 6oz bottle and bed

Went to go and check on her before bed one night and this is what I walked into!

This Boy.

I couldn't have dreamed up a more perfect little boy. God hit the mark on the head when he created this one.

Sweet, tenderhearted, smart, joyful, brave, caring.

He has such a zest and excitement towards, well basically anything. He gets his enthusiasm from his Dad no doubt.

He loves being active, following in his daddy's footsteps, sports, reading, writing, trucks and playing games.

He is an amazing big brother. I knew he'd fit the roll, but he far passed any and all expectations I had of him. He's loving, engaging, protective and sweet with her. And boy does Lainey love him.

Dawson mastered many new things this summer: riding his bike with training wheels, swimming like a fish, reading like a pro, writing books and conquering the playground.

 

He's got such an appetite, I can't imagine what that will look like when he is 13.

And those big brown eyes. I melt when I look into them. He's such a lover.

...and today he started 4K. This boy is growing so quickly before my eyes. Trying to drink in each moment before it slips through my fingers. I was telling him how proud I am of him today and how he was growing so big. He replied, "Well Mom one good thing about be getting bigger is that I'll have longer arms to wrap around your neck when I hug you." And I hope he'll do just that.

Lainey: 5 Months

This sweet little thing is 5 months old today. 5 MONTHS. It was a big day today in the Allen house as big brother Dawson started 4K today as well, more on that in the next post...

Lainey is an absolute joy. I still can't believe she is here and that she is a SHE. Lainey is a dream baby and very content 95% of the time...although when we are in the 5%, everyone knows we are in the 5%!

She's become so interactive with her surroundings this past month. She is constantly reaching for anything in her path and trying to put it in her mouth. Including...her thumb! It's adorable.

We've started feeding her some food (oatmeal and applesauce). Nothing consistent yet. Some days she eats a ton, other days she has no interest.

Most days look like this:
6:30am: Up for the day
7:00am: 6oz. Bottle
9-10:00am: Nap
10:30am: 6oz. Bottle
12:30pm: 6oz. Bottle
1-3:30pm: Nap
4:00pm: 6oz. Bottle
6:30pm: 6oz. Bottle
7:00pm: Bed

Post nap with cousin Weston!

LOVES her brother so much!

Then she's out til the next morning. So thankful she is such a great sleeper...will never take that for granted. She sleeps without her swaddle and is great a self soothing (for the most part) by falling asleep on her own.

At 5 Months, Lainey...
- is 17.5lbs
- Is not rolling over...and still not motivated to really even try.
- Can almost sit up on her own
- Like her jumperoo
- Loves grabbing her feet while lying on her back
- LOVES to smile and giggle
- Has enough hair for bows! **Squeal!**

One of my most favorite photos of the two of them...

Dawson loves touching and holding her hands. So sweet.

Such a helper boy.

Lainey with her lovey.