4 Months Old

This giant boy is so big that sometimes I forget he is only 4 months old.  Every month brings new developments and so much joy!

Asher is a such a happy camper!  He looooves people and loves to smile.  His favorite person to laugh at is daddy, but he will give me little giggles from time to time.

He also loves to coo and talk to anyone who will listen.  Also, he especially loves to talk to his binky and anything he can hold in his hands.

He is getting so much stronger.  He is much better at sitting with support, and loves to lean up and stand on the couch.  He can scoot himself around on his belly a bit as well (although it makes him kind of mad.)

He still loves his bath and kicks and splashes with all his might the whole time.  He also looooves going to the pool for the same reason.  Asher is really getting interested in toys and screens lately.  He likes to look at the TV if Ephraim is watching cartoons (oops :-P) and loves his playmate and jumparoo. He also likes to grab blankets and burp rags because they are easy to hold and chew on.  When he sees something he wants he tenses up and lifts his arms and legs up off the ground with all his might.  Eventually I guess he will figure out that the opposite has to happen in order for him to actually move/crawl ;-)

Speaking of chewing, this little man looooves to chew on his hands.  His hands are always in his mouth, and he is quite the thumb sucker!  He is getting better at keeping his thumb in his mouth, and although he likes to sleep swaddled with a binky, he will often suck his thumb to fall asleep during the day.

Things that Asher does not like include: getting dressed, being left alone with no one to talk to, being tired, and being finished eating. Asher cries almost every time he has to stop eating.  He just loves to eat!  He nurses every 2-3 hours during the day, but only wakes up once during the night now.

This boy is getting quite a bit of hair on the top of his head and I just love how fuzzy and soft it is!

It's so fun to watch this sweet, social, funny boy grow! Happy 4 months cutie!

3 Years Old

It's true, my toddler is really more of a preschooler than a toddler!

You hear things thrown around like "the terrible twos" and "threenager."  I feel like the two's were not too hard to navigate, but this "approaching three" thing has thrown me for a bit of a loop (adding a new baby into the mix probably hasn't helped).  Ephraim is smart and curious.  He also has a mischievous streak.  He keeps me on my toes.

Ephraim loves cars, planes and trains.  He also loves to learn all about the names of different animals.  Really he just loves life and learning new words!

He is really good at speaking, and speaks in full sentences.  He is starting to ask a lot more questions and has started using pronouns.  He refers to everyone as "he" and "that guy," but he knows that mommy is a girl, so he is beginning to figure out genders.

Ephraim's favorite TV show is probably "Octonauts," a cute show about animals that go underwater to learn about and help sea creatures. He likes to say "Aye Aye Captain" when I ask him to do things and says "water" with an English accent because of that show.

He loves to sing little songs when he is playing.  "Hooked on a feeling" by Blue Swede is a current favorite.  However, if he does not like a song he will announce that "this is a grown-up song," and tell me, "I not like this one."

Ephraim is a sweet big brother.  He loves to tell Asher that "He is so cute," and talk to him in a high pitch voice.  He also gives him lots of hugs and kisses.  He does not, however, like sharing his bath with Asher, because Asher loves to kick and splash in the bath and generally encroach on Ephraim's space.

You can tell he listens to mommy and daddy more closely now, because now if he doesn't want to do something he will tell me that it is "too dangerous," "too far away," "costs too much money," or that "I can't because I'm angry."  He also loves to exclaim, "Oh crap!" when things don't go his way.

Ephraim also looooves to "be silly."  "That's so silly," is probably one of his favorite phrases.

Ephraim's memory is improving.  He tells me about all the things he did "last night" (anything that happened in the past is last night).  The other day he told me all about the things he did last halloween.  He reminds me as we pass restaurants and things that they are places we have gone with "the uncles" etc.

Ephraim is afraid of monsters in movies, and can be shy with new people and big groups.  He will tell me if he is feeling shy or afraid though, and can usually work through those feelings and be "so brave."

We just finished moving into our first home, and the first day we were here he told me that he didn't like our new house because none of our stuff was in it.  He has been getting used to the idea of living in a new place and gets more excited the more we unpack.

Ephraim planned his own birthday.  He told me that he wanted a birthday cake with candles, ice cream, party hats, and balloons.  He also wanted to eat at CiCi's and see a movie with "Grandma, Grandpa, Uncles and Nathan".  We went to see Inside Out, and had a great time.

Ephraim likes to tell me all about how big and tall he is, but he still isn't too big for cuddles and binkies, so that is good.  He is 39.5 inches tall.  Although sometimes I am not as patient as I should be with his antics I feel so blessed to be his mama.  He is a such a happy boy who is excited about life, and I am excited to see what the next year will bring.

More Pictures of Ephraim

Three Months Old

I don't know how we got so blessed with these boys.

Asher continues to be an absolute joy. He is quick to smile and loves to be held and walked around.  He loooves his daddy and gives him the biggest smiles, but is social and will smile at anyone who takes the time to talk to him.

He is so close to laughing and makes the cutest happy cooing sounds, but hasn't yet let out those baby giggles.

He is getting better at moving his hands and loves to grab things, especially during tummy time and will gnaw on his hands with all his might if he can get them pinned down.  

He holds his hands together and stares at them in the car, and I've caught him eyeing his feet a couple of times, so he is becoming more aware.

Asher is a good sleeper.  He takes lots of little naps during the day and sleeps all night very regularly now.

He is still a big boy and by our best estimate weighs 18.5 pounds.  Also, most of his 3-6 month clothes are too small now.

His head control is really good now during tummy time, but he is still a wobbly wiggly baby when you stand him up. He rolls over from front to back like a pro, but hasnt rolled from back to front yet.  He can scoot himself all over his little tummy time mat though.

Asher went swimming for the first time the other day and seemed to enjoy being in the water while being held by mommy.  He still enjoys his bathtime and kicks with all his might the whole time. 

Asher likes being naked and smiles a lot during diaper changes and protests when it comes time to put the clean diaper back on.

Asher has had a bit of a tongue tie since birth, but somehow he tore his frenulum a couple weeks ago.  It didn't seem to bother him and he is no longer tongue-tied.

We are in Florida right now and went to Illinois a few weeks ago.  Both times were very long car rides, but they went without any trouble.  Asher is a well-traveled little munchkin.

We are so grateful Asher is our sweet chunky little boy.

More Pictures Here

Two Months Old

Oh, Asher!  I am so in love!  I've decided that two months old is just the greatest! It's like a light bulb has switched on and he is so much more aware of the world around him.

Asher is becoming so much more social.  He smiles every day now, especially when I talk to him.  Just the other day he was crying and then stopped and smiled just because I came over and he saw me.  Also, he smiled and gave a little chuckle to Ephraim the other day, and Ephraim was absolutely smitten.

He's settling into a nice routine.  Bedtime right after Ephraim's (Around 9) and then sleeping until 7-ish.  I also can usually get him to take a 2-3 hour nap right at the same time as Ephraim's nap, and that is great! He has slept for longer stretches here and there, but mostly is still waking up to eat every 2-3 hours.  

He is a big big boy.  We will find out on Tuesday just how big.  I recently caved and pulled out his 3-6 month clothes, but most of those are tight as well!

Asher likes to stand up and be held up.  He doesn't like it if you hold him laying down in the crook of your arm.  He wants to see everything.  He is also very strong.  He is still able to roll over from back to belly (since birth pretty much :-P) and holding up his head really well.

He likes tummy time on his mat (in short spurts), and has recently discovered chewing on his hands.  Asher still loves bath time.  He doesn't like his carseat (unless he is sleeping, which he does a lot in the car).  We recently did our first road trip to San Antonio.  He slept 5 hours of the 6 hour drive and we were able to keep him happy the rest of the time with his binky (or binker as we like to call it).  He tries to resist the binky, but it will usually calm him down unless he is hungry.

We just love what a happy little man Asher is.  Ephraim is especially in love with his baby brother.  He had to show his baby brother to the librarian the other day, and likes to tell me that Asher is cute.  If Asher is crying he tells him to "settle down" and holds his hand in the car.  I'm so excited for them to be little buddies growing up.

We love you Asher!

More Asher Picture Here