Bradley Steele - 5 & 6 Months

5 Months

Weight: 18ish lbs

Height: 27ish in

Wearing: 3-6 month clothing and size 4 diapers

Eat

Bradley is started spacing out his feedings a bit this month! He is still breast feeding, but is going closer to 3 hours between each feeding instead of 2 hours on the dot. He's showing a big interest in solid foods, and although we haven't started him on any yet I'm excited to see how much he chows down when we do!

Sleep

Sleep has been a MESS this month. The 4 month sleep regression hit us in full force and brought with it a boycott of naps and tons of overnight wake ups. Things are starting to get better, but for a while there I was one exhausted mama. Naps are tough at this age because he's not quite ready for long stretches of awake time yet, and Addie's school schedule makes it tough to get him on any kind of routine first thing of the morning, so then the afternoons are totally thrown off too. I know that once he gets just a little older we can move towards the 2-3-4 schedule that worked so well with Addie! But for now it's lots of 30 minute naps in the car or in my lap and we're just taking what we can get!

Play

Little man has become so engaged over the past month! He is still so happy and smiles at the drop of a hat. He loves toys that crinkle, grabbing his toes, and when his sister sings to him. He's also a big fan of "petting" the cats, giving open mouth kisses to Lou, and snuggling with mommy! Bradley has completely mastered rolling from his tummy to his back, which makes tummy time a little difficult since he just flips right over, and he officially rolled from back to tummy by himself last week but hasn't done it again since. 

Going from 4 to 5 months has been a little rough, but I remember it was the same way with Addie. Lots of growing, a big mental leap, and some sleep issues just tend to make for a grumpy baby! But if I'm being honest, Brad's version of grumpy is really not that bad at all! So we're just sticking to our routines, having lots of extra snuggles, and crossing our fingers that some sort of predictable sleep routine is in our near future ;)

This post is a bit short, but it's because we are prepping for a very exciting holiday trip! For some reason we lost our minds and decided that a cross-country road trip to Colorado would be a great idea this year and we are equal parts excited and anxious about this big undertaking. Bradley is still pretty unsure about his car seat most of the time and Addison is your typical active toddler, so while we're pretty sure the drive is going to be a little rough, we know the trip will be 100% worth it!

Next up for the Beards: We will make the crazy trek to Colorado and enjoy the holidays with family! As if this trip isn't crazy enough, Mike is gearing up for a deployment shortly after the new year! There's definitely a lot going on, but that means we have a whole lot to look forward to as well! Wish us luck! :)

6 Months

Weight: 18 lbs 9 oz (half a pound more than his sister at this age!)
Height: 27 in
Wearing: 6-9 month clothing and size 4/5 diapers (depending on the brand)

Eat
Bradley is still nursing every 2-3 hours during the day and anywhere from 1-6 times over night (yes, seriously. more on that later!). We have been anxiously waiting for him to show all signs of readiness so that we can introduce solids and he is finally ready! I have a feeling he's going to LOVE solids and I can't wait to get started! It may feel like Brad is nursing A LOT, but he is very efficient and can finish a "meal" in 5-10 minutes, and the spit up situation is finally under control!

Sleep
Sleep has been an absolute NIGHTMARE. I think that between the 3 day road trip (both ways), time zone changes, teething issues, and being totally thrown off schedule, little man just decided to completely boycott sleep. While we were in Colorado things were really rough for most of the trip, but now that we're home and back on track schedule-wise, he's starting to settle back down! I'm aiming to get him on the 2-3-4 schedule that we transitioned Addie to at this age and I'm hoping that once his naps are more consistent (read: longer than 30 minutes) that his night time sleep will start to fall into place as well! The 2-3-4 schedule was a game changer for Addie once she figured it out, so my fingers are crossed for a similar result with Brad. Basically, it's 2 naps a day - the first nap starts 2 hours after waking for the day, then the second nap starts 3 hours after waking from the first nap, and finally bed time is 4 hours after waking from the second nap. Cross your fingers, say a prayer, or send some sleepy dust our way because mama is TIRED.

Play
Bradley has been a busy guy this past month! He smiles and laughs more than ever - and thank goodness because if he's not gonna sleep then I need SOMETHING to keep me going! He is sitting up totally on his own for about 30-60 seconds at a time, and is a total rockstar at tummy time! He can roll both ways, but likes to pretend he can't so that someone will pick him up instead. He loves to chew on sweatshirt strings, his right thumb, and his socks. His favorite songs are Jingle Bells and Baby Beluga and he absolutely prefers that Addie sing them to him over anyone else. He is completely fascinated with the cats and will gladly open his mouth super wide for some kisses from Lou. He despises being in the car or the stroller, but will happily hang out in the Ergo carrier all day long. He is a huge fan of playing peekaboo, and is the most ticklish baby I've ever met!

Bradley's 6th month was absolutely insane from start to finish, but even with all of the traveling, the teething, and the lack of sleep, he was still our happy little man and we've had so much fun watching his personality totally blossom. His first tooth finally popped through on January 4th, and the second followed shortly after. I'm going to miss his huge gummy smiles, but I know they'll probably be even cuter with two little teeth poking up! And speaking of cute, little man's red hair is still sticking around and his eyes are the most beautiful shade of bright blue (like his daddy). He is the most handsome little man and my heart just explodes every time his face lights up in one of those big ol' grins! 

Next up for the Beards: Honestly? Nothing too exciting. Now that the holidays are over, we're just excited to settle back into our normal routine and relax for a while. I guess the next big thing on the horizon is Valentine's Day, which definitely means heart shaped pancakes for breakfast (and maybe dinner too) and some fun homemade treats for Addie's classmates! Other than that, you can find us desperately attempting to catch up on laundry, and enjoying all the snuggles we possibly can :) 

I hope you all enjoyed your holidays as much as we did! Recap post coming soon! :)

Thanksgiving 2018

Am I behind on these updates or what?? I mean, I'm usually pretty behind but this is pretty extreme! Mike surprised me with a new laptop and before I could figure out how to move over all of my pictures and get things organized, the holidays hit and the blog got completely pushed to the back burner! So bear with me... I have quite a few updates to post in the next few days! :)

I think I've mentioned before that visiting the pumpkin patch is my favorite family tradition, but coming in VERY close second is hosting Thanksgiving dinner at our house. This was our sixth time hosting, and it seriously just gets better every year!

For our very first married Thanksgiving, wayyyyy back in 2013, Mike knew I was feeling a little down about being away from my family in Colorado for the first time, so he suggested that we host a dinner at our teeny, tiny townhouse and I reluctantly agreed. I mean, when I say teeny tiny I am NOT exaggerating. Our townhouse was literally four rooms and less than 1,000 square feet - a living room and kitchen downstairs, and two bedrooms/bathrooms upstairs so I wasn't exactly sure about hosting a big dinner. And forget about the space issue.. I had never cooked a turkey before! But man, am I glad that I agreed to put together that dinner because it started such an amazing tradition for our family!

This year was extra special, because it was Bradley's first Thanksgiving AND I had both of my sisters in town to celebrate it with! Gracie has been out to visit several times, but Camille has only been able to come once when Addie was about 10 months old, so this was really such a treat for all of us!

The food was amazing (seriously, BEST turkey I've ever cooked), but the company was even better, and we couldn't be more thankful to have been surrounded by friends and family for this special day! 

 Next up: I'll be sharing a 5 AND 6 month update on Bradley and a whole post dedicated to  our Colorado Christmas! 

Addison Grace - 2.5 Years

Better late than never ;)

Height: 34.5 inches

Weight: 31 lbs

Wearing: 3T clothing and no more diapers! (except when she sleeps)

Eat

Addison is an awesome eater and it slowly becoming more adventurous with her tastes! The girl never met a snack she didn't like, and will happily graze all day long. Some of her favorites are applesauce, bagels & cream cheese, cherry tomatoes, salami, and pepperoni pizza. She loves all things sweet (like her mommy and daddy) and loves to help me bake because it means she gets to sample all the goods!

Sleep

Addie is a great and pretty predictable sleeper. Bedtime is between 6 and 6:30 each night and is usually awake by 6 each day. She still (for the most part) takes a solid 1.5-2.5 hour nap each day, depending on how busy her mornings are. We went through a no nap phase for a little while (she wasn't napping at school) and things were ROUGH. So we dropped her back down to half days at school so that she could come home and get the rest she needs and things have been mostly smooth sailing since then!

Play

Addie is a rough and tumble little girl and loves to run, jump, and dance all day long! She currently goes to both a dance class and a gymnastics class and cannot get enough of either. She's also really into painting and drawing, and she loves to trace her hand prints, make "polka dots", and ask me to draw mice about a million times a day. Addie LOVES to read stories and sing songs. She has an awesome memory for lyrics, and will usually sing the whole drive to school.

This has been an incredibly fun age for Addie, but definitely challenging at times. Girlfriend has sass for DAYS and can throw a fit like you've never seen, but will almost always ask for extra kisses at bed time and gives the absolute best hugs! She loves to make people laugh, especially her little brother, but she can be a bossy little thing as well! Some of our favorite things about Addie right now are:

• Her CRAZY hair. The back is really starting to thicken up and get long, but the front is thinner and wispier and it definitely has kind of a mullet vibe to it. The morning after we wash it, it's always so fluffy and sticks up in a million directions and it's just the cutest thing.

• The way she asks questions. She has somehow figured out to tilt her head to the side and use an upward inflection in her voice to make her 8-million-a-day questions as cute as can be. "Like cream cheese, Mommy?" "How doin' today Daddy?" - it's seriously so darn sweet.

• The way she interacts with her brother! She will proudly tell everyone she meets "I a big sister!" and loves to bring him his favorite toys, tickle his toes, and sing him songs. I can't wait to watch their relationship grow as they both get older!

Life with Addison is certainly never boring! While I'm not the biggest fan of the tantrums that two and half seems to bring, I absolutely love watching Addie grow and seeing her little mind work and change every day! I have a feeling that it's only going to get more fun as time goes on! :)

Next up for the Beards: I plan to share a recap of our awesome Thanksgiving! I finally had both of my sisters out to visit at the same time and we had SO much fun!  Other than that, it's just business as usual around here as we gear up for the holidays. I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving as much as we did!

Bradley Steele - 4 Months

Well I made the mistake of blinking and an entire month flew by again! It's hard to believe that my sweet little man is a third of a year old already! It seems like yesterday that I was still hugely pregnant and waiting for him to arrive, but at the same time I can hardly remember what life was like without him. Here's an update on our happy little guy:

Weight: 16 lbs 10 oz

Height: 25.75 in

Wearing: 6 month clothes and size 4 diapers

Eat

Bradley is obviously a great eater :) He is starting to eat with less frequency during the day, but still nursing about 8 times from when he starts his day to when he goes to sleep. He's a very efficient but MESSY eater, and you can usually find him with a big milky grin on his face! The spit up situation is continuing to improve, but some days are worse than others. I'm definitely looking forward to the day that he outgrows that for good!

Sleep

Brad is a pretty decent sleeper for his age and he has officially moved into the crib in his own room! He usually takes one great nap in the afternoon (1.5-2 hrs) and then will cat nap in the car or the swing in the mornings and evenings. His over-night sleep isn't super consistent yet, but bedtime is usually around 7 and he starts his day around 6:30. Some nights he'll only wake up once (around 3:30 or 4) to nurse, but other nights he's up every 3ish hours. Either way, pretty decent for a 4 month old!

Play

Bradley is still such a happy little man! He has the biggest, gummiest smile and the squeakiest little laugh. He is super chatty and makes all kinds of different noises from sweet coos to loud shrieks, and loves to talk back and forth with us! He's great at tummy time and can roll from tummy to back on occasion, but would much rather be standing in somebody's lap. We spend a lot of time practicing sitting up, but he still has a ways to go before perfecting that skill - mostly he just folds over like a taco. He's getting really good at grabbing toys and stuffing them in his mouth! Some of his favorites are Sophie the giraffe and the little toucan toy we took off of his activity mat. He absolutely loves kisses from Lou, but Addie is the one who always makes him laugh the hardest!

In other Bradley news: He has graduated from the infant car seat to the convertible seat (a Graco 4Ever to match his sister) and it has slightly improved his hatred of being in the car! But only slightly. I'm also pretty sure that he's working on cutting his first tooth! I can see where it's going to eventually break through his gums, so hopefully we can get through that quickly and mostly pain free for him! Brad is the snuggliest baby and I think he would be content if we just cuddled on the couch all day long - totally different than Addison was as a baby, but I am loving it! Speaking of Addison, she officially turns two and a half this week, and I can't wait to share an update on our big, beautiful girl!

Up next for the Beards: We're gearing up for our big Thanksgiving celebration! We are hosting again this year (for the 6th year in a row!) and it's even more special because BOTH of my sisters will be in town to spend the day with us! It is pretty rare to get all 3 of us in the same place at the same time these days, and while both of them have been out to North Carolina to visit, they've never been out here at the same time! To say I'm excited would be a huge understatement! :)

Pumpkin Patch 2018

The year that I moved to Jacksonville was full of so many firsts for me. I was in a new state with my new husband living in our first home together. We were trying to navigate the ins and outs of building a life together and we knew that we wanted to start traditions that we could continue for years to come! We just weren't really sure where to start.

Well, we stumbled upon a little pumpkin patch out in front of the church down the street from our house and we didn't know it at the time, but our very first family tradition was born! Our budget was SO tight, but Mike told me to fill up the wagon with as many pumpkins as it would hold, and to this day it's one of my favorite memories of our first year of marriage!

I honestly didn't believe that we'd still live in Jacksonville the next fall, let alone 4 more falls after that! But here we are, for the 6th October in a row, visiting our favorite little pumpkin patch. And now we have 2 little pumpkins of our own to tag along with us! :)

Addie is finally old enough to really get into some of these fall activities, so when she woke up from her nap and I told her we were visiting the pumpkin patch, she got SO excited! She had a blast running around in the sunshine, picking up as many pumpkins as her little arms would hold, and mostly tolerating me as I took a million pictures. 

Meanwhile, Bradley was just enjoying a nice ride in the stroller, and didn't even freak out when we stuck him in the wagon with Addie for the perfect fall picture.

We left with a wagon full of pumpkins, a loaf of chocolate chip pumpkin bread, and two worn-out kiddos - a HUGE success if you ask me!

Things are never certain when it comes to the military, but it's pretty likely that we'll be hanging around Jacksonville for a while. Even though this wouldn't have been my top pick of places to live, it's grown on us and truly become our home! I love this little tradition we've started and I can't wait to share it with our babies year after year!

Up next for the Beards: Bradley's first Halloween is rapidly approaching and Addie is getting pretty excited to dress up and Trick or Treat! Shortly after that, our big girl will be two and half and then before we know it, Thanksgiving will be here! This year is flying by and we are just trying to make as many memories as we can!

Bradley Steele - 3 Months

Weight: 15 lbs

Height: 24.75 in

Wearing: 3-6 month clothing & size 3 diapers

Eat

Little man is (pretty obviously) a great eater! He nurses pretty frequently during the day and usually once over night. He is still spitting up, but it's a smaller amount, less often - hopefully he will grow out of that soon!

Sleep

Bradley is still an awesome sleeper! He still mostly cat naps during the day, either in his swing, his room in the Rock n' Play, or the car when we're out and about. His over night sleep is really great though and he will usually go down for the night around 7-7:30, wake around 4 to eat, and then go back to sleep until 6:30-7. As he gets a little closer to 4 months, I'm looking forward to working on a more structured nap routine for him, but no rush on that :)

Play

Brad is getting to such a fun age and is really starting to interact more and show us his happy personality! He is such a smiley little guy, and gives us little chuckles here and there. He really enjoys toys that crinkle or jingle, and is starting to get really good at shoving those toys straight in his mouth! He's pretty great at tummy time and will tolerate a good bit of it, but he definitely prefers to snuggle :) When he gets excited about something he wiggles and kicks his legs straight out, and he's still super talkative!

The last month has been a bit of a whirlwind, but I'm pretty sure I say that every month! Brad has grown SO much and has definitely moved on from the newborn stage of his life. Some of my favorite things about Brad right now are his fluffy faux hawk (and that red hair is still going strong!), his HUGE gummy smile, and the way he lights up when Addie talks to him! I think we're finally getting into the swing of things as a family of four, and I'm looking forward to everything that's coming up for both of our kiddos!

It's officially fall which means it's officially my favorite time of the year! We have all of our yearly traditions to look forward to, but this time with two babies instead of one! We hit the pumpkin patch over the weekend, and Addie helped me bake up the first batch of pumpkin bread last week. We made sure to get some Broncos gear for both kiddos to rock on football Sundays, and we're already planning our big Thanksgiving feast! 

Next up for the Beards: Our big girl is about to turn two and half! I'm excited to share an update on her soon :) I'll also be sharing our annual trip to the pumpkin patch. Can you believe this will be our 6th year going?? Man, how time flies! Other than that, it'll be business as usual while we count down to Bradley's first Halloween! Happy Monday y'all!

Bradley Steele - 2 Months

Apologies for the delay on this post! I had it all typed up about 2 weeks ago and then Florence decided to roll into town and derail all of our plans for a while... But more on that later!

Weight: 12 lbs 8 oz

Height: 23.75 in

Wearing: 0-3 month clothes and size 2 diapers

Eat

Little man is a great eater, if you couldn't tell ;) He eats about every 2 hours during the day and then usually once or twice over night. He's a much more efficient eater than Addie was at this age, which is nice, but we're still dealing with lots of spit up!

Sleep

Bradley is also a pretty great sleeper so far! He is awake for about an hour at a time during the day and then likes to snooze in his swing for 30-60 minutes at a time. He's ready for bed around 9 pm and then starts his day around 7 am with one or two wake ups to nurse in between.

Play

Like I mentioned above, Brad LOVES his swing and likes to watch the mobile spin around while he sits in it. He's got a pretty strong neck and legs and likes to "stand" in our laps. He's still a big fan of baths and is starting to really enjoy his activity mat as well. He loves watching and listening to his big sister, and is a huge fan of kisses from all of us - Lou included! :)

It's crazy how much Bradley is like Addison in some ways, and then completely different in others! For example, Brad has a super strong neck and has been very alert from day one, just like Addie. But unlike his big sister, Brad is a super smiley little guy! He has the biggest, sweetest gummy smile that lights up his whole face - it is the greatest thing! He's also very chatty, and makes the sweetest gurgles and coos at us all the time and I'm pretty sure he's about THIS close to laughing! He's generally a very happy and easy-going baby and we are very thankful for that!

As for Addison, she is back in school and totally thriving! The Montessori style is a perfect fit for our independent, routine-loving girl and I'm glad she is able to stay busy during the day while I snuggle her baby brother. She, like her brother, is very chatty and loves to talk our ears off all day, and she's still a big animal lover. She is so sweet to Bradley and still loves to rub his head and give him kisses. I'm so excited to watch them interact when he gets a little older!

So as for hurricane Florence... YES we decided to evacuate and YES it was crazy stressful. But both of the kids did so well with all of the madness and we were incredibly lucky. I'll go into all of the details in a separate post, but we had no damage to our home and we got to spend a great week in the mountains with some of our friends! 

Next up for the Beards: We are dangerously close to October which means all things FALL! I am so ready for all of the baking and soup making, and crossing my fingers for some cooler weather to go along with it. Bradley is growing like a weed and Addison is keeping us busier than ever, plus Mike has some exciting stuff coming up at work! We have TONS to be thankful for, and it's the perfect time of year to celebrate it all! Happy Sunday y'all!