Brady Jordan | 3 months

THIS tiny beefcake!  life with Brady is getting better every day.  I swear this boy will never know the value of personal space because there is always someone all up in his grill smothering him with kisses and hugs.  the entertainment value of Brady when it comes to Parker, Jolie, and Baker is priceless.. after all, he is their very own real life baby doll!

felt letter board // crib sheet // trucker hat c/o // chambray shirt // local organic baby onesie c/o // harem pants c/o // paci clip c/o // fabric shoes c/o

we're 14 weeks old today, and while I don't know exactly how much he weighs I swear he's probably tipping the scales at 14 pounds, at least.  he's wearing 0-3 month size pretty comfortably, but 3-6 month is in our near future along with filling out size 2 diapers. his belly is awfully round, but I have to say that this boy is SO long.  when his legs are stretched out it makes him look huge!  I have a feeling we won't be getting a ton of use out of his infant carrier. 

onesie // dockatot

E A T 

Brady remains on a pretty consistent eating schedule, especially now since I've been back to work.  he sleeps and eats and plays around the same time every day.  3-4 hours between feedings is normal, but I would say its probably closer to the 3 hour mark if he happens to be awake. if he's sleeping I won't wake him until we hit four hours since the last feeding.  Brady's eating about 5 to 7 times every day and 3 of those are from the bottle.  I'm pumping while at work and bringing home about 20 ounces every day, so I've been able to freeze some on top of what he will need for the next day.   

the usual 'scheduled' feedings: 6am before I leave for work and then 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm 9pm before going down for the night.  we hit our 3 month growth spurt- and while the day time hasn't been completely terrible, its the nights that have been tough. he was sleeping from about 9pm until 7am until the last week or so.  waking around 3:30a-4am and again at 5:30am and refusing to go back to sleep until he eat AGAIN by 6am.  that early morning cluster feeding business is all over the place- and I'm exhausted!  

P L A Y / D E V E L O P M E N T

we are all smiles.. and he's even let out a tiny baby giggle a time or two.  he smiles in response to anyone saying hello and talking to him in a sweet voice.  he especially loves looking and 'chatting' with his sisters, especially miss Parker Jane. the moment Parker comes near or he hears her voice he lights up and starts searching for her until she gets close enough for him to be able to focus on her.  she scoops him up and pure joy spreads across his little face. he thinks JoJo is totally hilarious and Baker is all over him ALL the time and he's such an amazing sport about it.

Mickey Mouse - Brady is completely mesmerized by the Mouse and will sit in Parker's lap watching TV for a solid 20 minutes.  he's content as long as he's involved in whatever is going on around him.  if its at all possible for an infant to have FOMO (fear of missing out), Brady has a severe case! 

I have a confession to make.. we have slacked terribly on tummy time with B.  he's got awesome head and core control and can be held on my hip without being too floppy and in the times we have laid him on his tummy to play he raises is head up and moves around as he pleases with ease.  I have noticed that he's starting to turn himself to the side when he's laying in the swing or in the dockatot, so I don't think it will be too much longer before he's rolling over.

Other developments..

-hands! he's basically stuffing his entire fist in his mouth.  there is also the DROOL thats coming along with stuffing one's hand in his mouth.  I don't think this related to teething, but more about the fact that he's found his hands finally and he's completely infatuated with them!

-blowing spit bubbles and playing with his tongue!  I'm following along with his milestones on my  Wonder Weeks app.  which by the way, if you don't have this app, you need it.

-mimicking sounds.  Brady totally tries to mimic his sisters and follows their lead when they make the 'oohhhh' sound.  

-he bats at the hanging toys and will even shake his toys that make noise.  we are slowly but surely working on holding objects, but we really need to get him more toys..  the girls like to hand him things and get so excited when he grasps them out from their hands.

S L E E P

sleeper

I'm feeling pretty lucky that this boy has turned into a great sleeper.  he takes 1-2 long naps during the day - usually about 2 hours in the morning and 2+ hours in the afternoon around 2-3pm.  occasionally he'll take about an hour long cat nap in between either of the two "bigger" naps during the day.  he's falling in line with how the twins napped at this age, whereas Baker always just took one solid nap. if I am home to do so, I'll nurse Brady to sleep, just to top him off in hopes to promote a longer nap:)  we are working on taking naps in his crib- quite literally since today.  before now he's been just napping wherever but mainly in the swing or in the rock'n'play, but its definitely time to get him into his crib, for naps at least!  he is still sleeping in our room in the dockatot, but most likely we will be moving him out in the next month.  I'm not ready to move Brady out, and I don't think his daddy is either.. having him right next to us in the bed is so comforting and  I still wake at night on my own to check on him and its easy to just reach over and rub his head and back when I feel like it.  I love having my boy close. 

B R A D Y

you give me such baby fever little one. I want to bottle you up and keep you in my purse for all eternity!  you have become the absolute LIGHT of our world- and your sisters just adore you- you've hung the moon for all of us and I couldn't be more thankful for that.  I don't even remember what life was like before you came in it.  I mean, I'm sure I was sleeping a little bit more, but who needs sleep?!  you are in your fourteenth week of life, and the last 14 weeks have been such a joy.. even when your mama feels like she's chasing her tail most of the day just to keep up with you and your sisters.  Ive been trying so hard to make the best of the crazy that comes along with adding a fourth babe, and the moment you let out a sweet coo or offer me a huge full faced smile all that goes out the window. you have become one of the happiest babies I've ever met and how lucky am I to be your mama.  I love sitting and snuggling your sweet cheeks over and over.. which makes it hard to ever want to get anything done.  you are the most social little guy and want to be in and around all the commotion and sit wide eyed while the house just gets louder and louder.  

I tell you a million times a day that I think you are HILARIOUS and you just smile back at me in agreement.  you are so playful and sweet and those eyes just say a million words but I only wish to know what you are actually thinking about all of us. 

all smiles.  all the time.

romper // paci clip

you are so ticklish! I can hardly run my fingers down your back without your squirming.  mama blew raspberries on your feet the other night and I could see how bad you wanted to laugh at me! you haven't quiet figured out the relationship between the tickles and the laughing, but in no time I know we will have you giggling with the rest of them. 

you had a few fun milestones this month! we introduced you to baby Carter as our besties welcomed their second boy to the mix! you guys will have the best time growing up and I can't wait for you to run around and do all the boy things with C and his big bro Grayson!

we also took you out to the ball game again!  you went to your second and third baseball game and you're always the best little date and form of entertainment in between innings and bites of hot dogs + giant tubs of tater tots.

sleeveless onesie

we also got to celebrate your daddy this month- his first Farther's Day with a baby boy! 

you are a mover and a shaker- bouncing your little bootie around as you kick your legs about., especially in the bath!  oh how you love bath time! we usually soak in the tub for about 20 minutes or longer before bed at night and you just lounge in your chair without a care in the world. 

you've found your hands and have them in your mouth 99% of the time.  if they aren't in your mouth they are in front of your face with balled fists.  you have become so vocal and will screech with excitement at anyone lending an ear to your babbles, but also the ceiling fan and especially that little duck hanging from your carseat. my favorite time with you has to be a toss up between your baby naps on my chest and the sweet little conversations we have in between. I cannot get enough of you.  even at 4 in the morning, you still make my heart beam with pride as I study your sweet baby nose and squishy ears and those amazing eyelashes- okay, THOSE LASHES!  ladies pay big bucks for lashes like those, brother! and that amazing olive skin tone you've got.  I could trace your baby nose and chubby cheeks all night.

your mama is quite smitten with you and I'll thank you forever for making me a "boy mom". an experience that is beyond anything I could ever imagine. 

I love you so much, buddy. 

3 M O N T H P H O T O D U M P

newborn sleep essentials | tips + tricks

after four babies I think I've gotten a pretty good handle on what healthy sleep looks like for an infant.  that being said, all four of my kids have slept completely different from each other.   I've heard a billion things in regards to what it technically means for a baby to sleep through the night.  somewhere along the way someone has offered the magic "6 hour" timeframe and stated that was technically sleeping through he night. but goodness, in those early weeks I would be grateful for just a consistent 3-4 hours, am I right?  cluster feeds are not fun!

as first time parents with the twins, neither Jordan or myself had any clue as to what to expect as far as sleep goes with them.  Jolie was tiny- four and a half pounds of tiny.  she grunted and snorted like premature baby would keeping me up all night long worrying about her and checking her with every peep she made.  they both slept in a single pack and play in our room until about 4 months of age and we moved them to their separate cribs and neither slept through the night EVER.  Jolie finally figured it out around 6 months of age, but Parker didn't sleep through the night at all until about 15 months old.  even then she would only give me a full night's sleep randomly about once a week. at age four they are both in bed around 8pm.. often still awake until after 9pm and Parker wakes me once a night for a hug and is up every morning before the sun. 

Baker is an amazing sleeper. AMAZING.  she also slept in the pack and play in our room and was sleeping through the night at 6 weeks of age, flipped to her belly to combat a bit of reflux and she found her thumb really early and would self soothe through the night.  way different than the two before her.  around 6 months I did have to go through some sleep training with her (see my post on sleep training without CIO HERE) and worked like a charm.  Baker now goes to bed around 7-7:30pm every night and will sleep about 14 hours.  she prefers to stay in her crib until well after 9am in the morning.

so, now there is Brady. I will say that he sleeps pretty well so far!  one thing I did do before with the other three, and have been doing with Brady now, is maintained a consistent sleep routine.  with the twins we were totally winging it.  we didn't know what we were doing at all, and I think I can speak to most first time parents in that those first couple months are a total blur.  I tried my best to follow routine and keep up with what all the books and apps were telling me to do for them regarding sleep but every day looked different for us and with two babes it was a little bit more difficult to manage.  when Baker came along, I was more seasoned and went straight to work on getting her into that sleep routine I had attempted before.  I have found that there are a handful of items and processes that have worked with all four of my kids and I hope that you guys can benefit from my sharing what we do!  

routine 

I mentioned in Brady's 2 month update (HERE) that we recently started working with him on getting into a consistent sleep routine.  before now I was really focusing on getting to know him and his natural habits.. feeding him on demand, which included through the night.  reflux played a part against us in the sleep department, but once we got that under control I started him on a trail routine.  it definitely takes some tweaks and changes depending on your little one, but so far this is working for us!

bedtime routine @ 10 weeks

9pm: bath soak- usually about 20 minutes, bathed in lavender soap (we love Tubby Todd!) 

9:30pm: out of the bath, rub down with lavender lotion and into our jammies!

9:45-10pm: nurse + bed

bathtime really is a huge component to our bedtime routine.  I've learned that giving Brady a bath, no matter if its outside of that nine o'clock time frame, helps him sleep more soundly and also gives him the sense that okay this is what we do around bedtime.  he has come to really love the bath and it offers time to let him relax and chill out before he goes to sleep for the night.

you can find Brady's bath seat HERE

location

Brady sleeps in the dockatot- which we have been absolutely LOVING. I get asked about the dockatot all the time! I won't say that it is magical and can 100% guarantee that it will make your baby sleep through the night, because so many other things factor into healthy sleep for you and baby, but it is really something both Jordan and myself have come to love using for Brady.  we have used it for travel and will eventually use it in transitioning to the crib and upgrade to the larger dockatot grand as he continues to grow.  consistency is HUGE when it comes to healthy sleep habits, which is why the dock is so awesome.. we just move it around as we wish! Brady sleeps in the dock in our bed, and for now this is the only place he sleeps at night.  when I make the transition to his crib here in another couple months there will be a whole new process, especially when he starts napping in his crib, but at this age Brady knows that when he is in the dockatot that it is bedtime.

full belly

AND burped!  

personally I think the very best way to ensure a great sleep is to make sure they are fully fed and burped!  with Brady's reflux issues I have had to make sure he is burped really well before I lay him down or he will be awake about a half hour later with gas troubles.  holding him upright just about 10 minutes or so after he's eaten for the last time before bed is extra helpful in keeping him comfortable to get into a deep sleep and to hopefully sleep through the night.  I also have learned that the more the baby eats during the day the longer and more satisfied he will be through the night.  be really consistent with feeding your infant every 3 hours while you are trying to establish a sleep routine.  if he's sleeping randomly for a 4 or 5 hour stint through the day then he will make up for what he's missing out on during the night.

the swaddle

when it comes to swaddling, all of my kids have been different.  the twins were in the swaddle until almost 6 months.. no joke.  they loved it.  they were swaddles at night and during the day for nap time.  they were smaller than your average, so size wise they might have been the equivalent to a four month old, maybe? after we got them out of the swaddle, Parker and Jolie transitioned to sleep sacs and slept in sleep sacs until they were over a year old.  

the swaddle had its 15 minutes of fame with Baker and then she was done.  we stopped swaddling her all together by 6 weeks of age and after we moved her out of our room at four months she used a sleep sac until about 6 months.  she didn't care for it the same as the twins- maybe because she's a summer babe and its so hot she didn't need/want the extra coverage?

so, now with Brady, we are back at it with the swaddle.  nighttime is the only time we swaddle him and we have discovered the most AMAZING swaddle (they have sleep sacs, too!) nested bean has created the Zen Swaddle, which offers a breathable lightweight option for swaddling Brady.  the swaddle features a weighted egg on the chest and sides of the swaddle that simulated the weight of my hand so he falls asleep with the comfort of mom or dad close by.  not to mention that the fabric has the perfect amount of stretch to get him in a good solid swaddle- the tighter the better as it helps him feel the most secure.  once Brady is swaddled he knows its time for bed! when we transition out of the swaddle (the Zen Swaddle is useable for babies 0-6 months of age) I'm totally getting my hands on the Zen Sac to keep up with comforted sleep habits.

wanna try one out for yourself?? I'm so excited to share that the great folks at the nested bean are offering a special discount for my readers!  use code MASSEY15 for 15% off your entire purchase!

if you have any tips and tricks for sleep that you have done with your babies I would love to hear them! I'm always learning as I go and getting encouraging feedback from you guys is just the best!! 

Brady Jordan | 2 months

the days and weeks are going way too fast for my liking, but oh my goodness its been the time of our lives!  big Brady is 2 months old, officially 9 weeks this week, and he has changed SO MUCH in the last month!  we went from a sleepy newborn to the most social and happy little baby ever!  

its definitely been a transition into having four babies in this house, but as Brady has gotten a little bit older and a little more easy going (i.e. not being held 24/7) life has gotten much more enjoyable.

he is totally the most popular person in this house.

Brady brings everyone so much joy, including myself.. about once a day I lean down and smell his sweet baby head and think oh my gosh I have a BOY. so surreal but so freaking awesome.

Over the past two months I’ve laughed, cried, yawned, and laughed some more – this boy is seriously HILARIOUS.  I know every mom (and dad) thinks that their child is OMGSOCUTE, and I'm no different over here.  I doted over my girls and now with this ine- he totally melts our hearts and hung our moon.  don’t get me wrong, this has also been the most challenging two months of my entire life. it’s been tiring, stressful, and down right HARD (hello, four children.) but the good has outweighed the difficult and exhaustion, by far. 

with a face like this, how could I not feel like the luckiest mama in the world?

felt letter board // crib sheet // henley sweater via mac + mia // harem pants c/o // knit paci clip c/o

we went to the pediatrician this week for Brady's 2 month check up.  the scale confirmed that my child loves the boob and is growing at hyper speed.  he gained 2 pounds since our last visit and I am positive its all in his cheeks + that adorable frog belly.  he also grew an inch in length!  he's doing great developmentally, and put it on display with ear to ear grins and happy coos. after posting a video of a noisy nursing Brady on my IG stories, I had several mamas commenting about their experience with this kind of sound when their baby nursed.  after mentioning it at our appointment, the pediatrician confirmed that he does have laryngomalacia.  nothing to be concerned with at this point because he only makes those noised when he nurses, but now that we know what it is, we will keep our eyes and ears open for any changes. we also bumped his reflux medication to a higher dose since he had such a jump in his weight! after bumping his meds last month he is a completely different baby.  since we got that under control making him more comfortable, and in the mean time he's tummy and esophagus has grown and matured a bit more his reflux isn't nearly as terrible.  he's now taking 1.75mls twice/day of ranitidine (similar to Zantac).

Brady at TWO months

Weight: 11 pounds 14 ounces (51st percentile)

Birth: 7 lbs 4 oz

Height: 23 in (50th percentile)

Birth: 20 in

Head: 39.4 cm (34th percentile)

Birth: 34.5 cm

 hamming up for Dr. Melanie!  and Baker was on stand by with the paci in case he needed it.

such an awesome big sis!

E A T

oh, we love to eat!  breastfeeding continues to go well for Brady and me.  he's pretty much like clockwork when it comes to nursing- every three or three and a half hours during the day.  I really try hard to keep on that schedule because it ensures that he's getting enough during the day so he doesn't try to make up for it through the night!  the other day we were out and about running errands and he went almost 5 hours between feedings..and sure enough he woke at 3am hungry that night.  typically he's nursing around 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm.. and then between 9pm and 10pm right before bed.

P L A Y / D E V E L O P M E N T

this boy!!  his little personality has exploded over the last month!  giant smiles, the happiest eyes, and he's this close to letting out a little chuckle.  he coos so loudly and screeches in excitement- he loves to be talked to and the moment he locks eyes with you the smiles start.  seriously my most social baby ever!  Baker didn't giggle until she was like 6 months old and here we are with this giggly little boy and I'm smitten!  he's started to be more active with his activity bar and batting at the hanging toys and really focusing on things that are further than 10 inches from his face.  you can see his brain working in his eye gaze, processing and thinking through what he's looking at.  he has started to recognize his sisters faces and daddy's voice, and off course his mama's smell- I love it!

he is also tracking really well, and loves to be up in the bouncer so he can watch the girls and their crazy antics all day.  I am positive he has wide eyes 90% of the time those girls are running around.  

milestone cards c/o  // paci clip c/o

S L E E P

brother is a terrific sleeper.  once we made it over the reflux hump and turned that corner for comfort he's been sleeping like a champ.  he takes three really solid naps during the day.  first one is around 10am in the morning.  when he's up at 7am to nurse he usually stays awake after he finishes eating. the next is around 2pm and lastly, he will usually sleep long enough in the evening after the 4pm feeding to get us through dinner and bed time with the big girls (whew!!). about three weeks ago he started falling asleep about 9pm and sleeping like a rock before I would wake him to feed him again at 11pm.  at the time he was waking once or twice a night to nurse.  I decided to experiment and see how he would sleep if I put him down around 9-930pm and that night he slept until 7am the next morning.  

I woke in a panic that my child had just slept like 10 hours straight.. 

is he breathing?!  yes.  did I just get 10 hours of sleep?!  yes.  okay.. over it:)

we also have a solid bedtime routine these days.

9pm: bath soak- usually about 20 minutes, bathed in lavender soap (we love Tubby Todd!) 

9:30pm: out of the bath, rub down with lavender lotion and into our jammies!

9:45-10pm: nurse + bed

he sleeps really well until about 6-7am every morning since we started to follow this bedtime routine, and putting him down earlier.  

for now he's still sleeping in our bed in the dockatot.  he LOVES the dock and so do I.  we also swaddle him with his arms out- his preferred way of swaddling, just the same as his sisters before him!  we usually keep the babes in our room until about 4 months of age.  I'll probably start crib naps next month before we go to the crib full time.

up until this point I have been basically winging it - 2 kids, a bossy toddler and a newborn have had me up in arms a time or two and honestly worrying about a strict schedule was not something I had time for.  But, a schedule has proven to be an awesome change for Brady. 

B R A D Y 

oh, buddy.  we love you so so much.  I never in my wildest dreams thought that having a baby boy would be so amazing.  Brady, you are the sweetest most snuggly little thing ever..

time is absolutely flying by and I am so conflicted by my emotions surrounding it! my heart hurts + explodes + overflows as each and every day you seem to grow another inch and gain another pound- moving further and further from the tiny baby newborn we brought home from the hospital. at the same time, I am overwhelmed with excitement as we are beginning to see your little personality come to life and its so much fun!

you have become a baby! a little person! a little man!  your facial expressions are killer! I am well aware that I am in so much trouble when you realize that you can use that little smirk to manipulate your mama (and sisters, too)! when you concentrate your eyebrows scrunch together and you make the most serious face and in the same moments you'll bust out with the sweetest little smile- those little eyebrows lift and those dimples appear - your mama has been blessed with a fairytale life full of all the girly things, but she didn't know this level of happy until she met you, Brady boy.

you have become quite the wiggle worm- moving and shaking all over the place as you have found your legs and arms.  you have also become so very strong with your head control and will sit so contently on my shoulder and just watch the chaos that explodes with your three old sisters running laps around us.  you're filling out size 0-3 month and three month size clothes and out growing your sisters at this age by a ton.  I am loving it so much- because your cheeks are just the greatest of all time!

we love it more and more every day, Brady!  as each day passes your daddy and me find it easier to manage life with four of you kiddos running the house, but couldn't imagine it any other way.  this month you've experienced a ton of 'new' and firsts - time is going so fast and I'm trying my best to soak in every moment with you while still managing to keep up with your big sisters.  Parker, Jolie, and especially Baker absolutely adore you and try every which way to help.  you are such a great sport about it and even with the smothering of kisses you don't seem to mind.

you are our favorite, little man.

2 MONTH PHOTO DUMP