five on Friday

its FRIDAY!!  I slept in until 7am this morning + woke to a bed full of babies, so I would say its off to an amazing start.  we don't have a ton of plans this weekend.. a family birthday party/dinner on Saturday afternoon but other than that we are just laying low.  J is at the fire station so we may bring the toddler party to him!

one. camp castle play mat  

one of THE COOLEST toys we have ever had. I was introduced to Camp Castle through an acquaintance on Instagram (I love that place) and I was floored at the quality and detail of this mat when it arrived. I am OBSESSED!  I have been watching my girls play on this mat for hours since it hit our doorstep and I think you guys should totally get in on this goodness, too. they are working hard to get their brand up and running for a final release around Christmas (perfect timing!!) its 100% wipeable surface with a matte texture (no pet hair!) and a grippy backing to keep it from sliding all over the place while the girls play.  it pretty much has a permanent place in our entry way, but when its time to pick it up, I just roll it up and stick it in the hall closet until we are ready to play with it again!

two. amazing giveaways over on the 'gram!

its been a busy week! I have partnered with two awesome brands to bring you a couple fun giveaways over on my Instagram page. enter HERE for your chance to win one amazing swim suit of your choice from Albion Fit (I'm wearing this top in a size XS and these bottoms in a size small!) I'll announce the winner on Saturday, but in the meantime use code: MASSEYA15 at checkout for 15% off your purchase! 

the other giveaway is for a 4 moms mamaRoo4!!  4 moms is launching their new mamaRoo4, but also their collaboration and commitment to the non-profit project sweet peas, supporting families that have experienced a stay in the NICU.  I'll be selecting a winner today, but you still have time to enter + nominate a NICU mama HERE.

three. SAHM status

I mentioned in my post earlier this week that I'll be a staying home with the kiddos.. actually working from home as a stitch fix stylist, but not having a commute and being home with the girls and Brady.  I've had some (major) anxieties about it because I have always worked outside the home, but we have been praying for a long time about how we would make this work.. and finally its come to the point for us to pull the trigger.  my last day is next week and I'm both nervous and excited!  I will also be able to devote more time to the blog.. and have been working with Kate Handling Creative  for a major overhaul and new design, so stay tuned for that update, soon!! 

four. sister girls

the cutest thing ever has been happening in our house for about a week. Baker moved into a "big girl bed" a couple weeks ago and she's been doing an awesome job sleeping in her room!  

we have been reading books together in Parker + Jolie's room at night before bed and one night last weekend Baker asked to "stay" while she was snuggled up in Jolie's bed.  Jordan has been talking about Baker eventually wanting to sleep in the room with the twins, but I didn't think that would ever happen..but I was totally wrong.  Jordan called it!  Baker has been sleeping on the floor of the twins room on her crib mattress that we had stored in her closet after replacing it with her twin size mattress. the most adorable thing ever.. and now I'm contemplating moving a bed into the twins room for Baker?? we are in the middle of making a 'big girl' space for her in her room, but we actually still have the other twin size bed that the twins used stored in the garage.. maybe I'll set that up, too?

five. NASHVILLE

me and my honey are heading to Nashville next week.. just the two of us!  we are road tripping and stopping for a night in Memphis for some amazing BBQ and then heading to spend a handful of days in downtown Nashville.  I've got a list going for places to see + yummy food to eat, but if you've been there or live there, send all your recs my way!!  I am so excited for this trip! 

happy Friday, ya'll!  I hope everyone has had an awesome week.. lets hop into this weekend asap!

Brady Jordan | 5 months

five whole months!   this little guy is literally the light of our world at the moment and we couldn't be more in love with his contagious smile, happy eyes, floppy ears, chubby cheeks, and uber squishy thighs!  lots of growing and changing this month! 

letterboard // crib sheet // muscle onesie // sweats

W H A T ' S N E W

• reaching out/grabbing and holding onto things.  Brady is so interested in everything and is very alert and exploring and touching everything around him. the moment I lay him down on the floor or changing table he's immediately reaching for something/anything to grab onto. Brady has noticed my jewelry and plays with my necklace and earrings whenever I'm holding or nursing him and its just so sweet!
• we ALMOST have a rolling babe!  he will roll from tummy to back during tummy time,  but hasn't mastered the back to tummy, yet.
• noticing his hands, feet, etc. Brady's feet and hands are his favorite toy right now.  he has been grabbing his feet for for about a month, but never really started 'using' them to his advantage- Brady rocks back and forth while holding both of his feet- and will give it a good swing to help push himself on over to laying on his side.
• Brady has a super strong core.  he will stand holding my fingers and sit/lean in my lap. he holds himself really well in the little bumbo seat and I think with a little more practice he will be sitting soon.  I cant believe we are already to that point!  he was just born like three days ago..
• teething!  drool.slobber.everywhere.  there are no visible signs of teeth, but his little gums are swollen here and there on occasion.  he's also been a bit more fussy and will tear toys and teethers from his mouth while bitting down pretty hard.  I'm tempted to try the amber necklaces- truthfully I am skeptical, but I have close friends that swear by them. recommendations? 
• we went to the church nursery for the first time this month!  he has been doing amazing.. and has been asleep every time I come to pick him up at the end of service. such a snuggly babe with his teachers.
• we got our first cold this month.  it was terrible to seen him not feeling well.  it lasted about four days before I decided to take him to the pediatrician because there was SO much snot and zero sleep for anyone.  he ended up having an ear infection. 
• getting upset/excited when we leave/enter the room. Brady is the most social baby of all four of my kiddos. I've noticed his face lights up when his sisters enter the room or his line of sight- he especially loves them. he wants to be in the mix of everything all the time- so when we leave Brady gets upset or starts to holler loudly, depending on what he's doing or his mood. 
• he's rarely called by his name.  most of the time we call him "bud" or "buddy"
• he is totally teething and blowing raspberries is new this month.
• Brady is still in size 2 diapers.. although I just bought a box of 3's, wearing mostly 3-6 months and 6 months clothes. we took him to the pedi just for a weight check and he weighed in at a beefy 16 pounds 11 ounces.

LOVES to snuggle!  he is such an amazing snuggler.  he snuggles up in the nape of my neck when he's sleepy and throws his arm around me should as if he was hugging me.  omg I love it.
LOVES his sisters. Like, a lot.  A lot, a lot.
LOVES Mickey Mouse.  the girls watch a couple Disney shows in the morning and Brady usually snuggles up with one of the twins to watch, too!  he particularly likes Goofy:)
LOVES the mamaroo... which I different from the girls because they all hated it.
LOVES to swing his toys back and forth to see if they make noise.  the louder the better!
LOVES to eat!!
LOVES to hold hands while we rub his head
LOVES to be carried and sleep in the solly wrap

HATES when we walk away.
HATES the carseat- but only about 30% of the time these days- we moved Brady out of the infant carseat and into a convertible carseat (the maxi-cosh pria 70) earlier this month and its been a game changer.  he's sitting comfortably and more upright allowing him to see the twins sitting in the back row.  those three carry on the entire time we are in the car and its hilarious!  so he doesn't cry so much which makes trips to run errands so much easier.

E A T
I'm still exclusively breastfeeding when I am home and he gets three 6 ounce bottles of breast milk during the day when I am at work.  Brady sleeps and eats and plays around the same time every day.  3 hours is normal between feedings, eating about 5-7 times every day.  the usual 'scheduled' feedings: 6-7am every morning when he wakes and then 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm-8pm before going down for the night.  MOST of the time we hit this schedule pretty well- and I like the stick to it pretty strictly during the week because I feed him before I leave in the morning for work and occasionally get home in time to feed him at the 4pm bottle. if not I nurse him before bed.  
bib // seat

while I didn't totally plan on starting him on solids yet, we did try some single grain cereal this month and have been practicing his motor skills with banana oatmeal for the last couple weeks. he's getting about a 1/4 of a cup mixed with 3 or 4 ounces of warmed breast milk before bedtime. Brady is definitely showing a clear interest in food, watching us eat and reaching for cups, bowls, spoons, etc.  so I'm excited to see how he does with the solid food.  I did a modified BLW with Baker and strict purees with Parker and Jolie and I think I am going to do a healthy mix of both with Brady.  not true baby led weaning but I will offer him soft foods as the time comes, but will start with purees that I plan to make homemade:). why I'm feeling so ambitious, I have no idea.

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

this sweet boy LOVES to play.  he loves the play mat and he will lay there for a good 30 minutes at a time (with a full belly) and play with the hanging toys and chatter off at the music and lights. I have gotten good at getting the house straightened up and my breakfast and coffee made during that time in the morning.  its perfect because it allows everyone to slowly wake up before the business of the day sets in. Brady's interaction with his sisters has become more and more these days.  the moment they come around Brady is all smiles, cooing and babbling in response to their silly faces. the big girls are always close by and love to play with Brady.

bow // tanks // romper

for the most part everything goes straight to his mouth- we have a few favorite toys, and love basically anything that makes noise!  if it doesn't make noise, Brady is slapping it on the counter or table or even on himself.  he has really taken a liking to his longhorn wubby- he doesn't suck on the pacifier (he could care less about them..) but he chews on the feet and loves to play with it, especially while we are in the car. Parker did the same thing with her monkey wubby and I eventually cut the pacifier off the thing and she carried it around like a little stuffed animal. 

happy camper sleeper 

S L E E P 

well, we survived the 4 month sleep regression!  I feel like we are finally getting back on a good sleep routine/schedule with Brady.  he still has some rough nights when I can't seem to get him off the boob, BUT for the most part we are making strides and having some really great sleep!  since adding in cereal to his evening routine, I bumped his bedtime to about 7:30pm. I feed him oats when the girls eat dinner so they are all on the same routine for bedtime.  I mentioned HERE in my typical day in the life that if I'm solo he's not usually down until closer to 8pm because I like to get the girls in bed first. Brady will usually sleep from 7:30pm until about 3-4am.. he starts stirring and moving around and most of the time one of us has to go in there to comfort him.  if he doesn't nurse then he's up by 6:30am to eat and if he does eat then he's asleep until closer to 7:30-7:45am.

last night I actually watched Brady self soothe on the monitor. I had literally just laid my head on the pillow to go to sleep and I heard him fussing over the monitor.  I just laid there a second and he talked to himself in the dark for about a half a minute and then he was back to sleeping soundly.

we started practicing crib naps last month and he's gotten so great at them!!  

he usually naps twice a day for about 2 or 3 hours.  depending on what the he's up for the day, his morning nap is 9am-10am and will last about 2 hours.  his afternoon nap usually falls in line with Baker's around 1pm and that one is longer.. sometimes 3 hours.  maybe he'll be an awesome napper like Baker. I can only hope for that! 

B R A D Y

looking at pictures from last month.. oh brother!  your have grown so much!!  I cannot believe how big you are getting and how fast time is flying.  I could probably say that this has been my favorite stage with you.. but last month was my favorite and I know that 6 months will be my baby JAM.. so lets just go ahead and state the obvious, you are pretty awesome, Big B.  

we still gush over about everything you do.. the girls love to make you smile and laugh and when you talk to Baker she just gets so excited.  your little boy personality is really shining through these days- especially when you have the attention of those sister girls.  like.. limbs flailing around happy.. and if any of us make eye contact and say your name its never without a big ol' grin!  speaking of grins- you are smiling so much these days!  and when you do, it is adorable: your eyes crinkle, your mouth opens in a huge grin, and then you immediately turn your head to the side and bury it into whatever is near. such a little flirt!  those girls can really get you going with the belly laughs and the screeches and squeals.. they are just too much!  I sit with a constant smile on my face watching you grow and change everyday.. especially when it comes to the love that explodes between you and your sisters. life doesn't get much better than this.

time is blowing by I am doing my very best to savor these fleeting moments with you. I love spending time together.. even if its in the middle of the night because I don't get those moments back, buddy.

speaking of that nickname.. yours seems to be sticking, Bud.  and I love it.  you answer to "Brady" but also when someone acknowledges you as "Bud" you respond to that, too! 

 your eyes and smile are contagious and you can basically hear the joy coming off your face.  you are so silly and literally have us in giggles most of the day.  if there is a toy, book, food within arms reach you will stop at nothing to get it.. rolling your way around to it until you've got it in your mouth. 

so often we hear how you are 'Baker's twin' but really over this last month you have completely come into your own self- you are Brady.  JUST Brady.  

your sweet gentle little voice.

baby bird hairs.

chuuuuby cheekies.

monster thighs

and those pretty doe eyes.

definitely one of a kind.  there is absolutely no one like you, baby boy.

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

so many pictures!!

baby bath

striped sleeper // flower jams

hat // swim suit

onesie

jammies // stroller

hat // tee // shorts // dress

sweatshirt

wrap carrier

scarf bib // romper

crib sheet // romper

carrier