five on friday

one.  summer nights might just be my favorite.

this week was nuts and we didnt get to spend a ton of time as a family (Jordan worked a 48hr shift + his usual, so I'll just go hide under my bed until he gets home..) one night this week we spent the entire afternoon and into the evening outside just hanging out and doing nothing at all.  we pulled out the kiddie pool + water table and the twins chased the dog around the backyard in between dips in the pool and Baker tried to be all BIG and act like a ONE year old.  she's obsessed with the girls' little trikes we got them for their 3rd birthday (you can find it, here - we got them at Costco).  she doesn't move around in it, just sits on it.  some of the party decor was STILL sitting on the patio, so Jordan filled the tubs up with water and the girls thought it to be hilarious to hop in.  I snapped our way through the evening, so be sure to follow along! (snapchat: pbjbabes)

 two. the dinner that turned into lunch that turned into dinner again

in case you missed it.. I blogged about this amazing stuffed shell recipe  (HERE!)  pasta doesn't do much for me these days (I got really grossed out by it when I was pregnant with the Baker, so.. its not been my favorite ever since..) but THIS RECIPE is amazing!  the recipe as is makes a lot of shells, so I threw an extra pan of it in the freezer when I made it and we will be having it again next week sometime! 

 three.  special delivery.

homegirl is SO busy and wants nothing but to be in my way at all times.  I am not complaining, but she is everywhere I am.. which I kind of love.  the big girls have each other, so Baker is my little side kick and she just follows me around the house.  usually she will reach up for my hand and we will walk together- seriously THE cutest ever...

anyway.  

her honest shipment came in the mail a couple weeks ago.. yes WEEKS, and I finally unloaded the box thats been sitting in her closet.  I get my box ever 6 weeks or so, breaking up the cost, but every shipment is generous (6 packs of diapers + overnight diapers + 4 packs of wipes) so we are always stocked and I really don't need more diapers at 4 weeks.  honest is always good about sending little treats or appreciation gifts to their subscribers (I've gotten an organic blanket- which became out FAVorite of all time, and a hooded towel for Baker and they sent me a little gift for mother's day.. etc.) for Baker's birthday, they sent a little birthday card + 6 happy birthday diapers!  so cute!  the little things, you know? I'm just bummed I waited too long to open the box, ha!  owell- she can wear the birthday diapers this week instead.

also.  why does she look like a giant. why.

 four. its been slow but we are making progress.

transition from the bottle has SUCKED.  I thought it was going to be SO easy, and well folks, I was dead wrong.  we are down to just two bottles/day.. mainly because she wants a bottle first thing in the morning and she refuses to go to bed without one, not matter how much I stuffed her at dinner.  she also has refused to take milk out of a sippy cup.  I've tried a million different kinds of cups, and ultimately she has refused all of them.  this week she finally took a couple sips from her sippy cup (this one is pictured) and I was being so silly about it, and Baker in turn thought it was the perfect time to ham it up and make me laugh even harder..

exhibit A:

 ashley told me about these weighted straw cups, and then another friend told me about the 360 cups.. well they are the same thing..two mamas in one week must mean this is something worth trying!

I am open to ANY advice you other mamas want to give about this!

five. birthday recap.

I finally finished putting away the last of the decorations from Baker's party last night.. my kitchen table was covered in glassware and scrap banners, and a handful of boxes later, the party is officially over.  I only got a few of pictures from my phone of Baker's birthday party, but y'all, it was SO FUN!  we had lots of friends and family there to celebrate our girl and I cannot wait to get the pictures back from Britt to share with you all!  

...and NUMBER six, because its a good friday.. 

the nordstrom anniversary sale is FINALLY open to the public!  the sale has been up a week, but you could only take advantage if you were a card member (which I am not).  I'm all about shopping for my girls- dressing them has been SO MUCH FUN the last few years. I am ready for the fall and totally over the 100 degree heat- so I'm shopping in anticipation for the start of preschool and the cooler months:)  with that in mind, here are my top kiddo picks from this year's sale!

we eat | sausage + ricotta stuffed shells + spinach

lately we have been going with the same staple items every week- meal rotations that I know are easy to please the family, but also ones that are E A S Y in general.  I try to add in some fun recipes here and there, but when I find one that was quick to whip together in the busy-ness of the evening AND it tastes good?  this is one of those recipes that as I was taking my last bite of the plate in front of me I was already thinking about how good the leftovers were going to be!  I usually change a recipe up quite a bit when I pull it out of a magazine or Pinterest, but this one was a winner all around and didn't need too much tweaking at all whatsoever.  it makes A TON of filling and in turn a ton of shells, so I made an extra pan and threw it in the freezer to eat later (like next week?!).  Just make the entire recipe as is before baking and wrap in plastic wrap and then foil before putting in the freezer.  when you are ready to eat, just allow it to sit in the refrigerator overnight before cooking. 

chicken sausage, ricotta + spinach stuffed shells

adapted from: craving some creativity

1 (16oz) package of jumbo pasta shells

4 cups part skim ricotta

12 oz shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon garlic powder 

1 tablespoon fresh or 1 tsp dried oregano

3/4 cup parmesan cheese

16 oz jar of pasta sauce

4 packed, heaping cups of fresh spinach

1 pound  sausage (I used chicken sausage)

dried parsley for garnish

--

in a large skillet over medium heat, brown and crumble the sausage. drain any excess fat and remove from heat. In the same pan, cook spinach until wilted, about 1-2 minutes. while the sausage is growing  cook the shells according to package directions.  

I cooked them until they were just under al dente so they don't fall apart while I'm filling them.  you wouldnt want to eat them straight out of the pot, but they'll finish cooking and get softer in the oven- cooking them this way will also allow them to hold their shape after cooking.

in a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, 8oz of mozzarella, 1/2 cup of parmesan, eggs, oregano, and garlic powder. fold in the spinach and about 1/2 of the crumbled sausage. 
add in salt and pepper as needed.  I added just a couple cracks of pepper.

coat the bottom of a 9x13in pan with the entire jar of pasta sauce. spoon the cheese mixture into the shells and place shells open side up, very close together in the dish. 

this will make more than one pan- I made a second smaller pan and put it in the freezer for a later date!

sprinkle the remaining sausage over the top of the shells. then sprinkle with the remaining 4oz of mozzarella and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese.

cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 25-35 minutes (I baked for 25 minutes in my oven) or until the cheese is bubbly. remove foil and switch the oven to broil for about 4 minutes (watch closely) to brown the cheese a little. let stand 10 minutes before serving. 

such a hit!  I know your family will love it, too!

life lately // parker + jolie

I'm sitting here with a blank computer screen and watching Parker and Jolie consume their second and third popsicle in about eleven minutes and I realize that its been FORever since I did a little update on p+j.  my BIG girls.  at three and a half they have changed so much- especially in just the last 6 months since I've done one of these!  lots of life lately has included the littlest miss Baker.. and now with her birthday thats come and gone and the last month or more really gearing up towards the big day.. and her party.. I was in "..OMG she's ONE" obsession mode.

..and now I'm in the "OMG she's ONE" hangover.  

I feel like, over the last three years of being a mom, there was a tremendous change throughout their first year.  year two was sort of slow.. not a lot going on as far as the noticeable life changes, and now right in the thick of year three and holy mackerel.  I look as my kids and they are the tiniest giants.

whats new? .. aside from their daily jobs of being big sisters.

• their language has exploded.  things they know and say and DO.  half of me has no clue where they pick up these things!  but they are interacting with other kiddos more and pick up a lot from television for sure.
• speaking of TV.. we watch just an hour or a little more of television a day.  most of the time its right when they wake up in the morning and later in the evening before bed.  
• favorite shows: team umizoomi (Jolie's ultimate favorite), bubble guppies, pj masks, peppa pig
• favorite movies: finding nemo, wall-E, a bug's life, toy story (all of them!), lady and the tramp, inside out 
• they looooove to play make believe.  the other night they were playing 'mama + dadda' (which is their version of playing house) at lunch with their potato chips.  literally. 
• when they do play with toys.. they are really into little figurines.  barbies are fine, but they both lose interest really quickly in them.  Jolie especially really loves little dolls or my little ponies.  their BB bought them these mini lalaloopsy dolls (like these ones.. I have found them at walmart, too!) and we have a ridiculous collection now. mini my little ponies and palace pets are favorites, too! 
• they grew nearly TWO clothing sizes.  I swear there was awhile when I thought we were going to be in size 2T forever. but just after Christmas they hit a growth spurt and 3T was all we knew.. and now at the beginning of the summer I have stuck to buying 4T.  mainly for the length in dresses, tops and pants.  they can still wear the 3T in shorts because they are string beans.  Parker has these legs that go on for days and really takes after my side of the family (my 3 brothers are all about 6'5" and beam poles.)
• they are more self sufficient than I would expect. Parker has no problem at all helping herself to whatever food stuff in the pantry.  recently I found Parker on the couch with her third protein/fiber bar, half eaten.  I know there were three because the other two wrappers were shredded and sprinkled across the sofa.  later she was found on the toilet hollering "MOM!  my poo poo is CRAYZEE!"  it was crazy.  everyone would have crazy poo if they consumed 4 times to amount of fiber in one sitting than they should!
• ..and while we are on the topic of poop.. we have finally hit a point where the girls are taking themselves to the potty when we are at home.  after having a newborn at home and putting them on the potty with one hand while I balance a baby in the other was.. well.. it was annoying:)  they've been potty trained since they were about 20 months old, but we've still had to take them to the potty (turn on the bathroom light + help them get on the seat + clean them up) up until the last couple months.  I still get a little tickled when I walk by the bathroom and see a tiny human sitting on the potty all by herself. 
• they are much closer than they have ever been before. they LOVE each other so much and they will tell you that they are each other's best friend.. of course except the times when Jolie says cousin Kendall is her BFF.  those are also the times they fight like mad and the bickering is at an all time HIGH right now.  
• they have never been ones to sleep in the same bed or together much at all.. we moved them from the same crib when they were really little because we had to train Jolie to sleep on her weak side with her torticollis around 3-4 months and she basically screamed her head off.  So we separated them.  Recently they have been much more inclined to sleep together and often I find them in the same bed.  We've considered getting rid of the twin beds and putting them both in one large queen in their room.

E A T

Jolie will pretty much eat me out of house and home.  she loves everything and will nearly try something foreign at least once. she has a handful of things that she doesn't like- peanut butter and jelly (who is this child?!) and ketchup (again.. who is this child?!).  she prefers ranch dressing on everything and would eat turkey jerky and salami for every single meal if I let her.  she also asks for random things like chicken nuggets and goldfish crackers for breakfast. 

Parker is my picky eater.  she would rather snack all day long on granola bars and yogurt and chocolate milk.  she is a sauce fanatic and wants about three options on her plate when there is dipping involved. I still offer them "chocolate milk" twice a day- morning and evening and a lot of times the morning chocolate milk (carnation instant breakfast) suffices as their breakfast meal until about mid morning when they sit down to eat.  if you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that they've been drinking carnation for literally 2.5 years.  better than hershey's syrup and milk, right?  I appreciate that because it allows me to sit and peruse my favorite blogs and drink coffee first thing in the morning before i have to really 'mom' for the rest of the day.

7:30-8am: wake

 chocolate milk 

(1/2 packet of carnation instant breakfast + 8 ounces of skim milk/each)

9:30-10am: breakfast

protein english muffin + butter; spoonful of natural peanut butter + fruit (berries and banana usually)

instant oatmeal + yogurt 

sprouted toast with peanut butter + banana 

12pm: lunch

baked chicken nuggets + fruit + yogurt

deli meat + cheese + dry roasted almonds

turkey pepperoni (jolie) peanut butter + jelly (parker) + baked chips (like the wheat thins kind)

3pm: snack

goldfish crackers + dry roasted almonds OR peanut butter crackers OR granola bar

6pm-7pm: dinner

usually its whatever we are eating for dinner.. when its not..

mini homemade pizzas 

chicken nuggets or fish sticks

hot dogs

waffles + peanut butter

bean cakes with guacamole

as you can see we are creatures of habit. we eat a lot of variety but when it comes to things I know my girls will eat we have a handful of items that are basic go-tos.

S L E E P

omg.  where do I even start.  sleep sucks.  

basically. 

I make such a huge deal about Baker sleeping like a rockstar because I have dealt with and still deal with these two hooligans at all hours of the night.  I don't understand.  we have tried sound machines, nightlights, sleeping with the door open, door closed, lights on.. all of it.  everything.  

we did find that the "its OK to wake" clock worked the best..

until Parker told me that the clock was broken.  

well, no child.  the clock isn't BROKEN.  you are awake when the clock hasn't told you its OK yet.

its really hard not to laugh. no matter what time I put them to bed at night, Parker is awake at all hours and then for the day by 6:30am AT LEAST.  and then refuses to nap.  we don't take naps everyday, but we always have quite time laying in their bed with books or their baby dolls.  most of the time Jolie will fall asleep, but Parker rarely sleeps.  when we do nap, they'll sleep about 2 hours in the afternoon.  and then bedtime is about 7:30-8pm.

these girls are something else. 

Jolie is my girly girl.  compliments me on every outfit, makeup, jewelry, and especially my shoes!  she loves my shoes!  that girl has SO much love to give and tells me over and over about a million times a day how much she loves me while throwing her arms around my neck (and her dad, and parker, and baker, and BB.. you get the idea.)  I could not imagine my life without the joy that my Jo Grace brings me.  she and I spend a LOT of time together and I can only hope we remain this close as the years go on.  she has the most gentle soul on the planet- even keeled and reserved for the most part, and the happiest little girl I have ever met. 

Parker is all about her dad.  she's happiest outside, running around behind him and doing all the things a daddy's little girl would do.  she doesn't care about fixing her hair or playing dress up.  she wants her tool belt and her "go fast shoes" (her sneakers).  she's also bull headed and emotional and pretty aggressive.. which lands her spending a lot of minutes in time out.  my favorite thing about Parker Jane is that she is SO SILLY and her laugh is outrageously amazing.  I have so many moments of laughing until I cry with her.  Parker refuses to share her love and its turned into a game that when she asks for something she has to pay the price of at least ONE SUGAR (kiss).  she knows I want her to just say I love you, and she giggles at me and says "I LIKE you mom." and scampers off cackling her little head off. 

stinker.

they have turned into two completely different kids and I love them just the same.

my big girls. 

five on friday

one.  protein pancakes.

we've made these a handful of times and LOVE them.  they kind of remind me of the harvest grain and nut pancakes from iHOP.  we love them.  and my kids love them.. and if you don't douse them in syrup you've got a pretty good post-workout option for breakfast.. or lunch.. and dinner sometimes. Kodak Cakes are legit.  we got a huge box at Costco, but I bed walmart and other larger grocers would have them, too!   

two. we do comfortable.

lets talk about the softness of the fabric in these remi co. dresses!  I discovered this small shop right before Baker was born and I was in a mad dash to get every romper style in every size before she got here.  in the dead of the summer I needed that versatility and something cuter than a onesie all the time to combat the heat!  well.  NOW they have expanded their expertise from rompers and on to dress, blankets, hoodies, and tunics!  

good news is that these sweet little dresses are on SALE!! 

..and while I am at it- these bows.. five bucks. just saying.

three. bloggity blog blah blah.. some of my favs!

I have a handful of (nearly) daily reads that I thought to share!

between her blog and snapchat, grace basically wins the internet.  sarah's new babe has the best hair EVER.  Ashley's little boy has my heart.. and not to mentioned that everything I know about throwing a good party comes from this girl.  she posted the AH-mazing party details from Grayson's first birthday HERE.  Christina is one of the bravest souls I have never met.  love reading her inspiring posts! Jessica gives me my foodie fix on the daily..and not a single recipe has ever flopped when I have made them.  And her kid is freaking precious. AND she's funny.  the other Jessica that I read is fun and relatable as we both have three girls and our youngest is just a week apart.  DIY and style inspiration comes from this girl often.  lastly.. Joanna is a fun modern blog.. and that woman has got it together!

four. culottes.

omg my favorite pants right now.  I had a couple pair in my closet from yeaaaars ago that I just couldnt part with and here they are.  back again, and I'm loving this style!!  I had a lot of people ask about the pants I was wearing earlier this week and good news is that you can find them at Loft on sale + 40% off!!  so.  girl math: they are practically giving them away at that price point, which to your husband means that they're free. Oh, and Nordy's early access to card holders will get you even more savings on their anniversary sale that starts SOON!

five. girlfriends.

not sure what I would do without them.  some of my best friends right there- and even at 30+ years old with one billion kids + one in the carrier, we can still be silly.

 ...and their husbands are pretty amazing, too.  

happy friday!!

baker bree | 12 months

we made it a whole year!  

still in disbelief and in a total Baker coma after our fun family celebration earlier this week, but we cant wait to do it all over again this weekend!  its amazing how much this little bug brings to our family, and although we definitely want another, if the Lord doesn't bless us in that way, this little girl completes our family of five perfectly.  she's it.  she's our Baker Bree.

and she's awesome.

banner // head wrap // dress

we had our ONE year well check this morning with Dr. Butler!  Baker would hardly sit still before she came in the room- demolishing the white paper covering the bench, but the moment Dr. B came in, she was stone still and allowed her to listen to her heart + lungs and check out her ears.

Baker at TWELVE months

Weight:  20 pounds 7 ounces (40th percentile)

Birth: 6 lbs 13 oz

Height:  29 in ( 47th percentile)

Birth: 19.1 in

Head:    48cm ( >97th percentile)

Birth: 34.5 cm

Dr. B said when she came in that her growth was at the 40th percentile for weight and height and her head was growing 'perfect'.. oh, you mean greater than the 97th percentile?

she's off the growth charts for her head..and she get it from her mama.  

 we mentioned that she had some drainage in her eyes and I thought for sure pink eye was taking over my house earlier this week, but alas, she has an ear infection in the corresponding ear to the goopy eye (goopy is such a gross word..).  arg!  I didn't even know and she hadn't even been pulling or fussing about it.  so, a round of antibiotics + probiotics for miss Baker.  we also checked her hemoglobin and she's borderline anemic (Jolie was as well at one year), so we are starting her on vitamins, too. other than that.. she's happy and healthy!

whats new?

so many things happen in just four week's time!

• ah-ooh!  she has a handful of words she says regularly: dah (dad), daw (dog), hey!, mama, and the most recent.. ah-ooooh (uh-oh).  I was feeding her yogurt from a spoon and she swatted it out of my hand being silly after taking a bite and she said ah-ooooh after it fell to the floor.. like it was no big deal at all.  
• silly girl.  the twins find her to be absolutely hilarious!  she's got this silly personality and when she knows someone is watching she will act even more crazy!  
• dance dance!! she loves to dance and will dance to even the shortest tune.  waving her hands back and forth has been the extent of her dancing for the last couple months, but this month she added in the sway and head bob. again, the more we laugh the sillier her dance moves become!
• sings like a bird.  along with the dancing.. she sings and hums to herself all the time.  I freaking love it. 
• speedy baker. she's so quick to move from one place to another.. she rarely wants to be held these days, and fights until she has broken free of whoever is holding her.
• back back back it up.  LOVES to sit in my lap.  when I am sitting on the floor, she will get about a foot from me and then turn around and back herself up until she hits my legs and then plop right down.  it puts me into giggles every time.
• minding her territory.  we got a glimpse of this for the first time this month. she has never been one to care about others around her, but lately if the twins are sitting in my lap or laying on my shoulder she comes barreling in (literally) and takes a nose dive into my lap.  halfway being silly, but if the big girls don't move out and let her sit in she's squawking until they do.
• vocal.  she is very vocal.  lets everyone know she's in the room.. hence one of her words being HEY!  most of the time is sounds like HAW!  but we say 'hey' when we are being so silly, and we picked that up from Parker Jane, who engages Baker with a loud and silly hey! all the time.
• self play. she's really gotten the hang of this well.  the big girls are at an age that they play solo the entire day (I cant tell you the last time they asked me or their dad to join..) and Baker has learned and followed suit.  makes it easy to get a handful of things done around the house outside of nap time when I find myself not wanting to do anything!
• selfies. calling her dad or BB on the phone is one of her favorite things to do.  I think most of it is because she can see herself and see two of her favorite people on the phone screen!  she also thinks its funny when I flip the camera around to take a selfie.  she starts laughing and wrinkling her nose.
• she LOVES her BB.  following in line with the other four grand babies, her BB has hung the moon.
• changing colors.  her eyes are most definitely going the hazel route in color.  everyone in this house has shades of blue and grey.. but my middle brother has hazel eyes.  she there you go.
• smart cookie.  she's totally perfected this game of hide and seek. I used to run around the island in the kitchen hiding and letting her find me, and she would never figure it out.  well, the other night I was making my way around and peeked around the corner and she wasn't there.. I sat there for a second and looked again and still no Baker.  I turned around and there she was.  I yelped with laughter (because she really did startle me!) and she let out the biggest belly laugh!  she figured out my game!
• faker. she has this FUNNY fake laugh.  she does it when she's looking for some attention- like when we are in the car and everyone she can see is asleep we will hear Baker from the backseat just laughing away- as if to get the big girls' attention. 
• stats.  she's still (STILL) in size 3 diapers.  I think this was a fluke because we were so close to buying the next size up and then she started walking and some of that weight she'd been packing on slowed a bit.  6-12 month clothes, depending on the brand.  I have stopped buying the 6-12 month size in anticipation for her to hit a growth spurt.

E A T

last week I thought for sure Baker was done with bottles.  I thought she had self-weaned and I even mentioned it with a picture of B with her 'last bottle'.  well.  I was wrong.  the next day she refused most food and only wanted her bottle.. and then woke up hungry at all hours that night.  so.  I bought another (my last?) container of formula and offered it to her again.  she is only taking about 3 bottles during the day and I have been sitting her in her highchair to eat three meals.  trying to get her acclimated for when we do toss the bottles for good.  I have learned that with Baker, she has to be focused to eat- table food or bottle.  I cant just plop her down for a bottle in the middle of active playtime. I have to completely remove her from everything and offer it and she will usually take it and suck down the entire eight ounces.  same with the table food.  if she is tired or distracted she has a really hard time with it.  Dr. Butler made a point to tell us it was time to stop formula and ditch the bottles, those are on their way out.

daily feeding/solids schedule:

 6-7am: 4oz whole milk (in a sippy cup)

9:30-10am: breakfast!

1pm: lunch + 4oz whole milk!

4-4:30pm: snack (puffs + yogurt melts + fruit + granola bar)

6pm: dinner (protein + starch + vegetable + yogurt)

7pm: bath

7:30pm: bed + 4 oz whole milk

after she came back as borderline anemic, I will really get strict on the amount of dairy she has (too much calcium blocks iron absorption in the blood) so limiting yogurt and whole milk to about 12 ounces and no more than the recommended 16 ounces/day.

I have been pulling ideas from the toddler meal plans I feel I like wrote forever ago (like this one!) and have been trying to make real meals for Baker vs offering her whatever I think she will eat. I used to get so SO frustrated when the twins refused to eat.  I don't know if its because she is the third kid in the house and I've got four other mouths to worry about feeding besides hers or if I learned to let it go, but I don't get as frustrated about feeding her.  she's got a texture thing, so things like oatmeal don't fly on her taste palette just yet, but she's got a handful of things I know she will always eat and some new favorites, which I am excited about!  

our baby (toddler?!) food go-to:  

cheddar cheese slices (cut into pincher size squares)

banana slices

guacamole on tortilla or chip (she usually just sucks the guac off and then hans me the soggy chip for a refill..)

sweet potato hummus on pita bread

quinoa meatballs (we love these!)

peanut butter (on a spoon!) 

peanut butter sandwich crackers

little cutie oranges

pinto beans

blueberries

pancakes

english muffin with butter

grilled chicken

..and most recently, cherry tomatoes (cut in half just as you would with grapes)

she is totally over the baby food pouches,  but I have been buying these 'mash up' fruit/applesauce pouches for the twins (I started sending them in their school lunches) and she loves them!  its an easy snack to take on the go!  I found a website called easy toddler meals and she has got some really GREAT stuff on their that not only do the twins like, but easy things for Baker to have as well! its a pro BLW website, so it is also a great resource for babies 6+ months. 

we tried the 4 ingredient turkey pot pies  +  sweet potato broccoli patties!  we love sweet potatoes over here so these were a big hit!  and the mini size of the pies were fun for all three of the girls!

S L E E P

I LOVE HER for the way she sleeps.  after the having the worst sleepers everrrr between Parker and Jolie, Baker just impresses me to the core with her ability to zonk out for hours and hours.
once again, she get it from her mama.
typical sleep routine

wake: 6:30-7am for a bottle and then back to sleep until 8-8:30am

nap #1: 10:30am-1:30pm

nap #2: 3:30pm-4:30-5pm

bedtime: 7:30pm

we are still taking 2 naps and don't see that changing anytime soon, but, she occasionally will sleep through her second nap.. getting in a solid 4 hours or more in the middle of the day.  if we skip that afternoon nap she is so ready for bed by 6:30pm or 7pm.

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

she's growing and developing SO QUICKLY!  she picks up on many things that the big girls do, so its easy to understand. she is really into baby dolls right now.  BB got Baker her very own baby doll and baby stroller to push around for her birthday.  she takes care of that baby non-stop!  giving it the paci, feeding it the bottle, and then stuffing it in (gently?) to the stroller to push it around the house before its time to take care of the baby again.  she is also starting to acknowledge babies in pictures and on the television!  so sweet.
she points at everything. she started to point out family members and friends in pictures and if you ask her where someone is she will look in that direction and respond with a grunt or the cutest cooing should.
along with the handful of words she puts on repeat, she is communicating much more this month.  understanding that nodding her head yes or no will get our attention to know what exactly she wants/needs.  she also really lets you know when she is hungry or thirsty.  we have these water bottles for the big girls, and after seeing the twins with these she refuses the hundreds of traditional sippy cups I have offered her!  sass pants.  so we have one that is 16 ounces for water and one that is about 14 ounces for her milk.

I think she's done with these pictures.. good news girlfriend!

I still cant believe she is a whole year old!  Happy 12 months Baker Bear!!

twelve month photo dump