Kids update

I am happy to report that Reese is an awesome baby. Our first three nights at home were rough ones but since then she has really impressed us. On the fourth night at home she showed that she had figured out the difference between her days and nights and that has made all the difference. Tom gets full nights of sleep now because I don't need to wake him up to help anymore since as soon as I feed her, she goes right back to sleep. So no more crying overnight for long periods of time! And she usually goes 3-4 hours in between feedings at night too so I usually am able to get a couple hours of sleep at a time. And the best part... she sleeps in her cradle! I can't believe what a difference it makes to have a child that will sleep somewhere other than your arms! We prop her in the boppy in the cradle in our room at night because I think the mattress is too thin for her but she sleeps like a little noisy angel. During the day she will sleep in the pack and play well for us too but she doesn't sleep as soundly as she does at night so a fair amount of the time we just hold her. Plus my parents are in town so there are several other hands that want to share holding time with her. Reese is definitely a swaddle baby. She looooooves being swaddled. When she is fussy, we swaddle her and after we get her half swaddled, she is already calming down. She sleeps best in her swaddle too and actually when I want her to wake up for feedings, all I have to do in general is unwrap her. She really is the best. We are so thankful that she is not nearly as fussy as her brother.

I do think however, that she does have some problems with reflux. Sometimes when she is eating she will start crying, while latched on still, and get this panicked look on her face. Then she unlatches and arches her back and, looks frantically to latch back on but still is crying. I feel so bad for her. She ends up taking in a lot more air when she eats when she gets like that, then she needs burping more and the cycle continues so some feedings are very frustrating and a big struggle for us. Overall though she does well with feedings, I just hope she outgrows the reflux really soon.

Donovan is doing really well as well. He is in such a fun phase right now. He is repeating lots of words and he is putting more and more sentences together. He is very interested in seeing everything that is happening around him and requests to "look" at just about everything. "Look at grandma", "look at trains", "look at buddies", "look at video (sounds like "figaro")". He goes to bed and naps so easily, although he has decided his new wake up is between 7-7:30 and I would prefer it to be at least 8 or later. He still pretty much leaves Reese alone. He gives her kisses and requests to look at her in her pack and play on occasion but that is about it. He is such a good sharer and friend. The other day a new friend Tessa came over and he had no problem sharing his blueberries with her, and his toys and also he took her by the hand and led her up the stairs. He does the same with his buddies and doesn't get too upset when they take his toys. He is just awesome. He also is starting to get opinions on things like, what shoes he wants to wear and what everyone in the room should be doing. He will tell you he wants to to get out of his chair, or that he wants a "different fok (fork)" when he is not satisfied with the one you gave him or that he needs a new bowl when the one he has is too messy or empty or just not the one he had in mind. It is so fun to watch him grow and mature before my eyes. I feel truly blessed to be able to witness his growth.

Donovan and his friend Tessa. They had a pool date last year but haven't gotten to play since then until this past week. They were so cute together.
Donovan feeding Tessa his blueberries. He is very romantic like that.
Given Tessa kisses. I am not sure if his lips actually ever touched her, but the intent was there.
This is one of my favorite jammies of Dono's ever so I had to get a picture of it for memory's sake. In case you can't tell it's a baseball outfit complete with fake shoes on his footies.
Our little papoose baby snuggling with her grammie B.
I highly recommend these muslin blankets for swaddling during the summer months, they are so light and airy. If someone you know is having a summer baby they would make great presents!
This is my picture of Reese's tummy time. I was just thinking as I went to grab the camera on Saturday how she hadn't rolled over during tummy time since the first time we attempted it and as I get the camera on and poised for a picture, thump. She rolled over again. So this was what the end of tummy time looked like, directly after she rolled over. She is getting so strong and fiesty! She tries to stand when you are burping her on your shoulder now. Such a big little girl.
Sacked out. This was supposed to be her waking up because it had been three hours between meals and it was time to eat. I unwrapped her and she didn't care at all. Sleeping hard!

Donovan and Jenna playing on the I-Pad. He probably knows how to work one of those better than I do. Both his grammies have one so he has lots of practice with the games and books they both have on there for him. Also this is a picture of Donovan's 4th haircut. Both grammies took him and they both said it was the worst haircutting experience ever, despite him having both M&Ms and a chocolate shake. He screamed and cried the entire time which we are contributing much of to him needing a nap. Looks like next haircut might be a buzz at home on the deck.