Kate- 5 months old!

Age 5 months

Weight & Length Kate weighs around 15 lbs, which is roughly around the 50% for age.

Clothing size 3-6 months fit for the most part but she is starting to nearly outgrow some of them in length. 

Hair  Her light brown hair is a bit lighter every day.

Teeth Zero, but still drooling a lot and loving to chew on her Solly Baby Wraps!

Sleeping  Kate had a little sleep regression around 4.5 months but seemed to recover from that well.  She was waking up every 2-3 hours for about a week.  Now she is back to being a very good sleeper. She now goes to bed around 7 or 7:30 pm.  Mommy wakes her up for a dream feed at 10:30-11 and Kate goes right back to sleep.  She sleeps most nights until 5 am.  She generally wakes for the day around 7-8 am.  We stopped swaddling her around 4.5 months and she is doing great.  Most days she takes at least 4 naps because many of them are still short (even some are only 30 minutes), but if she takes a longer nap then she may only nap 3x in one day.

Eating  Kate continues to nurse every 2-2.5 hours or so and at least 1 dream feed at night.   She wakes in the early AM to eat as well.   She is a great eater!

Movement   Kate started rolling back to front around 4/13!  She now wants to roll all over the room and gets annoyed if something is in her way. 

Milestones  Kate’s big one is rolling over. She has also flown on 6 planes in the last 2 weeks! Kate has also found her toes in the last month and she loves to put them in her mouth!  She also went in the pool for the first time this month!

Favorite toys/activities     She loves her “fern the fawn” stuffed animal, her kitty cat with lots of interesting textures/rattles, and she is more interested in the jumper than she has ever been. She loves all the lights and sounds and to turn around. She continues to be tolerant of her play mat but really seems to like exploring the toys that hang down, especially the green birds! She is starting to like to read stories and she loves watching big brother Jackson!

Dislikes   Kate doesn’t like to be overtired, but she is a good sport even when she is. She and Jackson did a great job with a long delay in the airport on the way home from Florida earlier this month.

Words & sounds   Kate loves to chat and will strike up a whole conversation with babble.

What we love   Kate is such a smiley baby. We love watching her happily explore new things and charm everyone she meets with her smile.

What we don’t love  As usual, it would be nice if she started sleeping longer stretches again, but we can’t complain too much! 

What we’re looking forward to next month   Sitting up!!

Kate- 4 months old

Age 4 months

Weight & Length Kate weighs 13 lbs 12 oz (37%) and is 25 inches long (70%).  She has been under the weather this last week and not eating as much so I suspect she will be back up to the 50% range for weight at her 6 month visit.

Clothing size 3-6 months fit her perfectly

Hair  Her light brown hair is a bit lighter now but still not blonde

Teeth Zero, but drooling a lot so a tooth may be on its way

Sleeping  Kate is a very good sleeper. She now goes to bed around 7:30 pm.  Mommy wakes her up for a dream feed at 10:30 and Kate goes right back to sleep.  She sleeps most nights until 6 am (or rarely 7 am).  When she is up to eat at 6, I can usually get her to go back to sleep for a little while but she is almost always up for the day by 8.  She is still being swaddled in her halo sleep sac but often breaks out of the swaddle and still sleeps pretty well.  We are experimenting with one arm out of the swaddle this week and working on weaning her out of it.  She typically naps 1 hour after waking and then ever 1.5-2 hours after that. Most days she takes at least 4 naps.  She mostly naps for 40-50 minutes, but rarely will sleep for 1.5-2 hours.

Eating  Kate continues to nurse every 2-2.5 hours or so and at least 1 dream feed at night.   She previously had been sleeping through from her feeding at 10:30-6 am, but over the last week or so occasionally she has been waking up at 3-4 am to eat too (I am hoping it is because she has been sick).

Movement   Kate continues to roll front to back.  She has started to like playing in the rain forest jumper.  She also likes to sit in the bumbo seat and look around. She also really likes to get carried in mommy’s Solly Baby Wraps! She is also very happy sitting in our laps and observing everything going on around her!

Milestones  Kate has been laughing off and on the last month but is now starting to laugh a lot more. All she wants to do is to sit up and participate in whatever we are doing.  She loves to watch her brother.  She has a great grasp and loves playing with taggy baby paper and grabbing all of her toys.

Favorite toys/activities     She loves her winkel rattle and taggy baby paper.   She likes to sit in the bouncer and spin the wooden toys round and round.

Dislikes   Kate doesn’t like to be overtired or hungry. She doesn’t love to be on her back for long- she prefers to sit up! Other than that she is all smiles! 

Words & sounds   Kate loves to laugh- it is so cute!   She also loves to talk to us and goes on and on and will carry on a conversation with cooing!

What we love   Watching Kate observing everything around her—she is such a joy!

What we don’t love  I would love it if Kate would give up these early AM feedings this last week- hoping it is just her cold that she is recovering from that is making her wake up.

What we’re looking forward to next month   We can’t wait to watch her start to learn how to sit up on her own over the next few months, and maybe roll back to front too!

Kate- 3 months old

Age 3 months

Weight & Length Kate now weighs 13.2 lbs and seems tall too!

Clothing size 3-6 months, she already fills them out in length!

Hair  Her light brown hair is a little lighter day by day, but still not blonde like her brother

Teeth Zero

Sleeping  Kate is a great sleeper. She continues to sleep in her crib for 7-8 hours a night.  She used to nap in the swing before going up to bed around 9-10 but she is starting to show us she needs an earlier bedtime.  She continues to dream feed around 10 pm, which lets Mommy get a 7-hour stretch of sleep or so.  She takes good naps in her crib, still in her swaddle/sleep sack, mostly lasting 1 hour or so, with an occasional longer nap.  She still needs to nap after 1-2 hours of awake time (most often after 1 hour), and hasn’t showed signs of transitioning to only 3 naps/day yet.

Eating  Kate continues to nurse every 2 hours or so during the daytime.  She is a bit more distracted when eating as she has started to become more social, so sometimes she will snack every 1-2 hours.  As long as she sleeps through the night we are ok with that!    

Movement   Kate rolled over from front to back at 2 months and 3 days of age (1/30/15)!  She out-did her brother who rolled at 2.5 months!   Kate has great neck strength.  She is really good at holding her head up and seems to like tummy time.  She has sat in the bumbo a few times and looks like such a big girl!!  She is doing a great job grasping rattles, and toys, and baby paper/taggy blankets. 

Milestones  Seeing her roll over was so fun.   She is interacting and smiling at Jackson now too, which is fun to watch.  She is doing great with her nanny Bonnie who takes care of her all day Monday and Tuesday and Thursday afternoons when mommy has to work.

Favorite toys/activities     Kate loves to bat at toys on the activity mat, especially the bird with the wooden ring to grab on to, and the bird rattle.  She likes baby paper, and has started to play with the winkel rattle and Sophie the giraffe.  She loves playing with taggy blankets and has grabbed on to a few stuffed animals and lovies.  She also likes the o-ball rattles.  She is happiest being cuddled and in someone’s arms.

Dislikes   Kate doesn’t like to be overtired or hungry. Other than that she is all smiles!  

Words & sounds   Kate continues to coo and talk to us in her sweet little way.   

What we love   Watching her sweet little personality shine through

What we don’t love  Kate is doing great, no complaints!

What we’re looking forward to next month   We can’t wait to see her get more active and plan to try the bouncer soon!   

We love you Kate!

Kate- 2 months old

Age 2 months

Weight & Length Kate weighed  in at 11 lbs 6.4 oz (51%) and was 23.2 inches (80%) long!  

Clothing size 0-3 months, though she has outgrown a few 0-3 brands in length.  She looks long and lean, like her brother! 

Hair  Light brown hair that continues to be longer in the back/on top.  It might have lightened up a bit over the last month. 

Teeth Zero

Sleeping  Kate is a great sleeper. She usually heads to bed between 8:30-10:30 and sometimes wakes briefly for a “dream feed” before Mommy goes to bed. From that time, she will typically sleep until 5-6 am.  She generally sleeps 7-8 hour stretches over the last month, but has slept stretches as long as 9 hours and as short as 5 hours overnight. At around 8 weeks of age, she started sleeping in her crib overnight in a halo swaddle/sleep sac. 

Eating  Kate is a big eater and loves to breastfeed frequently during the day. We think this helps her sleep so long overnight without waking to eat.  She usually eats every 2-2.5 hours but sometimes as often as every 1-1.5 hours during the day.   

Movement   Kate is really starting to move. She is more tolerant of tummy time, and likes to kick her feet in her bouncer and show us how strong she is getting.  She also loves to move her arms.  She is going to pre-natal yoga with mommy and likes to lay on the mat and smile up at mommy.

Milestones  Kate is smiling more every day, and she has the best smile.  She also has started cooing and mimicking noises we make. 

Favorite toys/activities   Kate is happiest in mommy or daddy’s arms, smiling up at them. She also loves it when Jackson runs up to her and says hi to her.  She has just started hitting the toys when on her activity mat and listens intensely as they make noise. She loves to hear mommy sing and read books. She also is very content to join mommy at post-natal yoga. 

Dislikes   Kate is doing great and is a very happy girl.  She doesn’t love tummy time, but is more tolerant of it. She is happiest when she is around her family, and doesn’t like to be left out or alone. 

Words & sounds   Kate is becoming quite the talker. She loves to coo at us, especially when in the bouncer and making eye contact with us. She mimics our sounds and changes pitch. We can’t wait to hear more!  

What we love   Sleepy smiles and watching Kate fall asleep in her arms.  She is such a sweet girl.

What we don’t love  We really don’t have much to complain about. She is sleeping so well, we feel like we can’t ask for much more than that!

What we’re looking forward to next month   We can’t wait for more smiles, and maybe she will even take after her brother and roll over soon!

Kate- 1 month old

 Age 1 month

Weight & Length Kate weighed 8 lbs 15.9 oz (67%) at her 2.5 week check up. Her length was 21 inches (77%) at 2.5 weeks.  We haven’t weighed her yet at home, but can tell she is growing each day!

Clothing size  She is starting to use 0-3 months, but can still fit into some newborn outfits.  It is already so much fun dressing her up in girly clothes!

Hair Kate has adorable dark brown hair that is so soft and is shorter in the front and the back is a bit longer and sticks out (especially after baths). We are all placing bets on if she will lose the dark hair and ultimately be a toe head like her brother.

Teeth Zero

Sleeping  Kate usually sleeps for 2 3.5-4 hour stretches at night but has recently had one miraculous 7 hour stretch. However we think we just got lucky.  She takes some catnaps during the day but usually has 2 unpredictable good 1-2 hour naps.  She usually gets up around 5-6 am but usually will go back to bed until about 8 am.  Daddy usually plays with Jackson when he is home when Jackson wakes at around 7 am so Mommy and Kate can sleep!

Eating  Kate is doing well with eating and growing like a weed.  She had almost regained her birth weight at 8 days of age (8 lbs 3 oz) and was almost 9 lbs at 2.5 weeks.  She likes to eat every 1-3 hours during the day. She especially likes to cluster feed in the evenings. We think this does help her sleep a bit longer at night.  

Movement   Kate is starting to like her activity mat and bouncer but doesn’t like to do either for long periods of time yet.  She definitely can recognize mommy and daddy’s face.   Kate is doing a good job tracking objects and has impressive head control when lifting her head up during tummy time.

Milestones  We can tell we are on the verge of her first smile….we can’t wait to see it.

Favorite toys/activities   Kate is intrigued by black and white objects like her mobile, and dangling toys (especially the ones that make sounds) on her play mat.

Dislikes  Kate has some intermittent fussiness in the evenings, but nothing consistent.  We are mostly able to soothe her with eating, napping or occasional swaddling so far…all in all she is a pretty happy baby.

Words & sounds  So far she mostly is mostly content- but she will let you know when she needs something- a diaper change, to be fed, or to be cuddled by letting out a big cry.  She has not started much cooing yet.

What we love  Her sweet sleepy smiles and cuddling with her.  She has recently taken to falling asleep on our chests, which we both love. We also love it when Jackson kisses her on the head and wants to teach her things- it will be so fun to watch there relationship grow.

What we don’t love  Waking up at night and wanting to party is a bit rough on mommy and daddy, especially when big brother Jackson likes to party early in the morning too.  Fortunately, we know this will get better with time.

What we’re looking forward to next month   Smiling, cooing and watching Kate interact with big brother Jackson!  So far her eyes look dark blue like her brothers did at this age- we are excited to see what color they become over the next few months.

We love you Kate and are so excited you are here! 

Katherine Sophia Howe

Katherine Sophia Howe was born 11/27/14- Thanksgiving!

She was born at 11:30 am, and weighed in at 8 lbs 4 oz and was 21 inches long. 

Welcomed with love by Mike, Laura and big brother Jackson

Catching up on 2014

Wow- it has been a busy year.  Watching Jackson grow has been so much fun, and we were so busy with him I forgot to blog- for a whole year.  One of the major highlights of 2014 include finding out we were expecting a baby girl (details to follow).  After she was born, it prompted me to start blogging again!

Other highlights of 2014 included my appointment to associate program director of the U of Michigan Allergy/Immunology Fellowship, a wonderful ski trip to Big Sky, MT and a week in Kiawah Island, SC. Both trips were with both sets of grandparents- we were so lucky!!  We had a great time in TC this summer and interviewed for jobs while we were up there.  Mike accepted a position at Traverse Heart and Vascular, and will be starting August 1, 2015, and we will be moving up to TC at the end of June.  I am still interviewing.  We can't wait, but leaving Ann Arbor, our friends here and our jobs will be bittersweet. I think Mike is ready to be done with his medical training and take his next step, but he has had a wonderful experience with his cardiology training at Michigan these last 4 years. Mike and I took an anniversary trip to NYC in August (6th Anniversary!) and it was very memorable. We saw the Phantom of the Opera and had a wonderful meal at Gramercy Tavern, and also enjoyed walking around Central Park and having lunch at the Boat House.   Jackson's 2nd birthday had a construction truck theme- and he was in truck heaven!  He received many wonderful gifts but really loves his wishbone trike that will turn into a balance bike this spring.  We have new neighbors who moved in this summer and Jackson loves playing with their children, Daniel (5), Avery (3) and Quinn (1).  He loves having kids his age nearby to play with and spends tons of time with them in the cul-de-sac.  We will really miss this house and neighborhood when we move. It has been a wonderful home for the last 5 years!