18 Months!

~Abigail's expressive language continues to blossom!  She is saying new words often and her pronunciation is improving.  Everything sweet is called a "cookie".  She loves "bubbles".  Any bread, especially if you are putting it in the toaster is a "waf-fle".  She says "bee-boo" for Peek-A-Boo.  She'll extend her arms and state "a-du" (All done) when finished with a meal.  Abigail will state "Hot!" when we're cooking at the stove and enjoys wearing her "hat".  She's standing up for herself and will state "Mine!" when her brother attempt to take a toy from her. She's making more animals noses, including "hop hop" for rabbits and "woof woof" for dogs.
~She continues to improve her interest in books.  She will often bring us a book to read. Current favorites include books with "babies", dogs and Bubble Guppies (Guppa guppa).
~She's doing a great job of feeding herself with utensils, including spearing bites with a fork and scooping with a spoon.  She enjoys wiping her face and high chair tray with a paper towel.  She's a fairly good eater and is becoming more tolerant of different fruits and veggies.  Abby prefers to eat her food just like her brothers, rather than cut into bites.  She definitely has a sweet tooth.
~Abigail is entering a Mommy-itis stage.  She prefers to be held and put to bed by Mommy.
~She is quite the climber!  She enjoys crawling onto objects, including toy bins, recliners and dining room table chairs.
~Abigail is in the beginning stages of pretend play.  She likes to get and serve us beverages from the play kitchen or play food sets, give us bites of food while stating "yum-yum" or "yummy", brush our hair and walk around with her purse on her shoulder and a phone by her ear!
~Just like Brennan and Gavin, she's going to be a great big sibling!  She loves to point out "babies" and is very affectionate to her baby dolls.

17 Months!

~Little Miss Independent prefers to feed herself rather than be feed.  She does a pretty good job!  She'll repeat "Mommy!" when wanting help with scooping food, but then wants to do the rest herself.
~Her language skills continue to blossom.  She's added many words, including "wa-wal" (waffle), "cook-cook" (cookie), "dis" (this), "Hi", "Yeah", "Ni Ni"and "Daddy".  She consistently says "Hi!" when entering a room/someone enters a room, "Bise!" after exiting the bathroom post-shower and finding Mommy/Daddy, "Guppa guppa" when she sees Bubble Guppies books/characters, and "Daaa-da" when she sees a dog.  Several people on several occasions have commented that it sounds as though she is saying longer phrases at appropriate times.  She's definitely a talker!  Her receptive language is flourishing, too, as she seems to understand many things that are said to her.
~Abigail can jump and twirl.  She's found the joy in climbing, especially now that she can get herself down by crawling backwards.
~She loves to be out and about. She'll bring us her shoes if she hears that we are going somewhere or that someone is leaving.
~She's learning more noises of animals and objects.  While not always consistent, she'll "vroom" for cars/vehicles, "choo choo" for trains, smack her lips together for a fish, "baaa" for sheep, and make a throat gurgle for a bear.  She also has an adorable "Muah" for kisses.
~She's such a happy, giggly gal.  We occasionally refer to her as "Giggles" or "Abba-giggles".  The babysitter frequently comments on her personality, including telling us that she is the happiest baby she's had in 27 years of babysitting!
~She's a great sleeper!  She continues to take 2 naps a day.  She quietly puts herself to sleep and wakes up happy.  The babysitter has commented that when Abigail starts to get tired, she'll wrap a blanket around her shoulders, point to her pacifier on the counter, and after she gets her pacifier, she'll walk into the bedroom.
~When asked, she'll point to her belly, nose and mouth

Fabulous Four!

We're thrilled the announce the upcoming arrival of our latest addition!  Baby Swartz #4 will be joining our family in May, 2016!  We've nicknamed Baby #4 "Encore" -- as in one final, wonderful performance.

Encore at 8 weeks!

While news of Encore was a surprise, it's certainly a welcomed and exciting surprise!  We shared the news with Brennan, Gavin and Abigail as we carved pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns.  Instead of having three pumpkins, we had four -- one for each kid!  They are excited for the arrival of their new brother or sister!

16 Months!

~Abigail is picking up speed every day and is nearly running!  When walking quickly, she does a cute swing of her hips.

~Her expressive babbling continues and she has added more words! She says "Hi" and "Bye bye!" at appropriate times.  She has also added "doggie" and very clearly states "Mommy" and "Dada".  She's been heard to say "Bise!" (Surprise) and "Baby" often, also.  Her receptive language is blossoming, too.

~While she has always enjoyed books, her interest seems to be growing.  She frequently bring us books to read to her and points to pictures to be labeled.  She is most interested in interactive books, including lift-the-flap books and books with textures.

~She does the adorable move of moving backwards while sticking her bottom out while on her way to sit on our laps.

~Abigail continues to adore her brothers and imitates them often, including roaring like lions, jumping (attempting to jump), and running around the room.  She likes to get into their rough-housing, also.  

~Abby enjoys the play kitchen, including taking play food in and out of the microwave/oven compartments.  She puts cups under the faucet and then pretends to take a drink.  Abigail loves "stirring food" with a play utensil and cup/bowl.  Then, she'll come to us and "feed us" with the utensil while repeatedly smacking her lips together.  It's adorable!

~Abigail is taking an interest in dogs.  She'll point them out excitedly and label them.

~She likes to make animal noises when she sees them in pictures, although most animals roar, "Mmmm" or clear their throats.

~She enjoys picking up toys.

~Abigail frequently claps for herself when being praised.

~Our little dancing queen is learning new dance moves.  She moves her hips, stomps her foot, twirls, and side steps with her head on her shoulder. 

15 Months!

~She shakes her head yes and no appropriately to questions.  Her "yes" is more of an upper body nod.
~She says Mama, Daddy, bubble and baby!  When she wants something, she frequently states "Mamama" or "Mamame" while pointing to the object.  The babysitter reports that she clearly says "Logan", the name of the babysitter's son.  She smiles and giggles when we try to get her to say it.  Abby babbles a lot and uses great inflection and a variety of sounds.
~Abigail is the proud owner of her front 8 teeth, 4 molars and 2 top canines.
~She's an eating machine!  She's starting to self-feed with spoons.  She doesn't have a scoop action  mastered, but she's able to get the food.  She has a sweet tooth and gets excited when dessert is offered.
~Abigail loves to climb on Brennan's platform bed.  She also enjoys standing on his bed, making Mommy and Daddy nervous.
~She's showing knowledge of many different routines.  She immediately goes to the basement stairs and starts to climb when she hears the washing machine lid close.  She rubs her hands together when we're putting lotion on our hands.  She goes to the door when told it's time to leave or go outside and will go to her highchair when told it's time to eat.
~Abby is great at following directions! When asked, she puts her clothes in her laundry basket and will deliver items to people.  She also likes to pick up, including putting toys away and putting her shoes on the shoe mat.
~She makes an adorable pig noise, although it sounds more like a cat clearing a hair ball!

Preschool!

Gavin started preschool today! He is attending Little Blessings in Fremont, Ohio three days a week.  He's going to love school!

14 Months!

~Abigail continues to enjoy walking and is getting even faster!  After her brief break, she has returned to climbing stairs.
~She cut two molars and, based on the look of her gums, we expect more soon.
~Abby loves to eat!  She's a meat and carbs kind of gal, but will eat most veggies and some fruits.  She loves to drink from sippy cups.
~They say that kids often focus on one developmental skill at a time.  It was nearly overnight that Abby switched from motor development to language development.  She consistently says "Mama" and "Mommy!"  She'll typically repeat them when asked and will say "Mama!" repeatedly when she wants something.  She's also said "Dada" a few times!  We've also heard "nana" (banana) and she babbles often.
~Abigail has improved her "please" sign to rubbing her chest/belly.  This is exceptionally cute when she is asking for food.  She occasionally signs "more", but, being polite, "please" is used more.
~She puts her hands in the air to indicate that she wants to be held.
~Abby loves baths!  She's at the bathroom door almost immediately after she hears the water running.  If she's not in the bath with her brothers, she attempting to touch the water from the side of the tub.  She enjoys splashing, playing with toys and watching her brothers.
~While she still likes to play with Brennan and Gavin's cars/etc., she's starting to show her feminine side.  She enjoys walking around with her "babies", appearing to hug them with her arm.  She also has a particular baby that she likes to take to the babysitter's house nearly every day.  Abigail also enjoys playing with her purse and gets a kick out of wearing a toy bracelet.

First Day of Kindergarten!

Brennan has been very excited to start kindergarten!  He is in Mrs. Boose's full-day kindergarten classroom at Furry Elementary in Perkins Local School District.  He's going to love it and will do great!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Gavin!

Happy Birthday, Gavin!!

Happy 3rd Birthday to our sweet, smart and silly Gavin!  He brings us so much joy and we're so proud of him!

A few highlights:

~Gavin has made tremendous progress with his expressive language skills!  He speaks in full sentences and is consistently intelligible.  

~Gavin adores his siblings.  He is Brennan's shadow and enjoys playing with him.  He loves to help Abigail and will stop what he's doing to give her hugs and kisses throughout his day.

~He identifies all letters and numbers 1-10.  He can count to 19 and backwards from 10.

~Gavin enjoys books, especially silly books or look and find books.  He also enjoys describing what is happening in the pictures.

We celebrated his birthday with a basketball themed party at a local park with some family and friends.  The kids had fun playing on the playground and throwing water balloons.

Current Stats:
Height: 37" (38th percentile)
Weight: 28 lb 8oz (17th percentile)

While he's our little guy, the doctor explained that his growth is on track.  The doctor also wondered if he would be a "late bloomer" and hit his growth spurt later.

13 Months!

~Now that Abby is walking, it seems like she never stops!  Her new favorite activity is to walk around the house, usually carrying an object and dropping it when she finds another object to carry around!  Most desired object include books, remotes, toy cars, and sippy cups.  She is able to move from sitting to standing without difficulty and navigate around obstacles.  She's quite sturdy and can walk lengthy distances without toppling over.  She is also picking up speed!
~Abigail is officially weaned from day time feedings.  She nurses briefly at bedtime, giving a chance for extra snuggles with Mommy!  Instead of nursing before naps, we read a story and sing a few songs.  She puts herself to sleep easily without a peep!
~Abigail loves drinking from sippy cups!  She is also able to drink from straw cups.  She gets very excited when she sees one and will gladly take any cups left around the house.
~She is a great eater!  She is willing to eat new foods and definitely wants what her brothers have.  She is not a huge fan of several fruits.
~Abigail has modified her "more" sign and it is now more similar to the actual sign.  She also continues to sign "all done".  She has added a modified "please" sign, which is rubbing her hands on her arms, rather than rubbing a palm on her chest.
~She easily climbed the flight of stairs from the basement twice in one day!  She hasn't shown much interest in doing it again, although she has climbed the two steps from the garage to the house.
~Mimicking her brothers eating warm food, she frequently blows on a piece of food and/or holds the food out towards us while blowing.
~Abigail loves giving open mouth kisses, giggling after giving her smooch.  She also likes to kiss characters in her books.
~She loves to cover her face with her hands and play Peek A Boo!
~Abigail takes two naps a take at approximately 8:30am and 1:00pm.  It's difficult to know how long she is sleeping because she'll contently and quietly play in her crib for a while.  She stays in her bed for 2-3 hours per nap.
~We suspect that she may be getting her molars soon.  Her gums are quite large and she frequently puts objects in her mouth.
~Her happy, giggly personality continues!  We love the twinkle in her eyes!

She Walks!

We've made the official call--Abigail is walking!  For the past few days, she has taken several consecutive steps.  Then, she started taking even more consecutive steps!  She is very proud of herself! 

Happy 1st Birthday, Abigail!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY, MISS ABIGAIL!

~Where has the last year gone?!  Our sweet Abigail is 1!  We celebrated her birthday with a fun ice-cream themed birthday party!  The weather was beautiful, allowing the kids to have fun in the pools and on the swing set.

~While we haven't made the official "call" yet, Abigail is starting to walk!  She has taken up to 8 steps independently several times a day.  She isn't extremely confident, but she is determined and will continue trying.  She appears more confident cruising and will travel around a room, barely resting her hand on furniture or walls along the way. 

~Abigail independently signs "more" and "all done".  However, don't ask her if she's "all done" or wants "more" at the end of a meal, as she'll sign both upon hearing the words!  She waves and blows kisses.  She also nods/shakes her head upon hearing yes/no.  Abigail also likes to continue "singing" while tapping her mouth with her hands.  She'll also give open mouth kisses.

~She will occasionally state "Mo" repeatedly when asking for something.  She has several babbled sounds, pitches and inflections.

~Abigail is doing a great job eating table food!  She wants what her brothers are eating, so don't try to give her anything else! However, it is acceptable to dip her spoon into two bowls -- one with her separate food and one with something they are also eating.  Some current favorites are toast, any meat, french fries/tator tots, pretzels, cereal, green beans, spaghetti, pancakes, apple sauce and yogurt.  We haven't given her whole milk yet, but she's able to drink from a sippy cup and is getting better about drinking from a straw cup, although she wants to tilt it up.  She is able to finger feed herself.

~Abby becomes quite the ham when she notices that we are taking her picture!  She'll flash a beautiful, sometimes cheesy grin!

~She loves peek-a-boo!

~She has such a wonderful personality!  She's a happy, smiley, easy going gal!

Abigail had her 1 year appointment the day after her birthday!  She received a clean bill of health and charmed the doctor with her giggles and grins.  She also received four vaccinations. She wasn't pleased about them, but calmed down quickly.  

Current stats:

29 3/4 inches    72nd percentile

22lbs 13.5oz     88th percentile

18 inch head     72nd percentile

Graduation for Gavin!

Gavin has officially graduated (exited) from Help Me Grow services! 

Help Me Grow services discontinue when children turn three.  In preparation for this transition, families and Help Me Grow providers meet with their residing school district to determine if a student may qualify for preschool services.  At Gavin's transition meeting, we discussed the great progress he has made with his communication skills.  We all agreed that he would not qualify for speech services in preschool.  Just to verify, we met with the SLP for a play date.  She agreed that he has age appropriate language skills, including his vocabulary and articulation skills.  We're so proud of him!  He has many, many words, speaks in phrases, and is intelligible!  We're planning for him to attend preschool in the fall, which should only continue to help his language skills progress!

Graduation for Brennan!

 
Brennan is officially a preschool graduate!  He attended two years at Wee Care Preschool in Fremont, Ohio, attending 3 full days a week.  He absolutely loved school and did a great job! We're so proud of him!

Watch out kindergarten, here comes Brennan!

11 Months Old!

Our sweet Abigail is 11 months old!

~Abby is on the move!  She crawls very quickly and is beginning to cruise along furniture.
~She is able to stand unassisted for several seconds.  Her face lights up with excitement when she's praised for standing!
~Move over baby food, Miss Abigail wants the real stuff!  While she will still eat pureed food with encouragement, she definitely prefers table food.  She's able to feed herself small bites of food, including noodles and grilled cheese.  She does much better with sippy cups and enjoys drinking water from them.  Abigail also likes to get food out of snack cups.
~Abby loves to swing!  She'll smile from ear to ear and giggle when pushed on the baby swing on our backyard swingset.
~In addition to "bye bye", she has also uttered a few sweet "Ma ma's"!  She will, however, consistently imitate her silly big brothers when they blow raspberries.
~Abigail will shake/nod her head when we say "yes" or "no".
~Forget baby toys, Abigail prefers her brothers' toys
~She's showing interest in climbing stairs and has been able to scale a stair or two!
~Abigail has such a wonderful and happy personality! 

She Speaks!

We've made the call as she's doing it at the appropriate times and far too often to be coincidence!

Abigail's first word: Bye bye!

She even accompanies it with an adorable wave!

9...err...10 Month Stats

Due to rescheduling her 9 month well check, Abigail was 10 months by the time we could get her in for an appointment.  Current stats:

21 lbs  6 oz
29"
17" head circumference

The doctor was pleased with her development and enjoyed her smiles.  He also liked her adorable pig tails!

10 Months!

 

Miss Abigail is 10 months old!

~Abigail has a list of adorable "tricks"!  She raises her hands in the air in response to "How big is Abigail?" ("So big!").  She claps, typically just moving only her right hand.  She'll also clap when asked to say "more" (adaptation of the sign for "more").  Abby also claps when you sing "Patty Cake" to her.  She loves to dance and will move her upper body up and down and/or back and forth when she hears music.
~She loves to eat!  She gets excited when she sees baby food containers or table food that she likes to eat.  She's doing a great job eating puffs, Cheerios and crackers.  Abigail does a great job feeding herself, including picking up small pieces and taking bites from her crackers.  She's also enjoyed a few tator tots.  She's doing well with a sippy cup, but frequently lets the water cascade out of her mouth.
~Abby is a great sleeper!  She takes 2 good naps a day and sleeps through the night.  At home, she nurses before sleeping and typically falls asleep while eating.  She's woken a few times when I lay her down, but will easily put herself back to sleep.  She is put down awake at the babysitter's and heads to dreamland on her own.  She seems to prefer sleeping on her side.  She quietly plays in her bed for a while after waking up.
~Belly laughs still give her the hiccups!
~She likes to play Peek A Boo, including attempting to cover and uncover herself.
~Abigail has such a wonderful personality!  She's such a happy girl.  We frequently get comments from others and the babysitter about her constant happiness!
~She is on the move!  She's a quick crawler and enjoys pulling herself up on everything she can.
~We've had an explosion of teeth!  She now has 8 teeth, 4 on the top and 4 on the bottom.  She cut all 4 top teeth in a matter of about 3 days.  She's a champion teether...only a little bit of extra drool and mouthing of objects.

9 Months!

 Little Miss Abigail is 9 months old! 

~This was a huge month for motor milestones!  She continued to improve her rolling skills.  Then, she mastered going from her belly to sitting.  Next, she quickly figured out how to crawl!  She loves being able to get around on her own.  She's doing a great job crawling on hard surfaces instead of slipping.  She moves the fastest for electronics, puzzle pieces, her brothers' small toys, and Mommy upon her return from work.
~Abigail has decided that baby food isn't so bad after all!  She's much neater when she eats compared to when she would raspberry most bites!  She absolutely loves Cheerios!  She gets very excited when she is offered them.  She does a great job picking one up and feeding herself.  We're working on sippy cups with water.  She gets excited about getting the water, causing most of it to spill out of her mouth.
~She has a hilarious cheesy grin!  She has great facial expressions!
~Abby continues to make improvements with sleeping.  It seems as though she flipped a switch to improved overnight sleeping when we switched the calendar to March! She barely woke up overnight this month!  We're hoping this continues.  She's also making great improvements in naps. We're thinking the trick is the timing of putting her in her bed.  She does best when she's sleepy/sleeping after nursing, but not completely out.  If she's too fast asleep and wakes up during the transfer to her bed, she seems to think that nap time is over.
~Brennan and Gavin adore their baby sister.  They love to make her laugh and smile.  They also enjoy giving her kisses and hugs and talking to her.  It was neat to watch them as we were encouraging Abby to crawl.  Brennan would cheer her on enthusiastically.  Gavin, attempting to help his baby sister, would simply grab the item(s) of encouragement and take it to her rather than making her crawl to retrieve it.
~We switched Abigail from her infant seat to a convertible car seat this evening. We tried to stretch the infant seat, with its warm fleece cover, as far through the cold weather as we could!
~She's growing so quickly!  We recently brought out some of the 18 months clothes! Her 9 month appointment isn't until later in the month, so we don't have her current stats yet.
~Abigail is such a happy, sweet girl! Her smile not only lights up her face but the entire room!
~We are frequently asked if she goes by Abby or Abigail.  We call her both.  She is also called several nick names: Abbers, Abba-Gabba, Abigails, Abi-girl, Aba-dabas...

8 Months!

 Our sweet Abigail is 8 months old!

~Abby has mastered the art of rolling!  She rolls in one fluid motion and with ease.  She also pushes herself up onto her knees or toes, causing her to scoot backwards.  Gone are the days of staying put in one spot!  We suspect that crawling isn't too far away!
~While she's made great improvements in napping in her bed, we had some regression in overnight sleeping.  More often than not, she woke up overnight or early in the morning this month.  It may have been a combination of her first cold which made her congested, or another tooth,  or traveling, or reaching new milestones, or a combination of several variables. 
~Abigail cut her third tooth!  Her beautiful smile proudly shows off her three bottom teeth!
~Overall, Abby has been a bit indifferent about baby food.  She gets a lunch and dinner and doesn't consume much. Instead, she likes to gently spit it back of of her mouth repeatedly.  After successfully eating a rice rusk, including biting off and "chewing" pieces, we decided to introduce small amounts of finger food to see if she was more successful in eating it.  She's had small bits of toast, green beans, and bananas.  She seemed to do well!  Towards the end of the month, she started eating pureed food more successfully, so we'll continue a combination of finger food and pureed food for now.
~In addition to her rolling, Abigail is starting to attempt to pull herself up on things.  For example, when put in Gavin's bed, she attempts to pull herself up to the top of his bed rail to mouth it.  Consequently, her crib mattress has been lowered a notch!
~She's adding new sounds to her gabbing, including "ma-ma", which is Mommy's current favorite.
~Abigail shakes her head back and forth.  While very likely not in response to a question, it's fun to incorporate it into our conversations!  "Are you ready to _____?" ::Abby shakes her head::
~We love her giggles!  She has quite the infectious belly laugh!

7 Months!

Sweet Abigail is 7 months old!

~Bring on the steak!  Abigail cut her two front bottom teeth!  She did great--only some extra mouthing of toys and a few clingy days.
~We've started to introduce more baby foods.  She has been eating a "dinner" and we just started including a "lunch."  She seems to enjoy rice cereal, oatmeal, and peas the most.  She was indifferent to carrots and not a huge fan of pears and sweet potatoes.  Recently, she has decided that the best time to blow raspberries is just after receiving a spoon of food.  Watch out!
~She's getting better at rolling, including back to belly and belly to back!  She'll roll several times one day, and none the next.  She's also able to transition from sitting to her belly and is getting more graceful at this move.
~Abby seems to be getting the idea of mobility.  While on her tummy, she's stretching her arms and raising her upper body to her waist.  She's also kicking her legs more and attempting to raise her bottom!
~We're making great improvements in the crib sleeping during the day!  For a while, she would take a decent morning nap in her crib, but struggled with her afternoon nap.  Recently, she's taking a good morning nap and a decent afternoon nap in her crib.  We're getting there!
~She's also doing a great job with sleeping at night.  She goes to bed immediately after her brothers (~7:30pm) and wakes around 5:00am-5:30am.  Depending on who else is awake, she may or may not go back to sleep after nursing. We no longer put the boppy in bed with her, but continue putting something that smells like Mommy, just in case that is helping her!
~Abigail is quite the ham!  She loves flashing her gorgeous smile to others and also for the camera.  When around larger groups of people, she seems to get a little overwhelmed and prefers to be with Mommy and Daddy.
~Abby is working on how to manipulate things. She can easily pick up and manipulate her pacifier to fit correctly in her mouth.  She has also figured out how to turn on her musical soother in her crib. 
~She continues to be Gabby Abby.  She likes to "tell us stories" and is babbling rather than cooing.
~Abigail has a great personality!  She's such a happy, giggly girl!  She definitely notices when others aren't around or are walking away from her, but she has a wonderful temperament overall!
~Abby is adored by her brothers!  Brennan and Gavin love to sing to her, talk to her, make her giggle, and bring her toys. 

Happy 5th Birthday, Brennan!

Happy 5th Birthday, Brennan!

It's hard to believe that Brennan is already 5 years old!  He has a wonderful personality and makes us incredibly proud every day!

Current interests and favorites:

~He continues to love puzzles and his visual memory is impressive!  

~Brennan also enjoys playing with toy cars and character figurines.  It's fun to watch him play as he creates voices and conversations for them.

~He enjoys drawing and doing art projects.  His drawings are becoming quite detailed!

~Brennan loves school!  He's in his 2nd year of preschool at Wee Care in Fremont.  He has great interest in letters/letter sounds, spelling and sounding out words.  His love of books also continues!
~He enjoys building with blocks and Legos.  It's neat to watch him use his imagination when building things.
~Brennan loves to play games!  We have several board and card games that he asks to play almost daily.

~He loves his siblings!  It's fun to watch Brennan and Gavin play together and he adores Abigail and enjoys making her laugh.

Brennan had a dinosaur party at home to celebrate his big day.  He spent his actual birthday at the babysitter's house and enjoyed taking cup cakes to share with his friends there.  We celebrated again at home in the evening!

Brennan was given a clean bill of health at his 5th year well check appointment.  We've been keeping an eye on his large tonsils.  The pediatrician agreed that they are large, but not extremely large and he isn't snoring or having difficulty swallowing.  Both of the tubes in his ears are out and his ears look "fantastic". The pediatrician also commented on Brennan's long, lean stature.  Brennan did wonderfully during his two vaccinations.  Other than flu shots or any new vaccines, he shouldn't need any more until he is 12.

Current Stats:
Height: 45 3/4" (95th percentile)
Weight: 49 lb (90th percentile)

6 Month Check Up

Abigail had her 6 month check up today!  The pediatrician explained that she was healthy and looks great.  After receiving many smiles and giggles, he "diagnosed" her with "Excessive Happiness!"

I asked the doctor if we should be concerned about her lack of interest in rolling.  She has rolled from back to belly a few times, but does not seem interested in this milestone.  He explained that it wasn't a concern as she's able to sit well and shows interest in her environment.  He went to explain that she has built in entertainment (2 brothers) without needing to roll and larger babies frequently don't roll often. 

Following her check up, Abby received 5 vaccines (1 oral, 4 pokes), including her first dose of the flu vaccine.  She wasn't pleased, but after a few snuggles from Mommy, she calmed down quickly and began flashing her smiles yet again.

Current stats:
19lbs 14oz (93rd percentile)
28" (97th percentile)

Help Me Grow Update

Gavin continues to participate in Help Me Grow.  An Early Intervention Specialist comes to our house for about an hour every other week.  She typically just plays with him.  He is usually pretty quiet around her, but eventually warms up.  During her last visit, she brought the Speech Therapist along.

Gavin has made great improvement in his language skills!  He has many, many more words and uses some phrases.  Some common phrases include "Mommy/Daddy, ______ please!" and "Bye bye _____!"  He is also counting to 13, labeling numbers 1-10, labeling many letters, and labeling several shapes!

Now that he is speaking more, we've noticed that he is omitting many initial sounds.  The Speech Therapist also observed this and gave us some suggestions to help him.  She was pleased with the number of words he is using, though!

6 Months Old!

Happy 1/2 Birthday, Miss Abigail!

~Giggles, smiles, giggles and smiles!  Abigail is such a happy girl!  She's definitely an extrovert!
~She continues to be Grabby Abby!  She efficiently grabs at toys, hair, dishes on the dining room table, Mommy's face and clothes while nursing, etc.
~Abigail has slept through the night nearly every night this month!  Granted, her "night" may end around 4:45am, just in time for a feeding before Mommy's alarm goes off during the weekdays.  She typically falls back asleep after this meal.  In attempt to help her nighttime sleeping in her bed, opposed to Mommy and Daddy's bed, we recreated our bed as much as possible.  We have a folded fleece blanket under her crib sheet to soften the mattress. Mommy puts her shirt worn that day in her bed (out of reach) so she can smell Mommy.  We've also been putting the boppy pillow around her head (again out of reach and far enough away that her face is not touching it when she turns her bed).  We were putting the boppy around her head when she was in our bed to help us from getting too close in our sleep.  Unsure if she liked the closeness of something around her head, we continued this in her crib.  Sounds a little crazy, but desperate times call for desperate measures.  We continue to work on longer naps in her bed rather than in a chair or in someone's arms.
~Abigail also continues to be Gabby Abby.  She has included some consonants in her talking, especially "b", so we often hear "Ba-ba-bab"!
~We've started to introduce rice cereal at dinner.  She was a little unsure at the first bite, but has caught on quickly.  She needs a good wipe down after her meals as she ends up with a mess on and under her chin(s).  She seems to enjoy sitting in the highchair during meals rather than sitting in a vibrating chair on the floor.
~Abigail also caught on quickly to sitting!  She enjoys the new view and having a container of toys next to her to investigate.  She topples occasionally, but usually only after she has sat for a while or is reaching too far for a toy.
~Abby rolled from her back to her belly several times on Christmas Day.  She still does not seem incredibly interested in this skill, but we know she can do it.
~The end is near for our infant bath tub as Abby is outgrowing it.  She had her first real-tub bath at Grandma and Grandpa Mealy's house and did well!

Christmas 2014!

Merry Christmas from the Swartz family!

Christmas 2014 was wonderful!  We had an extended celebration and were thankful to see all of our family.  Grammy and Bob came to visit on Christmas Eve.  Christmas day was celebrated at our home with our wonderful family of 5.  Grandpa and Grandma Swartz came for a visit on the 26th.  Following their visit, we traveled to Cincinnati for several days.  While there, Abigail was baptized at Sharonville United Methodist Church.  Daddy had to return early due to work, but Mommy and the kids stayed for a few extra days for additional time with Grandpa and Grandma Mealy, aunts, uncles and cousins.  

The kids had a great time this Christmas!  Both boys enjoyed opening their presents independently.  They were excited about their gifts and have enjoyed playing with them.  As in years past, they picked out a toy to give to their siblings.  The boys enjoyed picking out the toys and seemed excited when their exchanged gift was opened.  Abigail slept through the chaos of gift opening at home and in Cincinnati, but enjoyed opening her gifts after her slumber.