Rolling over!

I tried to post it in the last blog post, but it didn't load. He is rolling both ways like a champ now, although this video only shows from stomach to back. Here is our little rolly polly!

Rhett-15 weeks old

At 15 weeks:

-Rhett rolled over the other way! Now he can roll from front to back and also back to front. He is making movements like he wants to crawl and lunging forward during tummy time. I am posting  a video of his newest feat-rolling from front to back!

-He is grabbing his toys that hang over is playmat and trying to put them in his mouth. I am noticing his coordination is getting better by the day.

-He continues to want to be held all the time, especially during mealtimes. We had been putting him in his bouncy seat next to us during meals, but now he wants to be part of the action.

-He is sitting very well in his Bumbo seat! He is also grabbing his toes and rocking back and forth. I have also caught him putting his toes in his mouth. Gross, but so cute! :)

-He is night waking...a lot! I am up about every 2 hrs or so (sometimes less!) and therefore totally exhausted! I am not sure if it is a growth spurt or if it is the oh so fun 4 month "sleep monster" creeping in. Jackson stopped sleeping well at just about this same time and it was at least a solid month before it got any better.  I hope he gives me some sleep soon. Between being up all night and working all day, I am running on fumes!

-He is always trying to sneak and watch TV. I have to really keep him turned completely away from the TV or I will catch him craning his neck to see it.

-He is teething and drooling a ton. I am putting bibs on him during the day to keep his clothes dry.

-He is almost totally bald! He has a little party in the back, but mostly he is bald. Jackson was bald during this same time too. Also, my hair is falling out in clumps and it is so bad! I hope I still have hair left when it is all said and done.

-His little personality comes out more each day. He a smiley, happy baby for the most part. He is really amused by pretty much anything we do! Love this boy so much!

As for Jackson, he is doing great and we are planning for his 3 year old bday part in about a week and a half. He has been so silly lately and absolutely loves to make us laugh. He also loves to sing and dance. His newest song that he loves to sing is the "tossed salad and scrambled eggs" song from Frasier (must get a video of this soon!) and also the "Hi  my name is Joe, and I work in a button factory" song. I got so tickled when I heard him singing it the other day because I used to sing it as a child. Also, his memory continues to amaze me. He can "read" almost all of his books from memory and his current favorites are the "Llama Llama" series. He is fully potty trained and we are loving that! Love these boys so much too. We are blessed!

Rhett-14 weeks and Jackson

This week Rhett rolled over for the first time! He can roll from his back to his tummy. Yeah! He loves to "stand" up and gets really excited and proud of himself. He also still doing a great job at pulling up when he is on his tummy. He gets the biggest, gummiest smile on his face when he pulls up and looks at me. What a sweetie!

He is laughing more and more. He used to just give a chuckle when we tickled him, but now he laughs when I make a funny face at him. He continues to generally be a pretty easy going guy. But man, when he gets mad, watch out! Luckily he is easy to please when he gets upset-I just nurse him and he is all smiles afterwards. :)

His cradle cap is almost completely gone thanks to a friend's suggestion of California Baby Calendula cream. It cleared up so quickly and it has been amazing!! Thanks Meredith!
I have been noticing the 4 month sleep monster creeping in...that is, his sleeping stretches are getting shorter and he is waking more often wanting to nurse or just be held and rocked. These days I am getting one 3 1/2 hour stretch and then I am up every 2 hours or so (and sometimes less). I do hope that gets better. I do have to say that I feel like I handle sleep deprivation better this time around than last time. I guess your body just kind of gets used to it! I really would love for Rhett to give me some good 6 hour stretches of sleep again.

I've noticed that he wants to be part of the action more lately. We usually put him in his bouncy seat beside us when we eat dinner, but lately he will protest and wants to be held and be part of the dinner table. He is perfectly content to be held and look around at everything.

I think he is on his way to being a thumb sucker. He recently found his thumb and it will keep him occupied/happy for a few minutes before I can get to him sometimes. I am not crazy about it, but it is kinda nice that he can soothe himself that way for a few minutes. Also, it looks really cute!

Justin had him all day last week while I had a meeting out of town, and he was a rock star. He took bottles (of breastmilk) from Justin all day and was great. That was a relief for me! I was worried he would refuse the bottle and scream all day.

As for Jackson, we couldn't be prouder of him. He is potty trained and doing a fantastic job of it. We have been accident free for a while now. He is going to sleep on his own at night and sleeping through the night...we couldn't be happier! He is so sweet when he goes potty-He loves to read "Car and Driver" magazine with Justin and he has learned/memorized all of the cars. He will say "Mommy look at THIS-It's a Bugatti and it is the fastest car EVER!", or he will say "Whoa Daddy look at these wheels, they are AWESOME!" His vocabulary continues to amaze me. He talks all of the time, and I just love to listen to him. He is so smart! I can't wait until he and Rhett can really interact with each other. One more cute thing. At night, Jackson will tell Rhett goodnight and will say "Night night pine cone Rhett. I love you!. Not sure where pine cone Rhett came from. He also calls him "Bon appetite Rhett", "pokenface Rhett", and "beega bugga Rhett". Ahh my silly boys Here are some pictures of Rhett at 14 weeks and Jackson just one month shy of 3 years old:

Rhett-3 Months Old! (and Jackson update)

Since I am running about a week behind, I will attempt to play catch up and wrap up weeks 12 and 13 in a three month post instead. Rhett is 3 months old today...Happy 4th of July!

At three months old:

-Rhett has a raging case of cradle cap! I mean, it is worse than Jackson and Jackson really had it bad. We have tried baby oil and are now on to olive oil, which seems to be helping some. We may have to try something new if it doesn't improve soon. It doesn't seem to bother him at all, but poor little guy is all crusty on top. Also, his skin is still kind of dry despite putting lotion on him every day. Justin says he is molting because he is growing so fast!

-He is slowly but surely taking a bottle of pumped milk from Justin. The first time was great-he took right to it. After that, he flat out refused it and screamed when Justin tried to give it to him. We have been trying to do two small bottles a day to get him used to it in preparation for my work travel starting up and he is finally coming around. He doesn't like it, but he will take it if he gets pretty hungry. Thankfully when I am not traveling I am able to nurse him since I work out of a home office.

-He is ticklish and laughs every time I change him. It is really sweet. Also, he is happiest in the mornings. He looks at me and gives me a big smile.

-He loves to "stand up" and will stomp his little feet. He gets really excited about that.

-Tummy time is finally paying off. I guess he just decided out of nowhere to show off the other day and now is lifting his head and looking around. He is still rolling from side to side and trying so hard to kick his little leg over to roll over.

-He continues to "talk" and coo all of the time. He loves to play peek a boo.

-He is still sleeping well and waking 1-2 times a night to nurse. He goes right back to sleep and is still pretty much on the same schedule as Jackson as far as bedtime and nap time. I do wish Rhett's morning nap schedule would get more regular, but I know that will happen soon.

-He is definitely noticing his surroundings more and more. He pays more attention to Jackson and will give him some smiles. Also, he is SO good when we take him out. He just looks around and peacefully sits in his carrier/stroller.

-He has gotten great at grasping things with his hands. When I am nursing him, he will now open his little hand and lay it on my chest-so sweet. He also loves to grasp things with his monkey toes!

As for my big boy Jackson, he is almost fully potty trained. He has gone several days with no pee accidents. He is staying dry overnight and at nap time (yay!). The last challenge lies in getting him to go #2 in time. He knows to go to the potty but will have many false alarms where he thinks he has to go and then changes his mind once he sits on the potty. A few times he waited too late and when he told us he had to go (for the 10 time in a row!), he didn't quite make to the potty in time. So we are hoping he will learn what it feels like when it is time to go and that he will be patient once he sits down. But he has had several times where he made it in time and we are so proud of him!

I do have to mention, he had the tantrum of all tantrums yesterday. He has never really had bad temper tantrums or been difficult, but since Rhett has been born we have noticed some acting out. Yesterday when Justin picked him up from school his teachers said he was not himself and was not listening and acting out all day. They said it was not the Jackson that they know and that maybe he was overtired or getting sick. When we got him home he seemed fine and had lunch and then when it was nap time he threw a major fit! I mean he was screaming and crying and inconsolable. He fell out of his bed (thankfully didn't get hurt) and was sobbing and kicking. It was so sad. He was very angry at me and yelled to me that he was going to "Poke you in the face!". I have NEVER seen him this upset before. Finally after 30 minutes he fell asleep and was fine when he woke up. He asked me to snuggle with him when he woke up and we talked about how it was ok to feel mad or sad, but it was not ok to use unkind words or hands. I think he must have woken up really early that morning or something and was just exhausted. He had a great day today and seems to be back to himself. Not sure what that was about. Me and Justin always just try to remain patient, but firm with him and give him constant love and attention. I always tell him that I will love him forever no matter what and he gets so much affection every day from both of us. I know Rhett's arrival has thrown Jackson for a real loop, but he is adjusting slowly but surely. I tell him daily that no matter how tall he gets or how old he is, he and Rhett will always be my babies. Love these boys so much (even when they threaten to poke me in the face-haha)!

12 Weeks

 3 Months Old (13 weeks tomorrow)

 Silly with stickers

 getting his present for going poopy in the potty successfully for the first time

 Showing off his big boy underwear!