monthly growth series

Reese’s Monthly Growth Series // 12

December 17, 2017 by lauren.anvari@gmail.com 1 Comment

29.5 inches long (63.89th percentile), 18 inches head circumference (72nd percentile), 19 pounds 5 ounces (42nd percentile), started walking, stands up from sitting on her own, likes to give high five and kisses, loves food, sleeps like a champ, loves to play with her brother and sister, dives out of your arms when she wants to go down, still only says bye-bye and likes to use it whenever possible, is still nursing on demand, no teeth whatsoever

Here it is, the last first-year monthly update that I will ever do (probably). I’m feeling all the feelings. My baby has completed one whole year around the sun and while it was the hardest year our family has ever been through (that’s a whole separate post) it was also filled with lots of love and light.

This month, much to our surprise, Reese started walking! I was certain she wouldn’t walk until she was over a year old, but true form she likes to keep me on my toes. She also started standing up from sitting without needed to hold onto anything and while she still prefers crawling for its speed at the moment, I think it’s only fair to say that we have a little toddler on our hands!

Reese has such a funny personality. She comes across as super serious, but we’re learning that this is all just a bunch of hot air and that in fact, she is a complete and utter jokester. In Persian, she would be called “shey-toon” which is what you call someone who is incredibly cheeky and mischevious. And my oh my is she ever shey-toon! She likes to hit me, and when I take her hand and show her out to touch me gently she tried to yank her hand away in order to hit me again at which point I put her down and tell her that she must be gentle. She promptly begins to cry REAL tears, so after a few seconds I pick her up and she IMMEDIATELY hits me again. This can go on and on and on. At dinner time she LOVES to eat, but she hates when we try to help her and gives us the most disapproving furrowed brow look that I’ve ever seen, often accompanied with a shriek of some sort. Yet all I need to do is look at her and mirror her expression and she’ll burst into laughter. She’s also taken to flinging herself out of our arms when she wants to go down, which is just a good time had by all and definitely keep our reflexes sharp.

Reesey Pea continues to sleep so well, I’m definitely optimistic that the sleep issues are truly behind us. She liked to give high-five and huge wet slobbery kisses but she is not at all cuddly. When I try to hug her she flings herself away from me. Even while nursing she pushes away from me and stretches my breast as much as possible in order to achieve the maximum distance from me while still being able to feed, which let’s just say isn’t doing me any favors.

Asher and Bennett love playing with Reese now that she’s more engaging and she, in turn, loves it as well. It nearly always ends in tears but it’s super cute while it lasts. Reese is super proud of her one and only word ‘bye-bye’ and likes to say is whenever given the opportunity. She doesn’t like saying it when prompted and will often stubbornly wait until the person has already left to say it, but at other times all I have to do it say “alright, we better get going” and she’ll start saying goodbye and waving proudly.

Unlike her brother and sister, Reese puts EVERYTHING in her mouth so I really have to watch her, but seeing as she’s our third child, a lot slips through the gaps. She still doesn’t have any teeth, for which I’m grateful quite frankly because she likes to gnaw on everything. Reese is also different from Asher and Bennett in that she will ask to go to other people even when I’m holding her and will sometimes not want to come back to me.

This past year has been the hardest of my life but I’m so thankful to have Reese in our family. She is such a funny, mischevious, curious, loving, intelligent, super active child. She makes our family feel whole and adds a level of dimension that is just so awesome. She always keeps me guessing. I honestly have no idea who she’ll turn out to be or in what direction her personality is going. The moment I think I have a handle on it she switches it up and leaves me feeling baffled all over again.

Reese’s Monthly Growth Series // 11

November 20, 2017 by lauren.anvari@gmail.com Leave a Comment

Learned to go up and down stairs, loves dancing to music, very strong-willed, has started giving kisses, likes to get into everything, always wants to be part of the action, sleeping really well for night and naps, is babbling constantly, can be quite shy, always wants to feed herself, still no teeth

This little girl is quite the personality! She’s incredibly strong-willed and not at all patient about anything she wants. Everything. Must. Happen. Right. NOW. When nursing she throws her self back and screams at me in the time it takes for me to have her switch sides. Every time. When she wants to nurse and is screaming and crying all I have to do it ask “do you want some milk?” and all the tears stop and when I lay her down to get started she gets so excited she starts to giggle.

Reese loves dancing to music. Whether it’s when Asher is singing to himself or a song on the radio, Reese will bounce, bop and sway to the tune. We’ve had to barricade the stairs because all she wants to do is go up and down them. And up and down and up and down. It’s never-ending, but since I’m convinced we don’t need baby gates, we’ve had to use the kid’s little rocking chairs at the foot of the stairs to keep her on the main level. She’s actually remarkably capable on the stairs and goes up and down perfectly and FAST, but it still makes me nervous.

Reesey Pea now both blows kisses and gives me huge wet sloppy kisses and I love them both. It’s just so fun to see her personality develop. She loves clementines, drinking water from my glass, green smoothies and basically eating anything just as long as she’s allowed to feed herself. She still doesn’t eat a ton but it’s definitely picking up.

Reese’s sleep has been AMAZING! If I was the superstitious type, I’d be almost afraid to write about it for fear of ruining it. Reese had hit yet another bump on the sleep road and had started waking up at night and not going back to sleep for two hours. Yea, it was brutal. She didn’t want to play she just wanted to be held and the second she was put down she’d start screaming. As a matter of fact, she’d often be screaming even when she was being held. She probably wanted to be nursed but I wasn’t about to undo the night weaning…is it clear yet where my kids get their stubborn streak from? Anyway, so this was going on for weeks and we had tried so many things and finally, I just had had enough so I left the room and when back in at five-minute intervals and just kept doing that until she fell asleep. I also offered her her water bottle, though she probably only took it once. But after that night, she has been a dream! I put her to bed and walk out and she’ll either just go to sleep or babble and coo to herself for a little while before falling asleep. It’s been AWESOME!

This child is still all gums without even so much as a little redness or inflammation and because of this, I think she looks quite a bit younger than she actually is and I kinda love it. She’s already growing up too fast! I can’t believe I only have one more monthly update to write!

Reese’s Monthly Growth Series // 6

June 23, 2017 by lauren.anvari@gmail.com 1 Comment

26 inches long (53rd percentile), 15 pounds 2 ounces, (29th percentile), 17.2 inches head circumference (75th-90th percentile), smiles readily, sits upright without her hands, laughs almost exclusively for Bennett, started napping in her crib, finally moved out of her sleep regression, still only sleeps in 3-4 hour stretches, hair has started coming in, loves to suck her big toe, takes 3 naps a day, loves sleeping on her tummy

This little girl is FINALLY a smiley baby. She is definitely still more serious than either of her siblings but she’s really starting to smile and I love it. She’s still stingy with her laughs but for some reason, Bennett can have her in a fit of giggles by playing peek-a-boo with her and it is probably the sweetest thing on the face of the planet. Always grabbing at food that we have with us,

Reese developed quite the interest in people food this month. Always grabbing at food that we’re eating and since I’m SOOOOO late in posting this, she has started solids, but you’ll have to wait for her 6-month update to hear all about it, but let’s just say it’s been quite the ride.

The dreaded sleep regression is behind us!! I think the turning point was when I started putting her to sleep on her tummy. She can roll back and forth on her own anyway, but something about being put down on her belly as opposed to her back stopped her from waking up the second I placed her down. I also spent a lot of time this month working with her so that she would be able to fall asleep without nursing and that has also helped a ton. Reese now naps in her crib and sometime in the next few weeks, I plan on night weaning her, which I hope will result in her sleeping through the night (fingers crossed). I must admit, I have mixed feelings about moving her into her own bed at night. On the one hand, I know that once she crawls things will only get more challenging (she has already fallen out of our bed once in the middle of the night). But on the other hand, I’m really loving all the snuggles.

Reese developed a double ear infection and possibly strep this month, which needless to say was not fun. She did however finally kick the chest congestion that had been lingering for 2 months (halleluja!). The worst part about her ear infection aside from her obvious misery was getting her to take her antibiotics. If I could get her to swallow it without immediately spitting it out (which let’s be honest, was near impossible) then 2 out of 3 times she’d vomit it up in a fit of rage. Giving her medication quickly became the worst part of my day.

Reesey is getting stronger and likes to sit upright now, although she will still tumble over onto her face after a while, so I have to be vigilant. She loves to put her feet into her mouth and will often be seen sucking on her big toe, which is super adorable.

Asher and Bennett continue to dote on her. They love her so much and are so intent on demonstrating that love that poor Reese often has two sticky and loud people in her face, smothering her with attention and affection. She truly in the apple of their eyes.

Reese’s Monthly Growth Series // 3

March 10, 2017 by lauren.anvari@gmail.com 1 Comment

12 pounds (34th percentile), has found her hands, coos and babbles a lot, still hates tummy time, no laughs yet, smiles more often, falls asleep on her own, first plane trip (to Texas), eyes are brown, thrush is gone

Reese is 3 months old and the time is just flying by. Developmentally she seems to be somewhat behind where her brother and sister were at this age, but she’s her own person after all (something I have to keep reminding myself of). She hasn’t laughed yet, but she is smiling more. It could just be that she doesn’t find me funny. She has found her hands and loves sucking on her knuckles. She’s very talkative and is often cooing or babbling. Reese still takes a pacifier but she’s not as in love with it as she once was, instead, she’d much rather nurse, and since her weight percentile has increased, I guess it’s paid off!

We’ve finally kicked thrush to the curb and fingers crossed it doesn’t come back to hitch a ride again. She’s a much happier little girl than she once was, but she also such a serious child. While she smiles more often it’s still not all that frequent and instead, she likes to look at everyone with a very serious expression on her face. She sticks her tongue out a lot and will often like me when I’m kissing her, which isn’t pleasant.

Reese sleeps fairly well. I no longer swaddle her during the day and I tried to stop swaddling her at night but she just isn’t ready yet as her arms keep startling her awake. She’s a pretty floppy baby, which is something I’m not used to, but it does make her extra cuddly, which I love. She’s a mommy’s girl and is happiest when she’s with me. This girl still loves her sleep although she is spending more and more time awake, which is nice.

Asher and Bennett are still enamored with her and it’s so sweet how affectionate and attentive they are towards her. We took her first plane ride to Texas and she didn’t love it. She was pretty fussy on the flight but nothing terrible. She does, however, enjoy the warmer weather in Texas and loves being outside, which is something she has in common with her older siblings. Reese has the loveliest olive complexion and I think she may actually be our Persian looking child. Her thighs have filled out deliciously and she’s got a chunky backside to go with them.

I found out that I have a torn meniscus this month, so I’ll be having knee surgery to repair that April 3rd, followed by 6 weeks of crutches. I honestly don’t know how I’ll function with an infant let alone the older two. But I’m sure we’ll find a way. Thank goodness my parents live nearby!

Bennett’s Monthly Growth Series // 9

December 1, 2015 by lauren.anvari@gmail.com 1 Comment

19 pounds 15.7 ounces (78th percentile), 28 inches long (64th percentile), 18 1/4 inches head circumference (97th percentile), first Thanksgiving, transitioned to a convertible car seat, eats everything, started finger feeding, learned to climb stairs, crawls super fast, cruising

This girl is on the move and getting into everything. There was definitely an incident involving Bennett splashing in Asher’s pee filled potty while my mom and I sat a few feet away…yea mommy fail. She’s crawling at light speed. She has successfully learned to climb up the stairs, but has no clue how to go down, so we’re working on that.

B is forming strong opinions and she does NOT like when A rough houses with her. She is not a rough a tumble girl, or at least not yet. She loves playing with her big brother and he constantly makes her laugh however he is finding it challenging sharing with her, so that’s something we need to work on.

Her hair is coming in, little by little. I’m so tempted to put a teeny tiny bowl in the wisps of hair on the top of her head. She still has light colored eyes, that are a cream of wheat color around the pupil and then a bluish green grey. They are quite striking and I’m guessing they’ll probably settle into a hazel color, but lighter than Asher’s.

Ben Bucket has been cruising around on furniture and likes help walking around. She’s eager to walk and keep with with Asher, so much so that her poor head and face are covered in bruises. She doesn’t quite have the balance or coordination yet, but it’ll be interesting to see what happens with that this month.

She continues to be very laid back and easy – she is an absolute delight!

Bennett’s Monthly Growth Series // 8

October 28, 2015 by lauren.anvari@gmail.com Leave a Comment

Sits upright from lying down, crawls, first 3 teeth, pulls to standing, claps hands, tried nuts, first time baby wearing with daddy, first hike

Month 7 was a busy one indeed! Bennett started crawling, first in army style and later on her hands and knees, she sits up on by herself and I’ve even found her standing in her crib. Speaking of which, I now have to literally hold her down occasionally to get her to go to sleep, because she just sits upright and keeps herself awake. So I place my hand on her back and a minute later she’s out, but she struggling to get up nearly the whole time, hopefully this passes quickly.

Unbeknownst to me her first tooth arrived only for me to discover it already poking through her gum. However within a week she was getting her top two front teeth and we we’re so lucky. The poor girl was miserable, she wasn’t sleeping well and was barely eating, but she’s since returned to her usual habits.

Bennett’s days are filled with exploration and trying to gain new achievements. Literally as I’m typing this she was able to pull herself up enough to get a toy off of the coffee table. No where is safe anymore! She is a busy girl and does not like sitting still, which is evident in this month’s photo shoot. She did NOT want to be laying down!

We drove up to NJ this weekend, and we all got to meet sweet baby Parker! Bennett looked giant next to him because of course he was only 6 weeks old, but I have a feeling he’ll catch up quickly since he’s already weighing in at around 14 pounds or so.

We also drove up to Shenandoah one day and took B of her first hike. Raf wore her in the carrier for the first time as we hiked up the mountain while I had the pleasure of giving Asher a piggy back ride most of the way (someone did NOT want to walk), which was only fitting since the last time we were there I was around 7 months pregnant with him.

Bennett’s favorite pass time is still watching everything Asher does. She really loves him and he in turn enthusiastically adores her and she has the bruises to prove it.

I guess I better start baby proofing.

Bennett’s Monthly Growth Series // 7

September 29, 2015 by lauren.anvari@gmail.com Leave a Comment

Rolls to get around, itching to crawl, started solids and loves food, sleeps 12 hours through the night, moved into her crib and shares a room with her big brother now, loves watching everything Asher does, super smiley

This month has whizzed by, I know I’m constantly saying that but it’s true! I feel like I blink and she’s another month older. I can’t handle it!

Bennett started solids this month, and has been loving them thus far. Her first food was avocado and it pretty much snow balled from there. Most of the time she eats what we’re eating, just a pureed version of course. If we’re having lentil curry, so is she. When we eat koresht badamjan (persian split pea and eggplant stew) so does Bennett. Spiced cauliflower soup and salad? You bet! If I didn’t love my vitamix before (which I absolutely did) I am over the moon now. The baby bullet is archaic by comparison. The only thing I haven’t given her is nuts, but I may start giving her some soon. Towards the end of this month I started giving her rougher textures rather than smooth purees and I also started letting her practice picking up and eating those little rice puffs.

The other big development this month was that she now sleeps through the night! I night weaned her and that was that. It really only took one night and she was a pro. I’m going to write a separate post on my “no sleep training, sleep training method” because it was the easiest thing ever! Bennett and Asher now share a room (although most nights Asher somehow ends up in our bed) and it’s so nice having our room back! I’ve been really enjoying reading in bed.

Bennett is Asher’s biggest fan! She loves watching him and if he’s around it’s nearly impossible to get her to focus on anything else. Asher in turn is just as fond of her. Watching their relationship blossom and unfold is really one of the sweetest things on this earth. The following pictures illustrate just how enamored Bennett is with Asher.

Bennett’s Monthly Growth Series // 5

July 28, 2015 by lauren.anvari@gmail.com Leave a Comment

Rolls over (back to tummy), first plane trip (across the country – coast to coast), loves to grab her feet, delights in watching Asher, sits up in tripod formation for short periods, hates being on her tummy for too long, really likes being upright

Bennett rolled over the day she turned 4 months old and basically became a pro over night. She loved to flip herself onto her tummy, but then is far too lazy to flip back so she just squawks her disconnect until someone rolls her over. No sooner than you roll her over however, will she then almost instantaneously flips back onto her tummy and the cycle continues.

She is utterly enamored by her feet and spends nearly all the time she isn’t rolling onto her tummy gripping her toes instead. Inching them ever closer to her mouth.

Ben Bucket had her first plane trip this month! We flew across country to first Oregon and then to California, 4 flights in total and she was a total rock star, with the exception of one extremely over tired fit in the car. Her sleep was thrown off somewhat by the trip but nothing too bad.

Asher and Bennett are interacting more and more. Asher intentionally makes Bennett laugh and laughs at things she does in return. It is the cutest thing. I LOVE having two children. Is is hard and challenging and some days I don’t know up from down, but it is quite simply the sweetest thing…most of the time. Asher has hit Bennett a couple times thing month. It’s unclear what motivates him to do so. I’m trying to nip it in the bud but it really breaks my heart and is very unlike him as he has really never hit anyone. For the most part however, he is still in complete love with her. Always wanting to hug and kiss her. He delights in her presence.

Month 5 is going to be a busy one, but I’m so looking forward to watching it unfold!

Bennett’s Monthly Growth Series // 4

June 27, 2015 by lauren.anvari@gmail.com Leave a Comment

14 pounds 13.5 ounces (70th percentile), 24 3/4 inches long (71st percentile), 16 5/8 inch head circumference (93rd percentile!), got her first cold, has started grabbing things with her hands, eyes are still blueish grey, no hair growth whatsoever, quick to smile, super easy going, wakes once at night, refuses the bottle, still likes her pacifier but only when sleeping, wants everything in her mouth, babbles constantly

This past month has been slow in terms of milestones. Bennett is actively grabbing now and putting anything she can manage straight into her mouth. While she was quick to role from her tummy to her back she seems to be in no rush to roll from her back to her tummy, which is likely because she HATES tummy time. She loves to babble and to carry on “conversations.”

B Girl has two modes: 1 – totally laid back and chill and 2 – banshee screaming. There is little to no build up or warning. She simply goes from being utterly content and happy to inconsolable. Luckily this only really happens if she gets over tired or over hungry and then it’s almost always my fault because I missed her subtle clues that she wanted to sleep or eat. But boy can she scream. This girl has some serious pipes and a persistence that astounds me. She won’t even nurse when she’s like that, even if the reason she’s like that is because she’s hungry. So I find myself doing all sorts of acrobatics to try to calm her down enough so she’ll eat.

Asher had a cold this month and although I tried it was near impossible to get him to refrain from kissing her on the face and/or hands so of course Bennett got it, but thankfully as far as colds go it was exceedingly mild. Bennett also ran a low fever after receiving her 4 month vaccines and was only content to be held skin to skin and I soaked all the cuddles in. Skin to skin really does work miracles.

Now that Bennett is able to grab things, Asher finds it super entertaining to give her all the toys at once. SHE MUST HAVE OPTIONS! This normally results in her being buried under a pile of toys and pacifiers but it’s so fun to watch their interactions develop.

Raf tried giving Bennett a bottle once while I was out this month and try as he may she flat out refused. He tried several different kinds but nothing worked. I too refused the bottle as a baby. This girl is so much like me that it’s kinda freaky, in the most endearing way possible of course.

Bennett’s Monthly Growth Series // 3

May 27, 2015 by lauren.anvari@gmail.com 1 Comment

rolled over (tummy to back), has started to chuckle but still no full belly laugh, eyes are a bluish grey, sleeps un-swaddled, has cheeks for days, hair is still peach fuzz, has started drooling a bit, has found her fingers and loves sucking on her index and middle fingers at the same time, normally wakes up 1-2 times at night, still looks exactly like mommy

The past three months have whizzed by! If having one child was great, having two is that much sweeter. I LOVE having another baby. It’s so wonderful watching Asher and Bennett interact, nothing is more endearing. Asher is still absolutely enamored by Bennett. He showers her in the gentlest, hugs and kisses. He caresses her head and asks her sweet little questions, like if she had a good nap. It’s to die for. There is not a single hint of jealousy from Asher. Bennett is a delightful and incredibly easy going baby, but she still occupies a lot of my time and Asher takes it in stride. I’m just in awe of how seamlessly he has transitioned from being an only child to being a big brother.

Bennett lights up the room with her smiles. She has the teeniest mouth, and yet she has this way of smiling that rivals the sun. She opens her mouth super wide and turns her head to the side like she’s being a little bit shy, but the main event is her eyes. You can just feel the warmth and adoration pouring out of them. It really does make you feel like the most important person on the planet for a moment. I have yet to capture one of these show stoppers in a photograph, but hopefully soon.

She started rolling over from her tummy to her back this month, and while she hasn’t rolled the other way yet, I decided now was as good a time as ever to stop swaddling, especially with the temperature getting warmer and warmer. It took a bit of adjusting on her part. I think she woke up nearly every hour or two the first night and naps were really difficult, but she’s since gotten the hang of it. One night this month she went down at 7:30pm and didn’t wake up until 6am. It was glorious, except I didn’t go to bed until after midnight, so I completely missed out on my opportunity to get a full night’s rest and I woke up super engorged. The poor girl was practically drowning in milk. That night was an anomaly, she normally wakes up once and sometimes twice. I’ve been implementing what I like to call the “no sleep training, sleep training method’ and it’s awesome, but more on that later.

Bennett has discovered the joys of sucking on her fingers and is obsessed. She favors sucking on her index and middle finger right now, which elicits adorably loud slurping sounds. She has an on again, off again relationship with the pacifier. One week, she’s totally uninterested the next she loves it and back and forth she goes. Thankfully we’re in a ‘loving it’ week. She isn’t nearly as floppy as she once was and can actually feel quite stiff and compact as times. Her rolls continue to expand and I love munching on them.

I’m savoring her babyhood, but it’s just flying by!