Declan - 4 Months Old

Sweet Declan,

You are 4 months old now.  I can't believe how fast time is going with you in my life.  As I mentioned last time, mom had to go back to work :(.  It has been so hard being away from you during the day, but it just makes our time together even more special.  You are doing great with your new babysitter, Becky.  She says you smile and laugh all the time with her.  When I pick you up and get you home you are so happy.  You latch on like you have never eaten before.  It's so nice that we are able to have that time together and I'm doing my best to keep up my milk supply while at work so we can continue it as long as possible.

We had quite an eventful month with the holiday season upon us.  You had your first Thanksgiving Day this month.  We had a great day filled with lots of food and family.  We went to Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle JMac's house first.  You just loved getting passed around to all the different family members.  Everyone is so in love with you!  After that we went over to Gram and Poppy's house.  You had a great time being passed around again and everyone kept talking about what a good baby you are!  You loved being around all your cousins and second cousins too.  We got a picture of your generation of kids (plus Nathaniel).

(L to R - Harrison, Louise, Declan, Brooke, Alex, Will, Grace, Brady, Nathaniel)

After Thanksgiving, we started getting ready for Christmas.  We headed out to Eckert's Farm to cut down your very first Christmas Tree.  You really seemed to like the fresh air and enjoyed hanging out with mom in the Moby Wrap.  I think we just pushed it a bit too far cause you started crying at the very end of tree cutting.  Soon after we went inside and I fed you and you were happy again.  We got some really great pictures of you and your brother that we ended up using on our Christmas Card this year too.

Searching for the tree:

Here we are right after we cut the tree down:

As I said, you calmed down shortly after that and took a good nap that afternoon.

We did many more Christmas type activities.  You had your first visit from St. Nicholas who brought you an ornament to put on the tree.  We played Christmas music and decorated the tree.  And we went to Cor Jesu's Breakfast with Santa.  Everyone there just loved seeing you and they all loved the cute little "brrr" on your bottom:

You also got your first picture with Santa there which you did quite well with:

We also went to visit Santa Claus at the Museum of Transportation.  You got to sit with Santa in the Caboose!

We also saw the Macy's Train, rode in the mini train, and walked around to see all the old trains.  You again really liked hanging out with mom in the Moby wrap and even fell asleep in it for a little while.

Walking through the tanker car, you were sound asleep:


We also took your picture for your First Christmas Ornaments.  You did a great job wearing your cute little Santa Hat:

And we got a few family pictures for the Christmas Card:

Although we did a lot in preparation for Christmas during this time, we also had some really normal days.  Your brother continues to just dote on you.  He just loves having you around - although sometimes he tries to take back the attention!  You are a very chill baby and you smile all the time.  It's so awesome!

It is basketball season, so you of course have been cheering on Marquette.  Your brother is working on the Go Marquette Cheer and I'm sure you will be singing it with him in no time:

You are starting to drool quite a bit, so I'm thinking some teeth will be coming in soon.  Also, at the very end of this month you started rolling from your back to your tummy!  I'll get that on video soon.

You are such a wonderful baby, Declan.  I'm so happy that I get to be your mommy!

Here are your 4 month pictures:

I love you my Little Ray of Sunshine!

Love,

Mom

Declan - 3 Months Old

Declan,

You are three months old now!  It has been so much fun having you around.  You are constantly smiling and bring so much joy to our family.  We had a great month!

We continued cheering on the Cardinals in the post season.  They DID go to the World Series, but unfortunately they did not win this year.  It was still a really fun season and even though we did not win this time, we are still batting 1000 on having kids and going to the World Series.

We also really enjoyed the end of mom's maternity leave.  One day we went to Purina Farms with your brother and Grandma Gerry.  It was a little bit chilly that day, but you stayed all snugglie in your car seat and in the Moby Wrap right next to mom.  It was a great day watching the dog show and hanging out with Alex while he explored and played.

We also went to the pumpkin patch!  You were such a trooper letting mom put you on all the pumpkins and propping you up for some cute photos.  You are such a good baby!  You only got upset one time.  The rest of the time was just awesome!

Halloween was really fun this year too!  Your brother is really into Curious George, so we dressed him up as the Man in the Yellow Hat and since you were a Monkey, we called you George.  You and your brother looked so cute in your costumes!  Alex just loved showing you off to all his friends and the family.  We started the day at story hour at the library.  Everyone oohed and ahhed over your costumes there.  Then, that evening we went to Will and Harrison's house and then to Grandma Gerry and Paw Paw Rick's house to hang out with Alyssa.  I took Alex out Trick or Treating, but you were the smart one staying inside that night since it was so cold and rainy!

As I mentioned before, your big brother just loves you so much.  He loves showing you off to whoever he can.  He loves to play with you too.  I am so excited for you guys that you have a built in best buddy.  I know you guys are going to love growing up together!

You are such a smiley little guy!  You love to just smile and giggle all the time.  Alex and I love to dance around the house and you just sit there and laugh like crazy!  It's so much fun to have such a happy guy around all the time!

You are such a good sleeper too!  You take great naps and you like to sleep right next to me at night.  It's hard for me to place you in the bassinet, but sometimes I have to so I can get some sleep myself.

You continue to roll over from your tummy to your back all the time.  You are also very strong and like me to pull you from laying on your back to a standing position.  We went to the doctor for your 10 week check up and your stats were as follows:

Weight: 11 lbs 14 oz (40th percentile)

Length: 22" (10th Percentile)

 (we think they messed up last time, you def. grew!)

Head Circumference: 15,2" (14th percentile)

Unfortunately mom had to go back to work at the end of your 3rd month.  It has been a hard adjustment, but we are working though it.  You seem to really like your babysitter, Becky.  I miss you terribly when I am working,but I know this is what is the best for us.  We will be making up for that time on the weekends!

 

Here are your 3 month pictures:

I love you so much my sweet Declan!  

Love,

Mom

Declan - 2 Months Old

Declan,

You are 2 months old now.  We have had so much fun in the past month.  Gram and I took you to your first trip to Adriana's.  We found out that Adriana was correct in her guess that you were a boy!  Mommy and Gram each enjoyed yummy Charlie sandwiches and Big Brother Alex had some pizza.  You enjoyed looking around and got some traces of mommy's Charlie in her milk.  It won't be long till you and Alex will both be eating that pizza though!

We also took your first and second trip to Grant's Farm this month.  The first time you enjoyed yourself in the stroller and on mom and dad's laps for the shows.  The second time you even had your first carousel ride as you sat in the Moby Wrap!

We also took your first trip to the zoo.  We watched the sea lions get fed, went to see all the big cats and of course played at the children's zoo.  You also "played" with Alex at the Discover Center:

Your brother absolutely LOVES you.  It is so much fun to see you two together.  One day you and I went to pick up Alex from Grandma Gerry's house and he pushed me out of the way to give you kisses.  He also said "I love you" to you for the first time.  He just adores you and I can't wait to watch you guys grow up together!

But being the little brother is not always easy.  Alex was given some stickers one day at the Teacher's Store.  He was trying to be a good big brother by giving you a sticker.  You were not exactly thrilled with where he chose to put it:

You have been doing so well with your tummy time lately.  We can't believe that such a small guy like you can do so much.  You are really good at pushing yourself up and you have even started rolling over!  You rolled over from your belly to your back for the first time on October 1st.  Since then we can't seem to stop you from doing it each time we put you on your belly.

You had some more visitors this month too.  Your cousins Brooke and Brady were so excited to meet their new cousin!  And of course your big brother was so proud to show you off.

We have also been having a lot of fun cheering on the Cardinals in the post season.  You have had some fun times just watching the game with the family and also with your friends Braden and Cate.  We won the World Series the year Alex was born, so we are hoping for the same in the year you were born!  I told dad that if we win again this year we have to keep on having kids.  So let's hope for a win so you can have lots of brothers and maybe even some sisters :)

You have also been smiling a lot especially at the sound of mom's voice.  You like to smile and coo and say "Ohhh!"  Alex loves to try to get you to say "Ohh".  Because of the delay in my camera, I can't seem to get a good picture of you smiling, but soon enough I will. Here's the end of a smile:

Here were your stats at your 6 week doctor's visit:

Weight: 10 lbs

Length: 22"

Head Circumference: 14.6"

And here's what you look like at 2 months old:

I love you so much my precious Declan.  I look forward to each day I get to spend with you!

Love,

Mom