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Nine Months with Ford

March 31, 2020

Time sure is flying! In the last three months, Ford has really been growing and learning and it’s been so much watching him become more and more interactive! Since we are quarantined at home, we are trying to make the most of all our family time. With nowhere to be, no commitments, it’s been a time of focusing on family and I am hanging on to every minute of it!

Height/Weight

Ford is 50% for weight and 90% for height.

Sleeping

Last week, for the first time ever, Ford slept through the night. He hasn’t done it since (ha), but he is usually up only once a night around 4 am to eat and then back to bed until around 8 am. As far as napping goes, he takes two good naps a day! Occassionaly he will take a third cat nap, but most of the time he sticks to two naps a day.

When Ford was sleeping so terribly, I decided to transition him out of his sleep sack, too. I figured it would help with one less transition once he finally started sleeping! He transitioned great and now just sleeps in his pajamas and with his “bun bun.”

Personality

Ford is getting so interactive and fun. He is always trying to get his brothers attention by squawking at them and very playful when he wants to be chased. He’s starting to get into everything they are doing, just wanting to be right in the mix of it all. William and Henry make him laugh so hard and my heart bursts when I see them showing him how to do something. They truly are the sweetest brother trio.

Ford is starting to clap, wave and saying dada. He went from barely sitting by himself at 6 months to a full on crawl and standing/cruising pretty much the whole time he is awake! He is so cuddly when he’s sleepy and I love snuggling him right before he goes down for a nap – about the only time he’s still all day!

Schedule

Ford usually wakes up around 8, I’ll nurse him and then we will head downstairs to get ready for the day and have breakfast. He’s now eating solids, then we will play. He takes a nap around 10 – 12 and then up for play time and lunch. I get him down for a nap around 2/2:30 and he wakes up around 5ish. Play, dinner and bed around 7:30.

Nursing

Ford typically nurses about 5-6 times a day. Once during the night, morning, after each nap and before bed.

Solids

When I posted about Ford’s six month update, we had just started solids. I didn’t expect him to like them much (neither William or Henry really cared much about eating solids until closer to turning one), but he loves eating solid foods. I mainly just feed him tiny bites of what we are eating. On occasion, I will give him purees but I’d say 90% of the time he prefers bites vs purees – so different than his brothers! He loves eggs, pears, blueberries, cheese, carrots, almond butter toast, grilled cheese, fish, strawberries, avocado – basically anything I put in front of him he eats.

Travel

Before the craziness of Covid-19, we went to Vegas for a birthday celebration and Ford came along! I always love when he comes on trips with us without his brothers, because it gives us some extra special alone time – something that doesn’t happen very often at home!

Milestones

Ford went from two teeth to seven – and he’s very proud of them always flashing his biggest smile
Crawling everywhere
Sitting up
Standing and cruising – I think we may have a walker soon!
Solids – There is not one food he doesn’t like
Clapping/Waving: He is getting so interactive
Says “Dada”
Transitioned out of sleep sack

Must-Have Baby Items for 9 months old

Coverall bibb: I literally just bought this on Amazon because Ford is the messiest eater ever! It has great reviews, so we will see, but adding it here for those of you with messy eaters, too.
Pajamas: Now that Ford sleeps with no sleep sack, these soft, zippered pajamas are a must.
High chair: We’ve had this high chair since William started eating solids and it’s held up great. We have replaced the cushion for each boy to start fresh.
Food pouch tops: This helps the pouch to not squeeze out all at the same time – lifesaver!
Sippy Cup: Our tried and true – we’ve used this brand of sippy cup for all the boys.
Swim trunks: We’ve got a little fish on our hands – he wants to be in the pool at all times. These are the best swim trunks and rash guards for littles.
Favorite toys: Squishy book, wooden blocks, what’s inside box, interactive pull toy puppy, interactive DJ booth, ball pit (consisting of a blow up pool and these plastic balls) and stacking cups

Cheers,

Stia, Jean and Katherine

Six Months with Ford

January 8, 2020

I have said it before, but I was very anxious about going from two to three kids, especially with them all being so close in age. This transition has been surprisingly much easier on all of us than I aniticipated and I think it’s because Ford has such a laid back, “go with the flow” personality. Ford has been the absolute best addition to our family and I truly can’t imagine our family without him!

Most of the things you guys asked us to cover for Ford’s six month update are below. We’re sharing how he’s sleeping, nursing and our favorite toys and must-have baby items for this stage!

PS: How sweet is this red gingham bubble that is part of the newest Smocked Auctions Strawberry Collection?!

six month old baby next to a strawberry six

six month old baby laying next to strawberry six

Height/Weight

At Ford’s six month appointment, he was 50% for weight and 85% for length.

Sleeping

I think we finally have made some progress! Once the four month sleep regression hit, I decided to move Ford to a sleep sack and out of the Merlin’s sleep suit. I figured I would prefer to have one massive transition vs. a lot of of sleep transitions. This was also about the time Ford started rolling from back to stomach, so we had to stop using the Merlin’s sleep suit anyway. Once Ford learned to get comfy on his tummy in bed, that’s when he really started to sleep longer. That he now sucks his thumb is also helping a ton! Most nights he goes to sleep around 7:30, wakes up around 4 a.m. to nurse and then wakes up around 8 a.m. for the morning feeding and to start his day.

Personality

Ford continues to be the happiest baby. He is so content watching his brothers and gives the best and biggest smiles to everyone. His belly laugh is everything. I think he is pretty motivated to be playing with his brothers because he is starting to rock on all fours, getting ready to crawl. I am so not ready for him to be on the move!

He is happy doing anything/everything and he loves to cuddle. He is a very easy baby! He puts himself to sleep, eats every 4-5 hours and is just joyful and very social. William and Henry go crazy over him; showering him with hugs and kisses, helping him learn new skills and they get SO excited when he does something new. Their relationships bring me so much joy that I never could have imagined.

Schedule

We still follow the same schedule – eat when he’s hungry and sleep when he’s tired, no matter how long it’s been in between! That being said, he has started to have a more consistent routine. He nurses when he wakes up, goes down for a nap about 1.5 hours later, nurses when he wakes up, goes down 1.5 hrs later, etc. If he’s having good nap days, he’ll usually just take two naps. Some days we throw in a late cat nap if he’s going to be up for longer than 2.5 hours until bed. He has been an amazing napper now that he is in a sleep sack, sucks his thumb and sleeps on his tummy.

Nursing

Ford continues to be a good nurser, although not as attached as his brothers were at his age! I nursed William and Henry to sleep for every nap and Ford much prefers to eat every 4-5 hours and fall asleep sucking his thumb. He nurses about 6 times a day (once in the middle of the night, typically). We just introduced solids this week. I’ll share more once I have more to share!

Travel

We took Ford to LA for a long weekend without his big brothers and really enjoyed the one on one time with him. He also did amazing on our trip to Vail. I’ve said it before, but babies are the easiest to travel with!

Milestones

Ford’s first two teeth came in and they are the cutest thing ever
Rolled from back to tummy
Rocking on all fours and getting ready to crawl
Sitting up on his own for more than a few seconds
First bites of solid foods

Must-Have Baby Items

We love this sleep sack – so cozy and soft.
This book was a Santa gift and Ford loves playing with all the tails.
This lovey is so soft and Ford loves to cuddle up and chew on the bunnies ears.
Ford was so warm and cozy in Vail with this puffer onesie.
This seat has been a lifesaver to have around the house. It’s easy to move from room to room and it comes with toys that connect and easy for him to play with.
I finally found a monitor that works with two cameras and works long distances. This is huge for us, plus the picture is so clear!
Of course, pajamas with zippers are always on my must-have list!

Shop Must-Have Baby Items:

Cheers,

Stia, Jean and Katherine

Thank you Smocked Auctions for sending this darling bubble to Ford!

Three Months with Ford

October 8, 2019

babyboy in bubble and knit pom pom hat — // sunsuit // hat //

mom holding baby — // top (similar) // jeans // sandals //

baby boy in bassinet stroller pumpkin bubble — // pumpkin bubble – get free shipping w/ code B&HGJK5 //

I don’t even know where to start with this sweet baby boy. If you read our Q+A last week, you’ll know that finding out I was pregnant was a huge surprise. I was anxious during my pregnancy about having three little ones so close in age and how I would be able to make that transition from two to three. I have actually found the transition from two to three much smoother than from one to two! It may have to do with the fact that Ford is the sweetest, most cuddly, happiest little baby. His brothers are crazy over him and so are we. He’s just what our family was missing!

Height/Weight

I think Ford is about 15 pounds and 26 inches long. We don’t go back to the doctor until four months, so this a very rough estimate.

Sleeping

This was the most FAQ from you all! Ford’s been sleeping not great, but not terrible either. It’s been manageable, but I’m so ready for more sleep. At night, he typically goes down between 7:30 or 8:30 (depending on if he needs to go to sleep before or after we get the big boys down.) Usually, he will sleep until about 3 am. I’ll nurse him and he goes back to sleep until about 6 am, nurses again and then will sleep until his brothers usually wake him up. The past week or so he’s been waking at 1 a.m., 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. and I’m tired! I think he’s hitting the four month sleep regression early. From the beginning, he has typically only woken up twice during the night and I am thankful for that.

During the day, he’s a pretty good napper. He loves his Merlin’s sleep suit, so most of his naps are in his crib when we’re home. He does pretty good getting cat naps while we are out, too.

Personality

Ford is the happiest, easy-going baby out of all my boys. He is so content, smiles as soon as you look at him and is a busy little babbler. I think the third baby has to be easy-going because there is so much going on! Even as a newborn, he hardly cried and was quite content cuddling, watching his brothers play and just being loved on. Around two months, he started to be very alert, rolling from his tummy to back, giggling and babbling. He is just the happiest, sweetest thing.

Schedule

I’ve never really had a schedule in place with my babies. They eat when they are hungry and sleep when tired! Some days Ford sleeps late, some days up early – just depends on how much he was up the night before, etc. I try to make sure he gets one crib nap a day, usually right around 2 pm when the big boys go down for their naps. That way I can have a little peace and quiet and get some work done!

Nursing

I went into nursing Ford with the same expectations that I did with the other boys – if nursing works, great. If not, we will try something else. He latched almost immediately after he was born and so I have continued nursing him unless he takes a random bottle. I pumped twice a morning for his first month of life using the Hakka pump, so I have a small stash saved up. I never did that with William or Henry, so it has been nice having a little more flexibility! He nurses about 6-8 times/day and I’ll use the bottle if Caleb and I have a date night or event to attend. We’ve always used Comotomo and Ford likes it just as much as his big brothers.

Travel

We took our first trip as a family of five to San Diego when Ford was about two months old. He did great on the flight – I always say this is the easiest time to travel with kids! We have a few more trips planned this fall and hoping he eases into traveling just like his big brothers.

Milestones

Those first smiles are the sweetest!
Ford is just so happy – you smile at him and he starts laughing/giggling back at you. He’s so interactive.
I always cherish those newborn photos – seems like so long ago.
Our parents threw a Sip & See for Ford – it was so special!
Ford took his first flight at 2 months old
Rolled from tummy to back

Must-Have Baby Items:

My friend Jill told me about the Hakka pump and it’s 100% my favorite baby item. I wish I knew about it while I was nursing my other babies. Basically, it suctions on to the opposite side you are feeding from and “catches” the milk. I was able to store a small stash of milk by doing this when I was feeding Ford. I used it twice in the morning for about a month. Super easy to clean, too.
Hands down, favorite swaddle ever (no pun intended)
We used the Dock-a-tot with Henry and loved it just as much with Ford, too.
One thing that I didn’t use with the other boys is a carrier. Ford does okay in it, but sometimes it’s just necessary (ie: walks, grocery store, the Zoo and the airport)
About 1.5 months in Ford was trying to get his arms out of the swaddle, so we decided to switch to Merlin’s sleep suit. It works wonders!
Uppababy MESA, VISTA and MINU continue to be our go-to strollers – VISTA for walks and MINU for everyday and it’s the best for travel.