Langston 4 Months

I need to start writing down all of the new things she is doing each month because by time I post these updates I have usually forgotten.  I will see how well I do.  At her 4 month appt. she was 14 lbs 9 oz and 25 3/4 in long(60% in weight and 88% in height).  This is right about where Easton and Kenan were.  I guess my kids just gain at the same rate.  She is still right in the middle of them height wise and Easton was a little heavier and Kenan was the same weight. This month Langston really started playing with things.  I mentioned that last month she started batting at her hanging toys, well now she grabs them, holds them, chews them, etc.  She loves to play.  She is also moving all over the place.  Not actually going anywhere, but by turning her head and arching her back she can go all the way around in a circle on the floor.  She is so close to rolling to her stomach from her back.  Last week she was just 2 inches from the ground and then she fell back again.  I expect it will be anytime now.  Kenan didn't roll over until close to 6 months, but Easton was right at 4 months. 
     She nurses around 5 times a day every 3-4 hours.  She is consistently sleeping 11 hours at night now.  If I don't have anywhere to go for the day she can sleep until 9 or 10 in the morning because she usually doesn't go to bed until 9:30 at night.  We are on a later schedule than most.  If I have to go somewhere and get her up, she will go back to sleep for her morning nap pretty quickly.  Right now she has moved into the pattern of morning and afternoon naps.  They are not always the same time like they are with your first, but I am happy she takes them whenever they fit into our schedule.  It is so much harder when you have other kids to work around.  Kenan didn't use anything to soothe himself to sleep, Easton took a paci, and although Langston uses a paci also, I think we may have a thumb sucker on our hands.  I find her sucking it more and more each day.  I am pretty sure she uses it at night to soothe herself. 
     Oct. 24th Langston laughed out loud more than just her normal coo laugh.  Now you can get her laughing a lot.  She loves to watch the kids and they can really make her laugh.  The girl I watch Isabelle had her laughing at this big Halloween balloon she kept hitting.  It was so cute to hear. She still loves to hear people talk.  Now she is so nosy about conversations she will stop nursing just to listen to what is going on.  It gets annoying when I am trying to get her to finish eating. 
     Similarly to the boys Langston doesn't like to be held when she is tired.  She will just keep crying until she is in her crib and able to relax.  This is confusing for those that watch her because most people think babies would like to be held to relax and fall asleep.  Well not if you have a babywise baby.  This is good for me at home, but sometimes it doesn't work well when we are out and about and other people have her and all she wants is her bed.  She has also developed the dreaded bald spot at the back of her head.  I try to keep her from laying as much now that she holds her body up really well and can sit in other positions.  Her hair is also so much lighter and thinner now.  She still has hair, but as her head has grown her hair has not kept up.  I hope the new growth starts soon so it can start thickening up again. 
     Finally, drool and more drool.  Kenan had a bib on all of the time because of drool, but Easton didn't drool much at all.  Well Langston takes after Kenan.  I will need to get some girly bibs because I think she will need them if I don't want her entire shirt to be wet.  She can pull out her bow and have it in her mouth for just a few minutes and it will be dripping with spit.  Gross, I know.

Jilly, Izzy, and Langston with Langston's doll

Meeting her great-aunt Kim

2nd cousins Hannah and Caitlin

2nd cousin Jordan

Grandpa Greg

great-aunt Lynne:Lynne likes that they have the same initials L. W.

She was making a funny face here

Camping at Lincoln for Halloween fun

Last year we went up on a Saturday to join Nick's brother Gary and his (wife tomorrow) Tina for their annual Halloween camping trip.  We just ate dinner and did the trick-or-treating and then drove home that night.  This year, after camping once already, we decided to stay the night Saturday and hang out at the park on Sunday.  Needless to say the kids had a great time.  So far Langston has gotten to go camping in utero and at 3 mnths where the boys had to wait awhile.  They love it and talk about it all the time.  Now for those who know us, this is a new thing for us and something I never thought we would do more of.  I don't think we will ever do much summer camping, but I could see us going at least once in the spring and once in the fall every year now.  No primitive for us, but we are definitely getting into it if it is an electric site.  The boys would love a camper, but I am okay with a big tent.  So far we have borrowed Gary and Tina's which is a three room one and I love that size.  We are looking to get one similar if we make the purchase. 

September and October

This fall we have done some fun things as a family, although not as many as our busy summers.  Early in September we went apple picking down at the new Englebrecht Orchard on Petersburg rd.  Easton loved to tell people how we went apple picking.

Friends of ours, the Shepherds, came into town for one of the weekends in September.  It was nice going out to eat with them kidless on Friday night and then going to the zoo on Saturday.

Izzy, Ethan, and Eli

It was fun to see them all play together.



We had two birthday celebrations in September, Navy's and Tenley's.  Both parties were a lot of fun and the boys like helping them blow out their candles and open presents.

The first week of October brought the Fall Festival.  We usually go a number of nights because Nick's birthday fall on fall fest week and he loves it.  I think we were down there 4 nights total if you include the night we worked the booth with our small group.  By the third night with the kids I had reached my fill of fall fest.  A new item we tried this year was the Donut Bank burger.  It was actually really good if you like glazed donuts.

The rest of this month was filled with soccer ending, camping at Lincoln(post to follow), the Scott chicken Supper, Kenan's first report card (which was awesome), and much more.

3 mnths old

Sorry this is so late:
 Langston was three months old September 27th which was also her cousin Tenley's first birthday.  Last month I didn't post a weight and height because she hadn't gone to the doctor yet.  She went at 11 weeks and was 12 lbs 9 oz and 24 in long.  This is less than Easton was at this age, but still more than Kenan.  Everything checked out great and she got a few shots.  She cried a bit in the afternoon, but that was all.  None of my kids have been bothered by their shots much.

We have now become busy with school activities so the fun places to go each week have decreased.  We have started our routine of library on Tuesdays and nature center on Wednesdays.  Last week was the first library class and she loved watching all of the kids.  I have taken all of the kids when they were around three months to the birth through 2 year old class at Oaklyn.  This particular Tuesday her cousins Navy, Tenley, and second cousin Owen were all there.  She has also enjoyed going to football games and Kenan's soccer games.

Sleeping has just improved over the last month.  She sleeps from around 10pm-6am most nights and then goes back to sleep for another couple of hours.  She will take a good morning nap and afternoon nap and then is up most of the evening until bedtime.  Langston also seems to be very observant and good with her hand coordination.  She started batting at her toys that hang down over the playset and carseat much earlier than the boys.  She just stares at them and keeps hitting them and trying to get them to roll or rattle.  I have some video on my phone, but I don't feel like looking for my cord to upload it.  Another difference is her love for talking.  It doesn't matter if you are talking to her or she is babbling to you, she loves talking.

At the zoo

At Navy's 1st birthday party while she was getting ready for bed.

Easton and Izzy

I love to cheese

The girls