Felix is 7 months

Better late than never here! Felix turned 7 months on October 18th.

• Still no teeth!
• Just started to say "da-da" on November 5th. He also continues to say "gee", "goo", and a few other sounds. 
• He rolls back and forth in all directions on the floor.
• He has the sweetest laugh and smile.
• Starting to prefer mom and be unsure of strangers
• Eats lots of baby food! He might eat two containers of 2nd foods at dinner some days.
• He likes to pound on his highchair with his hand.
• He grabs anything he can get his hands on - hair, toys, binky, food, crinkly things like wrappers or bags (keeping the plastic bags well out of reach these days!). 
• LOVES any attention he gets from big brother or sister - even if they are a little rough.
• Still in 9 month clothing but growing out of it.
• He's wearing size 4 diapers
• He generally sleeps through the night until about 5am and then wakes to eat before going back to sleep until around 7am. 

Felix is such a sweet little guy!

Felix is 6 months

Felix turned 6 months old on September 18th! It's hard to believe. And quite a relief! I feel like you can take a little bit of a breather once you make it to 6 months. Things start to get a little easier..

• Felix is now sitting up. He's gotten a lot better within the last week but we still have to keep a pillow behind him. After a while he will fall over and he usually cries!
• He seems to be wanting to chew everything but no teeth yet
• He's become very vocal and uses a lot of "AHH..." and variations of that. He also says "agoo" and "agee" and kind of spits when he does that. 
• Felix really likes his baby food. He eats any kind and isn't picky. 
• He has a few ticklish spots... they include his sides, under his chin, and the bottoms of his feet. He has the sweetest laugh! Love it.. there's just nothing sweeter.
• He loves any affection he can get and is just appreciative when we turn his way.
• Felix is getting more active. He smacks things with his hands - particularly when he's in his high chair. He also enjoys books - especially touching them and trying to put them into his mouth.. but he does like looking at the pictures and hearing our voices.
• He is a chunky little guy and weighs over 20 pounds.
• His hair has gotten a lot longer on the top and is still curly!
• His eyes are sort of a hazel-brown color.
• One of his favorite activities is taking a bath. He's been thrown into the tub with the big kids now and sits in his bumbo in the bathtub. He might get splashed a little from time to time but he tolerates it pretty well.

Felix is 5 months!

Felix turned 5 months old on August 18th. Time is flying by with this sweet and cuddly little guy.

• We are rolling over all of  the time. Last weekend he started rolling over a lot from his back to his tummy. The first time he rolled from Tummy to back was July 12th. From back to tummy was August 15th that we know of. 
• He still eats cereal usually twice a day at lunch time and at supper.
• Felix is getting better at sleeping at night. We let him cry one night where we had been in his room multiple times and every time he would wake up within 15 minutes after we had left so we just let him cry. Since then his nights have been so much better and he's typically sleeping until 5am or later.
• His favorite toy is his crinkly book. He loves to crunch it in his hands and eat it. He also loves playing in his jumperoo. He likes his jumperoo a little too much and is always happy there.
• Felix does great at daycare. He's been there 5 days a week for 4 weeks now. At first he was a little cranky in the evenings but he seems to have adjusted now and is better. I usually feed him around 6pm and then again before bed (typically around 8). 
• He's grown a lot since his 4 month doctor visit so I am guessing he weighs over 20 pounds at this point. He is still in 9 month clothing (although they are getting tight!) and size 3 diapers (getting tight as well). I'm thinking once the cooler weather hits I'll switch him over to his 12 month clothes. Thank the Lord for hand me downs from his big brother! It has been really nice to have those old clothes saved along with some new clothes as well.
• Felix normally just takes 2 naps a day although sometimes he takes a short snooze in the evening before actually going down to bed.
• He is still generally an easy going baby who tends to go with the flow (he pretty much has to while we round up #1 and #2 around here). He is patient and able to wait his turn for attention typically. 
• Felix is still entertained by his big brother and beginning to take more interest in what his big sister has to tell him as well. We're looking forward to being able to play with him more as he gets older but for now we're enjoying having a baby around the house. :) Emmett has been very helpful in entertaining him in a pinch and putting his binky in his mouth for us when needed. 
• He can pretty much sit up at this point as well. It seems strange to say that he can do this but he can. I haven't left him unattended to sit (even with a pillow or anything) but I'm pretty sure he could do it. I've noticed if I have him sitting between my legs on the floor he holds his own for quite a while. And there's a lot of him to hold so it's pretty amazing that he can do this. He'll be sitting unattended sometime in his very near future. 

We love you little five month old Felix. Life is definitely sweeter with you in it! <3

Felix is 4 months!

Felix turned 4 months old on July 18th. 

• He finally slept through the night for the first time on July 20th! He woke up at 5:45am. I can't remember exactly what time he went to sleep though! It must have been around 7:30/8:00pm. Life is crazy. :)  Since then we have had 3 nights of sleeping through which is perfect timing because I was going to start sleep training him (not feeding him in the night with the possibility of letting him cry if needed).
• He rolled over for the first time on July 12th. He went from tummy to back immediately after I laid him down. At first I thought it was just a fluke but then I put him back on his tummy and he did it again. He also did the same thing for my dad a few times this past weekend. So, I'm going to call it official. Still not much progress on rolling from back to tummy.
• He starting to scoot on his back a little bit. I'll lay him down with his head in a certain part of his blanket and come back to his head still being where I left him but his feet are the other direction completely.
• He is talking a lot more. He still uses his favorite word "ah-goo" all of the time but has introduced many more sounds that go along with that. We are looking forward to the words "mama and dada" but haven't heard them quite yet!
• He seriously loves any attention anyone will give him! My mom said - well, he's the third child - he's happy with what he gets! I think she's right. His face lights up with a big smile if anyone talks to him. He'll also let anyone hold him happily (as long as he's not hungry or tired).
• His eye color keeps changing. I still don't think it's the final color that he'll have for the rest of his life but it certainly appears to be more brown than anything else. It's pretty much hazel I'd say for now. 
• Today is Mom's last day of maternity leave. Felix will be going to daycare full time next week. He loves it there and does well, but I'll certainly miss my extra time with him!
• He's wearing 9 month clothing and size 3 diapers.
• He's started to eat cereal in the evening. He typically takes a couple spoons full. He sucks on the spoon hoping it's a nipple of any sort and then when he realizes he isn't after a few bites he gets mad until Mommy picks him up. I think he is eating some of it though! 
• He goes about 3 hours in between feedings now. He can go up to four hours at times depending on his nap schedule and what we're doing.
• His hair is still curly! I'm obsessed with the cuteness of it. 
• We found a birthmark under Felix's full head of hair. The doctor said it is a "stork bite" and will go away with time.
• At his 4 month doctor visit he weighed in at 17lbs 10oz. (88%). He is 26.3 inches long (90%). His head is 44.5cm (>99%). The doctor said he looked nice and healthy. He certainly is. So grateful for this little (big) guy!

These Days...

Life these days...

Life with a 3 month old..

Felix now goes to bed early! He likes to be in bed by 7pm or he will start to get fussy. This is new within the last 3 weeks or so. I don't remember when we had to get a child in bed by 7! But I must admit I kind of like the freedom we have in the evenings. He is typically getting up once around 3am. He is just so smiley and lovable.. We can't get enough of Felix.

Life with a 29 month old... (almost 2 1/2!)

Hattie is a little fireball. I never know what she will say. One moment she's a kitty.. the next she's a baby... She has her Daddy (puppy) wrapped around her little finger. Each morning she has to have "two toasts". She loves watching Umi Zoomi. Hattie is very loving to Emmett and Felix. Although she did step on Felix the other day.. which might have been on purpose. She's happy happy happy almost all the time and literally does not stop talking unless she is watching Umi Zoomi! She goes to bed around 7:30pm and we are careful not to go too far past that or she will get over-tired and sometimes throw a tantrum. As she says "I threw a fit!". Luckily those are getting to be few and far between. We love our little chattie Hattie.. or Had! :)

Life with a 49 month old.. (Ha! just over 4!)

Emmett is sweet. He has finally learned that when we put him to bed he needs to stay there. He does a great job with that especially at night and goes to bed around 8:30. He's reading longer books. He's going to the bathroom all by himself (sometimes). He calls his sister "Had". If anyone else tried it I don't think I'd be too pleased, but coming from Emmett it might be the sweetest thing I've ever heard. He talks nonsense sometimes and thinks he's funny! He makes up words and then says - That's why. He's testing us each day by seeing what he can and cannot get away with but at the end of the day he just wants to be loved. And we do love him so much!

Felix is 3 months!

Felix turned 3 months old on June 18th 2015. 

• He is such a smiley and happy boy. Even if he is super tired or getting hungry he will still smile for us at times.
• He's a good baby. Very easy to take care of. He doesn't cry very often. One of our daycare providers told me this week how lucky we are that we have such a good baby. I, of course, agreed!
• Felix continues to keep most of his hair and it seems to be getting a little bit longer and curlier. I couldn't love it any more.
• He has gotten better with sleeping. There have been several nights where he's made it until 4am. 
• I'm finally trying to transition him into sleeping in his crib. I transitioned Emmett and Hattie both by 6 weeks. For some reason I was hanging onto this little snuggle bug a little bit longer.. So, I think that has impacted his sleep some as well. The crib isn't quite as cozy as the rock 'n play, apparently. 
• His head control seems to be getting a lot better. He can hold his head up a lot better when I am holding him on my hip. He has also endured sitting in the bumbo for a short period of time.
• He is a lot more interactive. He has quite the likable and sweet personality so far. He looks around a lot more enjoys short periods of time on his play mat or laying on a blanket on his back. 
• Felix still wears size 2 diapers and is wearing size 3-6 month clothing. 
• He seems to have plumped up quite a bit in the last month. We haven't weighed him since May 1st (the last time he was at the doctor) so I don't know how big he is exactly but i would guess him to be 14-15 lbs.
• He survived his first trip to Charles City on May 30th to visit Grandma and Grandpa Rottinghaus. Felix was pretty much a dream traveler. His brother and sister, however, were a different story.
• His favorite word continues to be "ah goo". 
• He loves taking baths and now kicks and splashes in the water. 
• He likes it when mommy does silly things like dances with him, pushes his feet up into his chest after diaper changes, and just when trying to make him laugh in general, it usually works unless you've caught him at a bad time (like dinner time or nap time).
• His naps are still pretty sporadic, taking at least 3 naps a day - morning, afternoon and evening.

We've enjoyed getting to know Felix these first 3 months. He fits into our family so well. The kids just love having a little brother although they are sometimes a little more rough than I'd like (Emmett mostly). But, overall I think it's just because they get so excited around him, so it could certainly be worse! We are just so grateful to be blessed with such a beautiful and healthy little boy. We couldn't ask for anything more. 

Felix is 2 months old!

Felix turned two months old on May 18th. He is really starting to get bigger and interact with us more.

• Felix's eyes are turning more towards the color brown as opposed to gray
• His hair still curls up on the ends but he has lost a little on the top
• He continues to make coos, ahhs and ah-goos. He also let out a first little laugh on March 19th.
• He seems to have a slight cough and congestion. His first cold! :( I took him to the doctor because he is so little but it turns out he just has to fight through it and will be fine.
• He is still getting up one or two times a night, which is starting to get tiring. 
• Felix still eats once every 2 1/2 hours. 
• He wears size 2 diapers and is still in his 0-3 month clothes although they are getting tight in length.
• He weighed 11 lbs 6 oz on May 1st and was 22 3/4" long.
• We are working on tummy time. He also enjoys spending some time on his back on the floor under his play mat. 
• He enjoys sitting in his highchair where he can see everyone at dinner time. He also likes his swing and will often nap there.
• He's not a huge fan of being in the baby carrier. He tends to lose his binky and spend a lot of time trying to find it and gets frustrated.
• Felix is still a pretty laid back baby. He tolerates all of our kisses and hugs quite well. 
• I look forward to him being on a more regular nap schedule in the future. His naps are starting to consolidate more with at least 3 snoozes a day in the morning afternoon and evening.

Emmett is Four!

• Emmett has really grown up a lot this last year. He has become so much more independent. He's learning to get himself dressed without our help, brush his own teeth, etc. When we get home now I am able to get him and Hattie out of the van and Emmett opens the door to the house and lets himself and Hattie in while I get Felix. Then, when I walk inside they are always hiding from me in the living room. Yesterday Emmett jumped out from under a blanket. 
• Emmett is awfully sweet these days. He really loves his new brother and kisses him all of the time. He is just so full of love for him. We are trying to teach him that sometimes it's not ok to kiss him though - like when he's sleeping. He and Hattie get a long pretty well most of the time too. They enjoy playing together. We often find them sitting right next to eachother on the couch while watching TV. I think the fact that they have a playmate has helped tremendously with our transition to a family of five. He is also full of love and kisses for Mom and Dad a lot of the time. 
• Mother's day this year seemed to really click with Emmett a little more this year. When I picked him up from daycare that Friday he had a rose for me and a present (they each made a bracelet and Emmett made a necklace for me!). He said "Happy Mother's Day" when I got there. Then on Sunday I was getting him ready for church and rolling up the sleeves of his button down shirt. He paused for a moment,, kissed me and said, "Thanks". I said, "You are so sweet Emmett." He then said "Happy Mother's Day" and gave me another kiss. It really warmed my heart.
• Emmett tells us a lot more stories these days. Some of them make some sense and some of them don't. He uses his imagination a lot. For his birthday he got a lot of "guys" to play with and it has been interesting observing his play so far. He is into Spider-Man right now. He still really enjoys books. We got several longer books that I hope he enjoys us reading aloud to him. We'll see how that goes. He is also very good with puzzles and is starting to enjoy building things with his Lego Duplos. He enjoys playing trains as well and is more into building the track with a little help than ever before. He also plays with his cars. He has a set of lacing cards and he really likes playing with the strings. 
• Emmett is a great eater. He tries a lot of things. He's not a big fan of many things with meat in them except he does like meatballs and sausage on pizza etc. I would say his favorite meal is pasta with alfredo sauce and shrimp. He loves vegetables, especially peas and corn but he also likes broccoli, carrots and cauliflower. He also eats most fruits including cantalope, apples, mandarin oranges, grapes, raspberries, and strawberries. He doesn't really like green beans or blueberries but we still have them sometimes anyway! He has also recently developed a lot of chocolate milk after trying it a few months ago. He likes candy too - in particular m&ms and starburst. He also enjoys popcorn.
• Emmett wears 4t clothes but his pants are getting short. His 4t shorts for the summer seem like they will fit fine until fall. 
• We are getting ready to send Emmett to preschool next year. It will be a big transition for him as he has been at Dragon Tots since he was 16 months old. He also will no longer be with Hattie or Felix. I don't think he even remembers spending a day apart from Hattie so I'll be interested to see how that impacts their relationship. He'll be going to the elementary school by our house and luckily they have wrap around care so we won't have to transport him at all during the day.
• Emmett will be playing his first organized sport this summer - soccer! He has actually been doing pretty well with kicking balls so I hope he has a great experience.
• He has started to outgrow his nap and no longer naps at home on the weekends. We try to enforce rest time but he continually gets out of his room so we typically end up allowing him to watch TV on the couch or in our bed to keep him from disturbing everyone else! He still naps at daycare for about an hour and then because of that he doesn't go to bed at night very easily either. I think we need to drop naps all together. So, that's on the horizon. It will probably be a grumpy transition.
• For his birthday this year we sent Spider-Man cupcakes to daycare on Friday the 15th. We went to the YMCA that evening as a family and went swimming because that is something that Emmett had asked to do. Then on Saturday we went to the zoo with Aunt Katrina and both sets of grandparents. I made Chocolate cake with peanut butter filling decorated like a monkey.

Emmett - 

We love you beyond words. I can't wait to watch you learn and grow during this fourth year of life. It's so hard to believe that four years have already passed since I held you in my arms for the very first time. You will always be our baby! 

Love,

Mom & Dad

Felix is 1 month old

Our sweet little Felix is already 1 month old. Where has the time gone? I am very much enjoying this time getting to know our new little man. 

• Felix's personality is pretty easy going. He is not usually very fussy unless he needs to burp or has gas. He enjoys being held but is also content swaddled and laying in the rock 'n play or his bouncy seat. He tolerates kisses and hugs from his brother and sister very well.
• He still sleeps for a lot of the day. However we haven't experienced any significant night wake time (knock on wood!). 
• He has been a pretty good sleeper from the start. The first night home from the hospital he slept for 7 hours straight. Mom and Dad really needed that good sleep too! However that was an anamoly. He typically sleeps for 5 hours and then 3.5 each night. It is a good night if we get up just once at around 2-3am. 
• Felix has been smiling. I'm honestly not sure when his first smile occurred. It seems almost as if he was smiling from birth. It's been hard to differentiate where his "true" smiles began. I can get him to smile if he's in an alert state and I say "Where's your smile Felix?" with a lot of inflection in my voice. 
• As of four weeks old he has started to make some "coo" "ahh" and "ah-goo" sounds. They are pretty infrequent so far but he is really trying to talk to me at certain points in the day.
• Felix eats every 2 1/2 hours during the day.
• He is still in 0-3 month clothes and size 1 diapers.
• He likes his pacifier, which is MAM brand, which is what Hattie also preferred.
• His eyes are still not their true color yet. They seem to currently be a slate gray color. I assume they will be brown eventually but they are still changing.
• Felix has curly hair. This has been a bit of a shock. Once it dries it doesn't seem very curly. However, when it is wet and for a few hours after bath time it is curly all over.
• He also has the sweetest little dimples which I think he gets from his Daddy.
• At first I thought he looked like Emmett but now I am starting to think he resembles Hattie more.

We are having so much fun with Felix and couldn't possibly love him any more!

Introducing Felix Dillon Nelson

Felix Dillon Nelson came into this world 5 days overdue at 5:04pm on March 18, 2015.

He weighed 9 pounds 7.7 ounces

20 3/4 Inches long

Mommy could not have been happier!

Emmett and Hattie came to meet Felix shortly after his birth. They were so excited!

Dear Felix,

I knew you were going to be a big boy but I don't think I expected you to be as big as you were! Your delivery was perfect, none the less. I was so relieved to have you in my arms instead of in my womb. I will never forget that moment in which I was so happy to meet you and I also realized how much strain my body had been under carrying you. At five days overdue my doctor was able to get me in to be induced. I had hoped to go into labor naturally. However, that just didn't happen! Once my water was broken at about 1pm contractions soon began and you were born only 4 hours later.

My favorite doctor was able to deliver you as well. I couldn't have asked for a better delivery. You are perfect!

You look similar to your brother and sister with lots of dark hair. Your eyes remind me of Emmett's at this point and I think you take after my side of the family more. But, I know you are so young that you will be changing a lot. I'm not sure if your eyes are dark brown or a gray-blue. They look to be both depending on the lighting. Your hair curls at the ends when wet. I have a slight wave to my hair but we don't have a history of curly hair on either side of the family so we'll see if yours takes on more waves or becomes more straight as you grow up. We also think you have a small mouth like Mom's side of the family. So far we haven't noticed the distinctive pouty lip both of your siblings had at birth. But, you do have the sweetest dimples when you smile. :) You have long straight toes and long narrow feet. We are so excited that you are here and a part of our family, Felix. I just can't wait to see what you will be like as you grow up. But for now I am trying to enjoy every ounce of the new-ness of you! I'm loving your sweet baby snuggles as much as possible while trying to find some balance to our every day life now as a family of five. 

Love you with all my heart,

Mommy

Hattie - 2 years old

My baby girl turned two on January 30th 2015. There's so much to say about this spunky little girl it's hard to know where to start.

Dear Hattie,

At two years old you are so much more than I could have ever imagined. You have always been ahead of the curve. I've never worried about your development. You always have something to say these days. You tell stories. Some of your favorite stories that you tell over and over that Daddy and I would like to remember include: the time you rode the camel with Daddy at the zoo, that there are "no ghosts in here", or "shhh.. the ghosts are sleeping", "I was crying on santa's lap. I wanted Mama.", "Andreas took Emmett's cup.. at daycare", "We don't pull hair", etc. You always seem to know what is going on and what we are talking about. You are very aware at the mere age of two! You can count past ten but for some reason like to shout out the number 11 and stop. I'm not sure how high you can actually count! :) You are learning your letters like crazy - which I cannot believe. You know H for Hattie, D for Daddy, G Grandma, E for Emmett, X, U, W (which seems to be your favorite letter although we don't know why!), O, I, F for Felix and Papa Frank, etc. I think smart would be an understatement. You know that your birthday is January 30th and that you are now 2. You can also tell us what month each of us were born as well. You know what Mommy and Daddy's real names our as well as your first, middle, & last name.

You can be very particular about certain things. If you are tired and something doesn't go your way (Mommy tries to dry you off with the minion towel instead of the monster towel after bedtime for example) you can throw a fit that lasts a good while. We often make you go to time out until you calm down. Then you are comforted with some hugs from Mama, your white blankie, and your water. Your favorite stuffed animals are your monkeys - "Ooh Hoo" and your newest monkey named "Baby Monkey" that you got from Lucy at daycare for your birthday. Lucy also shares the same birthday as you and has a special place in your heart as does Jessica as well.

You have really developed a love of books over the last 6 months of so. Some of your favorites include "Hooper Humperdink, Not Him", "The Napping House", "I wish that I had Duck Feet", "Elmo & Friends Look & Find", "The Christmas Story" - which you refer to as the purple Jesus book, "Silly Sally", "Baby Dear", and many others.

Your favorite toys/activities include the Elsa doll you got from Christmas, Minnie's bow show figurines with outfits you can change, play food, coloring - and we have caught you coloring on the floor and wall at least 3 times now (which really makes Daddy mad!), as well as dress up clothes. You play with Emmett's toys too - cars, trains, etc you name it! You always ask us before getting into something "Can I play doctor?". :)

Favorite foods include macaroni & cheese, hot dogs, carrots & ranch dressing as well as lettuce & ranch dressing, breakfast foods like scrambled eggs, cinnamon raisin toast, and cereal. You really struggle with a lot of fruits and vegetables but we keep giving them to you anyway! Broccoli is typically something you will eat as well as apples, oranges, bananas, sometimes grapes, and cantalope.

At bedtime you like to have us sing you several songs. Mommy usually sings "Twinkle Twinkle", "Are you Sleeping" and "Brahms Lullaby". If you are really tired you are asleep by the time I finish singing. Sometimes you will tease me and say "No songs" (typically when you are tired). And then as soon as I close your door you cry and say "songs Mommy!".

Some of your favorite games include pretending to be a ghost with a blanket over your head. Running around with Emmett and hiding from Mom and Dad upstairs - which usually happens before bath time, and pretending that Daddy is a puppy. Sometimes you won't give Daddy a kiss, but you are willing to give the puppy a kiss! You like it when Daddy puts you up on his shoulders as well as flips you over on to the bed. Although it makes Mommy nervous. You are a little daredevil! You have never been afraid of slides or anything else really for that matter.

For your birthday this year we went to Omaha to the children's museum. January 30th was on a Friday so we took the day off of work. You and Emmett really had fun. There were so many great things for little people to play with. We let you ride the carousel 3 times and you would have ridden several more if we had let you. You both enjoyed riding the little train they have there as well. I think the carousel was your favorite part. You really liked "riding the horsey".

We love you so much Hattie! You are the sweetest and spunkiest little girl that I know. You are Mama's girl and always will be (I can hope, right?)! You are such a joy and I am so happy that you are a part of our family. We love you forever Hattie Jeanne!

Mommy, Daddy, Emmett & Baby Felix