The V-5 are now 1 year and 2 months and just 2 weeks away from their due date. Since their first birthday we have been witness to milestone after milestone, including first steps!
Mr. Theo can now:
Cruise along with a push-along-walker,
Stand-up by himself,
Stack cups and blocks,
Match colors,
Place rings on a pole, and
Throw a ball.
No real words yet for Theo but he can rattle off a host of consonants. He also can recognize the word ball.
Ms. Bella Jumping Bean can now:
Cruise with a push-along-walker,
Pull herself up and stand,
Remove her bib and shirt,
Throw a ball,
Dance like a queen, and
Point at things and people, especially those that she thinks should get into trouble.
Bella is great a monkey-see, monkey-do and will mimic most actions. No words yet for Bella, but she is definitely the singer in the group.
L.G. can now:
Pull herself up and stand with assistance,
Match colors,
Point at things and people,
Throw a ball, and
Make the sign for milk.
Lily also knows a host of consonants and her favorite is Da, Da, Da, Da.
K-Mae can now:
Pull herself up and walk slowly with a push-along-walker,
Collect similar objects (puppets, chewy tubes, clothes),
Stack cups, blocks and rings, and
Play peek-a-boo.
Kali loves to rattle off consonant sounds and certainly knows the word, “no.” Needless to say, she’s our little trouble-maker. For those that know the Pigeon and Duckling books…she’s our little pigeon.
Sweet Ellie Rose can now:
Stand up along and… walk!
Collect similar objects,
Point and pull things, and
Place objects into a box and remove them
Elliott is the quietest quint, but when she is excited she loves to squawk and repeat consonant sounds.
The stages of infancy fly by, often times I don’t recall specific days, but rather specific moments. It is these moments- these memories- that still give me goosebumps and have left footprints on my heart. Milestone stages at 3 months, 6 months and 12 months give me a reason to reminisce.
How do we spell love? T.I.K.L.E.
T is for Theodore
I is for Isabella
K is for Kali
L is for Lillian
E is for Elliott
Another special thank you to Hayley for the beautiful photos that she took of our children at 3 and 12 months. She is a very talented photographer. Her talent and patience are divine! Be sure to check back at her homepage for more Photos by Hayley.
The fourth born. Loud from the start, our screecher monkey. Queen of the steam roll. Expressions that make your heart smile. A face you can read like a book.
Most likely to steal your toy with no regard. Will likely stand on her head before her feet. Most likely to have her name mispronounced correct them with a smile.
The third born. Our resilient Lily bug. Simultaneously, two steps behind and two steps ahead. Campaigner for attention and knows how to work the crowd at any social event
Most likely to toss her cookies. Will likely be a scaredy cat like her Mama. Most likely to share her toys, her opinion and her heart.
The first born. The big brother. The maker of trouble. Daddy’s mini-me. Mama’s big boy. Nana’s little buddy.
Most likely to steal your milk, and your leftover potatoes. Will most likely break a window, a bone, or both at the same time. Most likely to drive you crazy and melt your heart.
What better way to declare your independence then by eating all by yourself?!
On Monday morning Mom was preparing breakfast for her five beautiful children and decided that their traditional oatmeal and yogurt needed a splash of color. While apples and bananas are favorites they weren’t bright enough, but berries certainly would do the trick! Strawberries, blueberries and raspberries turned the dreary oats into a bright purple surprise! Little did Mom know that today was the day that her children were going to exercise their right to feed themselves! Kali was the first to say, “No thanks, Mom, I got this.” Of course, she chose not to use her words, but rather to swat the spoon from Mama’s hand sending it flying onto Bella’s lap. She then proceeded to raspberry her raspberries all over the table and her brother, Theo, sitting 2 seats over. Theo thought this was hilarious and joined the raspberry spray fest. Of course once the spoon hit Bella, she, too, caught on, and soon Mom had a mutiny on her hands. While I would have appreciated a subtler request to learn how to feed themselves; the message was nevertheless received. I am eager to celebrate this milestone with my children. I won’t be packing away the Baby Bullet just yet, but now that four out of the five have at least 2 choppers we will be discovering the quints’ finger food faves! Their new meal plan that embraces their new found independence and celebrates their 11-month milestones is as follows: Breakfast:
5-6 ounces Milk (Breast Milk with Goats Milk)
Banana OR Cooked Pears, Peaches, Fig, Plum or Apple
Cheerios OR Oatmeal OR Oat-based Teething Biscuit
Lunch:
5-6 ounces Milk
Cooked Carrots, Peas, Summer squash
Ground Meat (Beef, Chicken, Turkey) OR Flaked Fish
Cooked Potato OR Spiral Whole Grain Pasta
PM Snack:
5-6 ounces Milk OR Water (Will switch to water after 1 year)
Avocado OR Chopped Hard Boiled Egg
Cheerios OR Oat-based Teething Biscuit
Dinner:
5-6 ounces Milk
Cooked Carrots, Peas, Summer squash
Cooked Beans (Chick peas or Kidney beans) OR Soft Cubed Tofu
Almost seven months have passed since I last blogged about what a day in the life is like for one of the V5. As most know, life is a lot different for a 10 month old as compared to a 4 month old, especially since our 4 month olds truly resembled a 2 month old at that time. Nowadays, the kids are catching up developmentally and are currently tracking with 9-10 month old milestones. So, what keeps our rug rats busy? Let’s explore a day in the life of the V5!
As one can imagine, we continue to keep the quints on a tight schedule and they help to keep us true to our word. We start the day at 7am. This honestly is the best part of my day because I am greeted by wide-eyed grins, smiles and giggles…well not everyone is giggling. Theo is typically whining and ready for breakfast. We bring the kids downstairs, change their clothes and pop them in their table for breakfast. Breakfast consists of oatmeal, various fruits and homemade yogurt along with their bottle, which is half goats milk and half mama’s milk. After breakfast, the kiddos go back up to their cribs for their first nap. This is the only nap that they take in their cribs. Kali and Theo tend to sleep for about 45 minutes and others, like Elliott, will fall back asleep until almost 11am.
Dad’s Bumbo Bottle Holders
After they wake up from their first nap, they are downstairs for the day. They play until their next care time at 11am. Lunch is at 11am and they know it. The choir starts to sing at about 10 til’ 11, which creates a mad dash to get them changed and back in the table, while warming their bottles and making lunch. Lunch is usually a starchy vegetable or grain with protein, like turkey, beef or chicken, and a vegetable. They down their lunch and bottles and then play at the table while we clean up. They love to play with their spoons following mealtime. After lunch, it is quiet time. Some of the quints fall back asleep and others play quietly.
We Love Our Spoons!
Everyone is awake by 1pm, and it’s time to play again! We have transformed our home into a baby-safe exploration center. I let the kids roam around the kitchen, living room and dining room areas. They have a blast crawling, rolling and exploring. They typically travel with at least one toy in hand. The most popular toys right now are their egg maracas, the tower* of Sophies, stackable cups and connecting rings. They also find great enjoyment from whacking the doorstopper and kicking the walls. It is certainly free entertainment watching them learn what they can do- and cannot do- as they roam.
Playtime!
Two o’clock is snack and learning time! We gather at the table for bottles and a finger foods such as green peas, banana, avocado, or a homemade teething biscuit. After eating, the kids stay at the table a bit longer to play with their stacking cups, sippy cups and other toys.
Dinner often sneaks up on us at 5pm, when the kids starting “singing” again. We change them and place them back in the table for their last meal of the day. Dinner varies and sometimes is leftovers from lunch, but most often it is a vegetarian meal such as cheesy potatoes with broccoli or scrambled eggs with spinach, along with another bottle. After dinner they will stay up until bedtime, playing and roaming until about 7pm. Sometimes we are able to sneak in a walk around the neighborhood, too.
Bella off to cause some trouble!
…While Kali observes from a distance.
At seven, we begin cleaning them up and getting them ready for bed- PJ time! If all goes well, we usually have time for a story or two before their bedtime bottles. This bottle is a bit larger in volume and has Neosure and mama’s milk. Everyone is getting fed by 7:30pm and typically in their cribs for the night by 8pm. On a good night, all of them close their peepers and are off to dreamland until 6am when they slowly start to wake up. On a not-so-good-night, they all take turns teething and throwing the I-don’t-wanna-go-to-bed tantrum. We have been blessed though, and 5 out of the 7 nights every week are good nights.
And, that’s a wrap! Once the V5 are tucked in their beds, mom and dad prepare for the next day, making bottles, doing the wash, picking up toys, running the dishwasher and mopping the floor. It certainly is a full-time job, but I wouldn’t trade a minute for the world!
Bump 2 Bab[y]ies 