Briggs is ELEVEN Months!

How are we here? Less than a month away from this stud turning ONE WHOLE YEAR OLD. I just don't believe it, and I really have no clue where the time went. He's been busy this month - here's the latest on Briggs:

Weighs: He weighed in at 22 lbs over a month ago. I wouldn't be surprised if he's picked up a pound or two since then :)

Sleeps: This month has been THE BEST as far as sleeping goes! I can say that he is officially sleeping through the night, meaning in the last several weeks, he's only gotten up once in the "middle of the night" - and that was at 4am, so it doesn't even really count! All the praise hands! If he wakes up early, around 5 or 6am, I can usually nurse him back to sleep for an hour or so. Sometimes he wakes up at 7ish and is ready to nurse and start the day. His naps are still the same - an hour(ish) nap around 9:30 or so and then an afternoon nap around 12:30 or 1:00pm, which lasts an hour and a half or so.

Eats: Still killing it in the food department. We are down to nursing only three times a day, and he LOVES drinking water from a bottle or sippy cup throughout the day.

Wears: 12 and 18-month clothes and size 4 diapers.

Plays: This boy is constantly on the move. He can crawl super fast. He pulls up on everything and cruises around holding onto the furniture. Still a major fan of bath time and being outside.

Milestones: Two milestones to report - he learned to say "ball," and he cut four new teeth (bringing the total number of toofies to 8!)

This guy has such a fun personality. He is still very go with the flow and almost always happy, but he is much more active and does want to go go go. We love him to pieces!

Briggs is TEN Months!

Super late posting this month! Haha! Our boy is 10 months old, and here's what he's been up to:

Weighs: He weighed in at 22 lbs a couple weeks ago. Still topping the charts :)

Sleeps: Same as last month - still not totally consistent at sleeping through the night. Sometimes he sleeps all night, and sometimes he wakes up once (sometimes twice. boo!). His naps are still the same - an hour(ish) nap around 9:30 or so and then an afternoon nap around 12:30 or 1:00pm, which lasts an hour and a half or so. He is usually ready for bed by 7pm, and sometimes I have to hold him off. Because he takes such an early afternoon nap (because we pick Wells up from school at 2:30), he can get pretty cranky by the time the late afternoon and evening roll around. Hence the early bedtime :)

Eats: My goodness, Briggs loves food. He eats three meals a day plus snacks. He is still breastfed and also gets water in a bottle throughout the day.

Wears: 12-month clothes fit the best. And some 18-month pieces as well. He is in a size 4 diaper :)

Plays: Now that he can crawl, he is into EVERYTHING. His favorite toy for about a week was the broom. Haha! He would drag it around while in his walker all over the house. He is really good at playing with toys by himself for a little bit and also playing alongside his brothers. He loves when I sit a big basket of toys in front of him, and he can just pull them all out. He still loves being outside and taking baths. He is starting to wrestle and climb all on top of his brothers. He smiles the biggest smile whenever his Daddy comes home or into the room.

Milestones: He learned to say "more" this month - well, really "Ma." He says it when he wants more of something to eat. He also learned to crawl when we were in Charleston for Spring Break! He is a fast little thing right now, crawling all over the house. He is currently doing the one-legged crawl, and it is too cute. He's trying so hard to pull up on things now, too. Since learning to crawl, he seems so much more active (not just physically but his personality in general). He is a little busybody, and I think he is going to give his brothers a run for their money. So much for having one "chill" child!

Briggs is growing up so fast! He is learning new things and developing his personality each day, and it's so fun to see him grow into who he is going to be. We love our not-so-little baby of the family so much!

Briggs is NINE Months!

Late again! But our boy turned 9 months a few weeks ago. Here's the latest on the littlest Hankin brother:

Weighs: At our doctor visit last week he was 21 lbs and 7 oz. I don't remember his length, but I think he was in the 65-75ish percentile for height and weight. :)

Sleeps: Just when he starts sleeping through the night again, he changes things up. He is way more consistent at sleeping through the night than either of his brothers were at that age, but still!  His naps are still the same - an hour(ish) nap around 9:30 or so and then an afternoon nap around 12:30 or 1:00pm, which lasts an hour and a half or so. He is usually ready for bed by 7pm, and sometimes I have to hold him off. Because he takes such an early afternoon nap (because we pick Wells up from school at 2:30), he can get pretty cranky by the time the late afternoon and evening roll around. Hence the early bedtime :)

Eats: This big boy love his food. He eats almost everything we eat plus some purees. He is still breastfed. He does get some water in a bottle throughout the day as well.

Wears: 12 month clothes fit the best. And he is officially in a size 4 diaper :)

Plays: He has learned how to get around by scooting and leaning. He's not crawling, but somehow slowly and surely, he gets where he wants to go :) He is so funny chasing after his brothers in his walker. He loves being outside and taking baths. He is still doing well at playing with toys and entertaining himself for a little while.

Milestones: No real milestones this month. I think he'll be cutting some more top teeth soon, but they aren't in yet! And still no crawling, but maybe next month! :)

This guy is so sweet. He has been such a joy to us, and we love watching him learn new things and grow into his own personality. Briggsie Wiggsie, we love you!

Grayer: A 3 Year Snapshot

Grayer turned THREE back in January! Where to even start with this crazy kid??

The Stats:

While his big brother and baby brother are both above average in height and weight, that is just not the case for Grayer :) At his well-check visit last week, he weighed in a 31 pounds. He is in the 20th/30th percentile for weight/height. He is our smaller framed kiddo for sure.

Sleep:

Thank goodness Grayer still takes a great nap almost every day. He is still the earliest riser most days - always making his way to our room to ask for a snack, to watch his tablet while everyone else wakes up, or to ask if "Briggsie is awake." :) He no longer sleeps in pull-ups for nap or bed (he's been doing this for at least 3 months or more I believe).

Talking:

Grayer is such a talker! He has a very advanced vocabulary and speech pattern for his age, which we attribute to having an older brother so close in age. Some of my favorite things he says are:

- He says "amen" instead of "the end" at the end of a story

- Grayer uses "sugars" (what we call kisses) as a verb, too. He tells me he is "sugaring" Briggs when he is giving him kisses. Love it!

-Just like Wells, he is well versed in train lingo. It's so cute to hear him throw out words like a train's "tender" and "couplings."

Being the Middle Brother:

Grayer and Wells have a serious love/hate relationship. They love each other of course, and sometimes they are SO sweet and loving and get along great. But currently, there seems to be more bickering going on. I'm sure it's just the particular stage we're in right now at their current ages. They know exactly which buttons to push to annoy the other. As far as Grayer and Briggs, Grayer still LOVES his baby brother to pieces. He is always wanting to "sugar" him and talk to him and hug him. He will sit and play with Briggs for short periods of time as well. It's neat to see Grayer's dynamic with both Wells and Briggs - since he's the middle guy and the only one with both a little brother and a big brother.

The Smarts:

Grayer is so smart. He is currently learning what sounds different letters make (Eric has been working with him on it at night usually while I am cleaning the kitchen or putting the baby to sleep). He is ridiculously good at puzzles. He has a Thomas puzzle that is 35 pieces, and he puts it together with no help at all. 

School:

Grayer goes to a Prek2 program 2 mornings a week and is doing really well. He tells me on the way there that he is so excited to see his friends, and he always reports back that he listened to his teachers that day! Ha! 

Playing:

Trains are still his #1 love. He can be found at the train table or sprawled out on any table or floor in the house with a string of trains. He makes them race or have conversations all the time. He is very good at entertaining himself as well. When we are home and Wells is at school, he is really good about playing by himself for a while if I have work to do. He's also gotten really into drawing and coloring lately as well and loves to make me drawings. Other favorite toys of his are animal figurines, and matchbox cars. 

That Personality:

Grayer cracks us up all the time. He loves being silly and says the funniest things. He is hands down the clumsiest kid of all time. He falls and hurts himself at least 3 times every day, and that is not at all an exaggeration. He loves music. He sings along to all the songs on the radio and on their movies/shows. He always tells me, "Mom, sing it!" when a song comes on. He wants everyone singing along! Ha! He likes to dance when music comes on, too.

Eating:

Grayer is such a snacker. From the second he wakes up in the morning to the time he goes to bed, he is asking us for a snack. He is in a pretty picky stage right now, and I can't wait for it to be over! He is not a fan of trying new foods and we have to make him take a couple bites of dinner every night if it isn't something he's crazy about. His favorite snacks are pretzels and goldfish. He still loves berries, yogurt, applesauce, and cottage cheese. His favorite meal is probably spaghetti. And he is still crazy about breakfast sausage.

Miscellaneous:

-His favorite shows to watch are Thomas & Friends, Bubble Guppies, and Peppa Pig. He also loves the minions. They got one of the movies from my parents for Christmas, and he was obsessed for a while.

-He loves doing devotions at night. He follows along very well and really enjoys the songs/motions.

- We cannot break this kid of his paci. The deal was for it to be gone on his 3rd birthday, and the morning he turned 3, he woke up in a panic! Lol. He is so attached to it, and right now we are letting him have it at nap and bedtime. And he usually steals Briggs' at least once a day, too. :)

We sure love this guy and all his quirks. I hope he stays as loving and sweet and hilarious as he is right now! :)

Briggs is EIGHT Months!

This little nugget is growing like a weed!

Weighs: At our last doctor visit, boy weighed in at 20lbs plus a few ounces :) He is still one big fella!

Sleeps: Well, I wish I could report that Briggs has gone back to sleeping through the night the way he was a couple of months ago...but that would be a big, fat lie. He usually goes down pretty easily at night after nursing. But lately he has a habit of waking up the second I either start getting ready for bed or as soon as my head hits the pillow! It's like he knows. He maaaayyyy sleep all the way through the night after that feeding, but sometimes he wakes up another time before morning. And because I know he'll go right back to sleep if I nurse him (EVEN THOUGH HE DOESN'T NEED IT), I usually do. And now, we've got a monster on our hands. Lol. As far as naps go, he usually takes a nap around 1.5 hours or so after he wakes up for the day, and it usually lasts about an hour. His afternoon nap usually lasts a little longer, around 1.5-2 hours.

Eats: This boy is still loving ALL THE FOOD. He eats three meals a day, and he is still breastfed. If he sees food or sees you eating food, he'll spit out his paci and wait for you to share! And if you have to take a break, or heaven forbid get a bite of your meal in between feeding him bites of his, he will let you know he is very unhappy about it! He still does eat purees (either store bought or ones I make), but he eats a lot of mushed up or teeny tiny bits of table food. His pincer grasp is pretty darn good.

Wears: He best fits in 12-month clothes and may have worn an 18-month onesie the other day. In his defense, the sleeves were a little long. Ha! He is finishing his last box of size 3 diapers, and then it's on to the 4s!

Plays: Briggs will sit and play with toys for a long time. He goes all over the house in his walker - he even chases after his brothers, and it's too funny! He doesn't love his doorway jumper as much as he used to, but he still gets in it sometimes. He gets super excited to go outside and starts waving his arms around. He loves taking baths (and especially sucking all of the water out of the washrag. Lol). He loves his brothers something fierce, and I know they'll all be playing together soon!

Milestones: I mentioned last month that he is saying "mama." He's added "dada" to his repertoire, and I am pretty sure he says,"hi" every now and then. He likes to wave hello, and he will sometimes clap his hands if you say "pat-a-cake" to him. He cut his top 2 teeth this past month; so he's got 4 chompers now.

This boy will be 9 months before we know it (and not just because I'm over 2 weeks late in posting this!). I love watching him grow. We still can't tell if his eyes are going to stay blue-ish or if they'll change to brown like mine and both of his brothers'. His hair is pretty light in color, and sometimes it looks very red. We've got a brunette, a blonde, and maybe now a red-head! Only time will tell :) Briggs is such a sweet boy that is a huge blessing to all of us. We all love him (especially Grayer who loves to aggressively hug him and has to be told a bare minimum of 82 times a day to "get.off.of.your.brother!").

Briggs is SEVEN Months!

Our boy is 7 months old and continues to be such a joy to us! He is still pretty chill but is also starting to become super playful and more outgoing! Here's the latest on our littlest bubba:

Weighs: At his 6-month checkup, this guy weighed 19lbs. Still on the heavy side :) , and he was about average length-wise.

Sleeps: Briggs is usually ready for his morning nap around 1.5 hours or so after he wakes up for the day. That nap can last anywhere from 1-2 hours. Same goes for his afternoon nap, which usually happens around 1pm-ish. For about three weeks or so, Briggs was sleeping through the night with waking up. It was awesome! But for the last two weeks, he has hit a sleep regression. He's been waking at least once (sometimes two or three times) a night. He's also had a little cold which isn't helping sleep matters. Hopefully he'll be back on track soon!

Eats: This boy LOVES food. He eats at least two "meals" a day, and he is still breastfed. If he sees food or sees you eating food, he'll spit out his paci and wait for you to share! I have to turn away from him if I don't want him to see what I've got! :) He has started eating puffs (or "puffers" as Wells calls them) and yogurt melts as well. His pincer grasp is getting better, and he can usually get a puff to his mouth.

Wears: He is wearing 9-month and 12-month clothes and is still in a size 3 diaper.

Plays: He loves to sit up (unassisted now) and play with toys. He likes when there's a lot going on. He cruises all over the house in his walker and gets into everything. His favorite toy is the trash can! We have to keep him from the kitchen trash can every single day! He likes his jumper, but he's not really a fan of his swing anymore. He likes to be outside and likes getting baths. He just figured out that he can splash in the tub, so that's super fun (and super wet!).

Milestones: He is saying "mama" now. He isn't necessarily calling me, but it is definitely his favorite word...really his only word. He started sitting up last month but has really perfected it this month. He even sits up in the tub now! He's also working on mastering the pincer grasp.

Time is flying, and it's hard to believe that our boy is already 7 months. We love him to pieces!

Briggs is SIX Months!

Somehow, this little tot is HALF A YEAR OLD. How did this happen? And how do I make it stop??

Weighs: Thankfully, we haven't had to have a doctor's visit since his four month check-up (his six month appointment is later this week), so I can't say for sure what he weighs right now. I did get on the scale with him the other day, and he was about 19lbs.

Sleeps: As far as naps are concerned, Briggs isn't super consistent. Some days he'll take a morning nap that lasts 3 hours! And some mornings he doesn't want to take a morning nap at all. Same thing goes for the afternoon. But he has been a CHAMP at sleeping at night this month. Many nights he has been sleeping until 4:30ish before waking up to eat and then going back down. And two times this past week, he slept all the way through the night. One of those nights, he went down early at 7pm and did not wake up until 6:30am!!! Mama could get used to that!

Eats: I mentioned in the last update that even thought he had started trying some foods, he began not to be interested in them anymore (whether they were homemade or store bought / fruit or veggie / thick or thin). He was only interested in nursing. Well, in the alst week or two, he has definitely had a change of heart :) He happily eats food now, but he does prefer mashed up table food as opposed to baby food. He still nurses a lot when I am home but can go about 4 hours between bottles on the days I am at work.

Wears: Briggs is wearing 6-9-month and 9-month clothing (and an occasional 12-month outfit!). He is still in a size 3 diaper.

Plays: He really loves to play with his toys when he is sitting in his swing or car seat. He also likes to sit in his Bumbo seat in the playroom and watch his brothers play around him. When he is in the right mood, he will jump in his doorway jumper for a while! He likes doing it the most when there is a lot going on and he can watch. He's been enjoying his walker, too. He can stretch one foot down to move the walker at home, but he's not quite tall enough to make it move a ton. The walker at our church is lower, though, and he can cruise around in that pretty well.

Milestones: Little man popped not one but two teeth this month! He was fussy Halloween night (which was pretty out of character), and that first tooth popped through soon after. And that toothy grin is the cutest thing ever! Also, he learned how to sit up on his own this month. He is still not doing it all the time, but he is able to do it for a little while.

We sure do love this baby brother and can't believe he's already six months old! He is the perfect addition to our family, and we are all pretty smitten with him. Happy six months, Briggsie!