12 week milestones

So much is happening, that it is hard to keep up with all your changes.  Lewis, it is amazing to watch you raise both legs into the air at the same time and then let them fall to the bottom of your moses basket or onto the ground - you're not called "little thumper" for nothing!  Since about 10 weeks, you have been smiling a lot more and it is so lovely to see.  Last Saturday, you had your first proper laugh at Daddy and he was really thrilled. 

At 11 weeks, you boys seemed to "see" each other and were checking each other out. 

Henry, you are happy and laughing a lot of the time, and it is naughty but it makes me laugh a lot when I see Daddy and you sticking your tongues out at each other.  I hope this is not a habit that will continue! 



You are both becoming more animated and a lot more alert.  Henry, you seem to focus a lot more on people's faces and respond directly to facial expressions. Lewis, you seem to respond more to items around you and enjoyed being on the bear mat and playing with the mobile.

Henry, you are cooing a lot more and spend a lot of time making cute little sounds.  With the really hot and very summery weather this week, you got a chance to spend a lot of time in your bouncers in the garden in your summer outfits.  These Pooh suits are one of my favourites and I am so pleased you got some wear out of them this beautiful week. 

Grandma Jones came with me today to the baby clinic to get you both weighed.  Henry, you weighed 13lb and 15oz - 1 oz off one stone!  And Lewis, you have nearly caught up with Henry at 13lb 12oz. 



You have both crept up to the 50th percentile on the growth charts, and the health visitors are very happy with your progress.  Mummy and Daddy both look forward to seeing what happens next!

Scrapology September card challenge

In the middle of each month, Scrapology set a card challenge.  This month, Craftwork Cards requested  us to use bunting. 

Having a scrambled baby brain, I made a girly one for my niece in a panic - but ended up giving it to her four days early, without having time to take a photograph of it! So then I decided to make something quite different. 

I had only scraps left of my Basic Grey Hang 10 collection, so I cut up the appropriate number of banner shapes.  The lettering is the Sizzix "Slobbery Kisses" alphabet - I love that the extended dies cut a whole upper and lower case alphabet with only one pass through the Sizzix Big Shot machine.  I outlined everything with a fine tip black pen, and went around the edges with a brown Promarker for more dimension.  I thought this would make a card suitable for a male, so something a bit different. 

Why not check out the Scrapology blog and join in with the challenge this month? A prize from Jill at Cardinal Colours is up for grabs ...  

Week 9-10 milestones

Well, with Daddy off on paternity leave this week, it has been hectic, to say the least. 

On Sunday evening, we celebrated your cousin Grace's 11th birthday at a Chinese restaurant in Beaconsfield - and Daddy was very impressed with your best behaviour on your first outing in the evening.

I was supposed to have a day off from babysitting and minding duty on Monday but sadly that didn't happen.  Lewis was particularly restless during the night and not only kept his Daddy awake, but also his Mummy as well.

So we all went to the gym instead - Daddy went for a workout, whilst I sat with you - and then I finally had a chance to have a swim!  It was very nice to be able to paddle about in the pool and manage at least a little bit of exercise. 

On Tuesday, you boys had your first innoculations. Henry you screamed, poor love and was obviously in some distress, but Lewis - you were the champion today!  You whimpered for about a minute, and then seemed perfectly ok! Daddy and I changed our strategies with you today - we put you to bed quite early, and finally set up the baby monitor for good.  Daddy got a fright at some point - then he let out a huge laugh - he thought you both had scarpered, and was scared for a moment as he thought he lost you!  He then remembered that you were both tucked up tightly in your moses baskets upstairs in your room.

Henry, you were out of sorts for the rest of the week, so I had to keep checking on you during the nights to make sure you were ok and I would listen to you both breathing and feel reassured that you were well.  Henry, you slept through the night on Wednesday - Daddy was so impressed again!  Lewis, you finally smiled and laughed at me a bit, though I do look forward to seeing you happy more regularly. 

Both of you are sleeping much more at night and managing to go for longer in between feeds.  We went for coffee to an NCT friend's house in the afternoon - and both of you were bigger than some of the other babies born after you!  We didn't have you weighed this week but you must both be well over 12 pounds now.  So much so, that this next photo of you, Lewis seems particularly appropriate. 

Actually, I really wanted to capture you in this t-shirt whilst it still fit you.  You thrash around in your basket so much at night - it is a relief that your basket is no longer on the rocking base, as sometimes the basket would be bashing against the furniture so loudly, it woke up Mummy and Daddy!  I was lucky to capture this next picture - you are almost smiling! 

Mummy finally got your 3-6 month clothing organised and hung up in the closet. We went and visited Grandma and Grandpa Jones on Thursday afternoon and we learnt the lesson to take more than we think we need as things run out very quickly with both of you growing so fast! Because we got home quite late, both of you were more difficult to settle, so Daddy talked to you through the baby monitor as if it was a walkie talkie - "This is Daddy calling Baby number 1, and Baby number 2 - go to sleep now.  Go to sleep!"  It was adorable and really funny to witness, and so sweet too.  You did listen to him, and settled down a bit more after that. 

We have now run out of Size 2 nappies this morning, Sunday 11th September - that means that we have used 62x2 packs, plus 34 nappies in 12 days - that's just over 13 nappies per day between both of you, which really isn't too bad! 

Henry, here you are looking very serious as Daddy fed you - no doubt pondering on political matters like Teddy Roosevelt. 

Oh well - at least you can multi-task! 



Week 8-9 milestones

It's been an eventful week!  On Saturday, you smiled directly at me Henry and it just made my heart melt.  I am not ashamed to say it made me shed a tear.  On Sunday, you smiled at me a lot more, and even started laughing and giggling too!  Grandma Jones saw that on Monday and it made her very happy as well. 

Lewis, you smiled at me whilst I was feeding you in the early hours of Monday morning.  Your smiles at me have been a lot more fleeting. Daddy loved it when you smiled and giggled at him on Tuesday evening - he was tickled pink to see you so happy.  Daddy seems to spot your smiles so much more than I do - I do hope to see a lot more of them soon!

We all went to the gym on Bank Holiday Monday and I was most disappointed when the pool was closed because of a pump failure.  However, you enjoyed looking at the different scenery and waited patiently in the bistro area whilst first Mummy and then Daddy went about their business.  In the afternoon, we went to Grandma and Grandpa Jones's house for a visit and a proper meal and you enjoyed spending time with them.  As I had likened Henry to Teddy Roosevelt and Lewis, Grandma and Grandpa called you Winston, we could have future politicians in the making!  Grandma put you both together on Grandpa's chair, and wrapped you in her fake ermine coat.  You both looked so snuggly and funny with your heads peeping out from the fur!  I couldn't resist taking a photo. 

Lewis, I have taken quite a few of you on your own looking like quite the little boy - and here you are! 

On Tuesday, our stock of newborn number "1" nappies ran out - which is just as well, as it's been a struggle fitting you both in them for the past week or so.  Lewis, there is a bit more room to breathe with you, but Henry - you're definitely past the 11lb/5 kilo mark now, which is the upper limit for the nappies.  Onto number 2's - no pun intended! - more signs that you're growing too fast for Mummy's liking.

We also moved you both to feeds of 150ml on Wednesday as we had been feeding you every two hours or less.  Talk about drinking us out of house and home!  Daddy also put up a cot bed for you both today and put the mobiles above the bed - bedtime will be so psychelic from now on! 

Overnight, you both went to 5:30 in the morning for your next feed.  I was so impressed and got a decent night's sleep for a change, apart from Daddy's snoring. 

Today is Friday, so we both took you to the baby clinic, where we got you weighed.  Henry, you now weigh 5.34kg/11lbs 12 oz - you put on nearly a pound again last week! Lewis, your growth was a bit slower this week - you put on 14 oz, so you now weigh 5.12kg/11lb 4 oz.  Wow! 

Little Stars

This is my first layout of the babies.  Part of the Sketch and Scrap challenge on UK Scrappers for August, and here is the sketch:

I turned the sketch on its side to account for my landscape photo.  I just had to scrapbook a photo of the boys - my first layout of them.  Thank goodness my friend Tara had cardstock that matched the suits!  My stock of Bazzill just wasn't bright or vivid enough. 



Journalling reads:
These were the first outfits Daddy bought for you whilst still in hospital.  You were scratching your faces and these baby grows from Mothercare had in built mits. 

I cut up one of the suits and saved the rocket logo and used some of the poppers as a type of brad.  I glued the fabric onto cardstock, and then made sure that after I cut out some of the aliens, I glued around the edge to stop the material from fraying.  The stars were made with a combination of punches and a Quickutz star die.  I still love my Quickutz - so handy to cut out small shapes when you just need one or two. 

I embossed some stars onto the background, and thought that the "little star" journalling block in the Fancy Pants Summer Soiree stamp set was perfect.  I just had to mask off the "s" to make the title suitably plural. 

I didn't have any embroidery thread in the appropriate colour, so I used some fibres.  I am determined to use up my ample stash of fibres some day - even if it takes me years and years! 

Supplies:
Stampin Up!  Cardstock Brights
Bazzill Basics
Basic Grey Lauderdale "Grass Stain/Lau"
Fancy Pants Stamps
White Embossing Powder- "Summer Soiree", and "Fresh Mod"
Uniball Signo White pen

It is my first completed layout for months and months - I had lost confidence and spent ages and ages completing it. Still, I am happy with the result and the subject has given me a renewed interest in getting pages completed fast! 

Scrapology September challenge - E is for Embossing

Well, I have returned from "maternity leave" :lol: and resumed joining in with the monthly challenges over at the Scrapology blog, where this month we have scraplifted a layout by Kelly Goree at Basic Grey. 

This is Kelly's layout below:

The technique this month was to use embossing, whether wet or dry.  I have interpreted the layout very simply below:

 

The image looks wonky, but it is not IRL! I cut out the kraft hearts with my Quickutz die, and then used a Cuttlebug embossing border with my Quickutz squeeze to create the embossing.  I wanted the layout to be quite simple so that the stunning Bounty photo of my boys was the centrepiece, but I did add detail by stitching around the embellishments.  Quite a combination of old papers used, which I don't think matters a jot! 

I used scalloped scissors to cut the blue dotty trim around the photo. Then I cut out one side of the border pattern from the Prima "Happy Go Lucky" patterned paper. Using a Bazzill "Just the Edge" strip as a template, I scalloped one edge of the My Mind's Eye patterned paper.

Supplies:
*  Bazzill Kraft cardstock
*  Bella Blvd Plastino "Label Additions" (family, heart sticker)
*  Chatterbox Scrapbook Walls collection "Spruce and Sky Paisley" patterned paper
*  Cuttlebug Embossing Borders "Just my Type"
*  Kaisercraft Squadron collection "Sergeant" patterned paper
*  My Mind's Eye Abbey Road Lucky Me Collection "How Fortunate" Title; Kaleidoscope Collection   Celebrate "Family" Journaling Card; Wild Asparagus cardstock collection patterned paper
*  Prima Marketing So Cute! Collection "Growing" (Apple of my Eye); Iron Orchid Designs Morning    Song Collection "Happy Go Lucky" patterned paper
*  Quickutz heart die A-SS-0001
*  Sassafras Lass Dreamy Collection "Tingle" patterned paper

Why don't you have a go and join in with us this month?  A lovely prize from Jill at Cardinal Colours is up for offer.  :)