Babies first solid food

So after lots of thought and opinions, we decided to start the babe's first 5 days of solids with Rice cereal before switching to oatmeal. Rice has less nutritional content than oatmeal but is easier on the tummies so we thought it best to devote just the first few days to rice before switching to oatmeal. We mixed with water because they still aren't eating a WHOLE lot of the cereal, so a lot gets tossed out and I just can't toss out my preciously pumped breast milk. So the babes still nurse 4 times a day and are supplemented with cereal at 2 out of the 4 meals. We use beechnut organic brand and sweet Hadley girl just LOVES to eat, and Jack Henry is still not so sure about it :) Here is their first experience...

 They were 5 months + 1 week when we started! The books say to start solids between 4-6 months. Our babies were not showing any signs of readiness. They still sleep 12 hours a night on just breast milk. Hadley seemed interested when we eat... watching us eat and reaching out for food but neither had the physical signs of readiness. We figured we would do a couple weeks of cereal so that by 6 months they could start veggies, even though Jack Henry seems to be completely content with just my milk. Hadley is definitely the better eater of the two but Jack Henry is liking it more and more each time we try! In another week or so we will start them on pureed veggies!

Last week and Christmas with the Gilberts

Catching up... here are a few photos from last week, and our late Christmas with my Mom's sister and her children :)

5 Months...

We spent the babies 5 month birthday in Louisville, doing a late Christmas celebration with my mom's side of the family. We didn't have our usual monthly picture set up in their nursery glider, but my parent's red couch did the trick. Here are my little sugars at 5 months...

  

 

I can't believe they are 5 months! Where is time going? Month four was SO MUCH FUN! Our best yet, although each month keeps getting better and better. Here is what the last month looked like for Jack Henry and Hadley...

Dearest Hadley,

What a big month this was for you! You rolled over for the first time and now you are rolling over all the time. You roll the best from your back to your belly, and you are very good at this! You love to squeal  and make tons of noise. You are such a talker and make little rolls and noises with your tongue. You do much better with tummy time now, probably because you can roll :) You have really discovered how to  "play." You interact with the world around you very intentionally, holding toys, putting things into your mouth and trying to figure out how things work. We put you in your Jumperoo for the first time this month and you absolutely loved it! You jump jump jump in it and love to spin its toys and push its buttons. You are still exclusively breast fed and are sleeping 12 hours a night! We put you down between 9 and 10 and you wake up between 9 and 10, giving mommy and daddy lots of precious sleep, thank you! You are still swaddled and this month (month 5) we will begin to wean you from it, so that at your 6 month birthday you will be swaddle free and ready to be introduced to solid food! What a big girl! You are simply precious, you hardly EVER cry, just when hungry or tired. You usually don't even cry when we lay you in your crib to go down for the night. You love to look at us in the eyes and just give us the biggest open mouth grin!  Daddy like to sing "your my little squishy" to you, since you are the squishiest little babe we know! You love to cuddle and are just our angel girl! We love you Hadley Quinn Ashley :)

Dearest Jack Henry.

What a JOYFUL babe you are. Seriously, you are just the happiest little baby! You are either a very serious "thinker" or you are the biggest ham, always laughing and squealing...  nothing in-between. When ever I start talking to you and look you in the eye, you get a HUGE smile on your face and give me the flirty-est expressions with your eyes and face. You are such a joy. You have rolled over this month for the first time and you were the first to do this (before your sister, that is) You can only roll from belly to back so far, but you do it effortlessly. As soon as you are placed on your belly, on to your back you roll. Your head is starting to get better (not as flat) and you are still our muscle man. Seriously, sister is built so squishy and you are just, solid. You love to study your hands and are starting to like toys but do not interact with them as much as Hadley. You are SUCH a good baby just like your sister, sleeping 12 hours a night. You do usually cry when we lay you down at night and sometimes you have to be nursed one more time until you are super sleepy and in the morning you are always the first one to let mommy know you want to be up. You begin to cry when you are ready to get out of bed each morning, while sister just stares at the ceiling until I come, but always you give me a smile when I come in to get you. You are still exclusively breastfed and eat 4 times a day, just like sister. You LOVE to scream with joy and squeal with delight, discovering your voice was BIG this month! Just like Hadley, you will begin to be weaned from your swaddle this month and start big boy solid foods at 6 months! My son, you are such a delight, and I LOVE watching you do new things and grow! We love you our litte Jack Henry Matthew.