The Big Outside

You may be wondering why the blog posts have been a bit Kerigan-heavy lately. Well, I would love to give you more of Briggs, but this is what most of the pictures of him have been looking like lately...


He is a boy on the run. Every day for the last 3 months or so, he has been asking me, "Mommy, I go big outside?!?" When he started adding the "big" to it, I'm not sure, but it makes total sense.


I'm not sure if I would have quite understood a boy's need to get out and get dirty if it weren't for the book Wild at Heart by John Eldredge. In college, I read the book's counterpart, Captivating by his wife, Stasi Eldredge. Ryan read John's and recommended I read it once we knew we were having a boy. Any of you mom of boys out there, should go pick it up right now. It gives you an inside look at a male's inner working and soul.


So as soon as the weather got above 40, we have been outside every day. We have been playing practicing our alphabet via sidewalk chalk, playing soccer, sliding down slides, running, jumping, picnicking and more- all with little sister in tow.


Not many things bring more joy to this boy's heart than "the big outside." Well, perhaps daddy. 

Our 4 Month "Lil Bit"


Hello Four Months!

Miss Kerigan is a ball of giggles this month. She thinks its quite hilarious when big brother gets in her face and attempts to give her kisses. His new passion in life is to make her laugh, so Little Miss K, I think you're in for a real treat growing up with your big bro.

Why, hello Mr. Pooh.


She is still a pretty easy baby to figure out. She is either hungry, dirty or tired. Once in a blue moon she will be miss fussy. 

The one thing that bums me out that is different about her versus Briggs is that she doesn't let me rock her to sleep. I know this is probably a good thing when it comes to sleep training, but some of my favorite memories were in the rocking chair snuggling my little boy as he drifted off. She will snuggle with me when its play time and we are making faces at each other or if we are all gathered at the dinner table (she doesn't like to miss the party). 

I am also very impressed with how aware she is of her surroundings. She has been able to consistently roll over from her stomach to back. She too, gives us the biggest smiles in the morning when she first wakes up. And when she smiles...my world is right. There is a twinkle in her eye that is like none other. 

Every day, I discover more and more what wise woman my Grandma Vargas is. She always told me, "Love multiplies, it does not divide." I thought I had given my heart to Ryan. Then when Briggs came along he opened the door to a whole new kind of love that I thought could never be matched. But love is a funny thing, because this girl sure has figured out how to weasel her way right there next to my Briggy in this little heart of mine.


Measurements

4 Months
Weight: 13 lbs 6 oz (40th percentile)
Height: 24.5 in (50th percentile)

Her percentages have gone down a bit this month. Party of the reason for her slower weight gain is that she spits up....a lot. She isn't on any medication for it right now but it is something we are keeping an eye on. She's just petite which has earned her another nickname, "Lil Bit". It's hard to fathom that at 4 months she is 13 lbs 6 oz and Briggs was 14 lbs at 2 months! Although his rapid weight gain tapered off eventually (even now I have been trying to feed him enough to hit the big 30 lb mark- but he has been a shy under for about 5 months now but he is going through a growth spurt) I believe she hasn't hit a huge growth spurt yet. Maybe this will be the month? 

She is a fun, laid back chica that adds such a great dimension to our little family. 

Newborn, 1, 2, 3 & 4 Months! As Briggs would say, "my oh goodness!"

Happy four months, Lil Bit!

Kerigan's 3 Month Photo Shoot

I wanted to make sure I have "photo shoot" for Kerigan as a newborn, 3 months, 6 months, 9 and 12 months. A lot of photographers offer packages like this but I'm beginning to gain confidence in my own abilities.

So in order to practice (and save money) I decided that we were going to try them on our own. I was pretty happy with the results but could not get her to smile! Her big beautiful smile is part of her charm at 3 months so I wanted to be sure to capture that. So we waited to complete the session until Daddy could be home one Saturday. That's all she needed. You'll see towards the end her little giggle fit. Perhaps this little Bear is becoming a Daddy's girl?

I love this doll babe so much- sometimes I think my heart may burst. Enjoy.