The Russo's

I have a few videos that I haven't posted, so I thought I would share. Hudson prays with Gianna sometimes. Here he is praying for his daddy to come home safely. We like to send video messages to Josh during the day. Hudson is asking to ride 4 wheelers when it's time to take a nap. Hudson was telling a story about seeing a mouse. He never actually saw the mouse, but I told him that I saw a mouse and we caught it. It's kinda long and it's hard to understand, so you might not watch the whole thing :)

Something about passing the 6 month mark, makes her feel a lot older and closer to one. The days go by so fast and I try to stop and take a few minutes with her . I cuddled with her on the couch today instead of doing some house work. I love smelling her head while she still has that baby smell. I didn't think she had a lot of new developments since last month, but it ended up being more once I started thinking. * wears 6-9 month clothes & size 3 diapers * found her ears and pulls out bows * likes splashing in the tub * gives mommy open mouth kisses * starting to drink out of a sippy cup *  likes being outside and riding in the wagon * separation anxiety is starting to develop * says ma ma & mmm sounds * grabs hair, glasses or whatever is within reach * only sits up on her own for a few seconds * have seen her get up on all fours, but only in her bed when she goes to sleep * still doesn't like tummy time * gets scared of some loud noises * very smiley, but starting to b...

Lately, Hudson has been quite mischevious. He had reached the point where he played independently and I could trust him alone for a little while. Now, if it gets quiet for more than a few minutes, you can bet he is up to no good! I find little surprises all over the house, which is funny when it's unexpected . He makes us laugh when he gets in Gianna's crib and pretends to be a baby. But, when he writes on your furniture with a pen or marker - it is far from funny! First, he wrote with a pen on our leather recliner. Most of it came off- after trying every home remedy I had on hand that day. Then, he got a dry erase marker and wrote on the chair and a half, floor and dining room chair. Thankfully, dry erase marker comes off easily. We are about to lock up all the writing utensils in the house! As sneaky as he has been, he can be really sweet too. He brought me flowers the other day. He picked them outside, came in the house got a "vase", filled it with water from th...

It's really hard to believe that 6 months has passed so quickly! I want her to stay little just a little bit longer :) She is still one happy baby and content playing on her own. I'm so thankful that she has been such a good baby. -her first bottom tooth appeared on February 8th followed by another one a few days later - she rolls both ways now and sleeps on her stomach -eating solids three times a day -turns her head when hearing a new voice -grabs her feet and puts them in her mouth -has a high pitched squeal when playing - laughs on her own -grabs your face when you get close -sleeps about 10 hours at night and takes 3 naps a day - made ba ba sounds a few times -not real interested in sitting up yet - cries when I walk away on occassion - likes to play with tags and chew on them -weighs 15 lbs 14 ounces (50 %) - 27 inches long (90%) - head is 17 inches (50-75%) Hudson came along to this appointment. I wanted to get him familiar with the office since he will be going in a co...

I love watching the kids interact with each other. As Gianna gets older it's getting more fun to watch them together. Hudson is still a little rough around her, but I think she will be pretty tough. She watches everything that he does and gets so excited when he comes around. She grabs his face and will pull on his hair, ears and nose. He doesn't mind that much and gets a kick out of it. He loves his sissy so much! He cheers for her when she does something new and says he is proud of her. He looks forward to her waking up from her naps so he can see her again. They watch tv together and videos on my phone They like to ride together and go for walks Valentine's Day It's not just about us anymore. We don't mind because we LOVE our little sweeties!! I did heart shaped pancakes for breakfast and the kids got small gifts. Josh worked late, so we went on a double date tonight as a family. Josh and I did go to a banquet on Saturday night at his uncle's church....

Hudson and Gianna have been reaching some big milestones lately. I'll begin with Gianna. I started baby food after doing cereal for about 3 weeks. I thought maybe it would help with her sleeping problems if it was a hunger issue. (more on that next) She had sweet potatoes as her first food. Since then, she has had carrots, squash and bananas. She is doing pretty good and opens her mouth for more. I plan on making her baby food soon as I did for Hudson. I started sleep training with Gianna 2 weeks ago because she was still having trouble going to sleep and rocking wasn't working. It took about a week, but now she puts herself to sleep pretty quick and is taking good naps now. Her bedtime varies and we still have some pretty late nights, like after midnight. Hopefully, this will get better soon. Sometimes, she puts her sleep sack on her face to go to sleep and then I go take it off after. We took the exersaucer out for her to try. I think she is still a little young for ...

Gianna will be 5 months next week, but she just went for her 4 month check up last week due to the holidays. She weighed 14 lbs 5 ounces(50th percentile) and is 25 1/2 inches long (90th percentile) She did well for her shots and is a healthy girl.    I started giving her rice cereal to practice eating. She is still learning how it works, but making progress. She rolled from her tummy to her back on New Year's Eve and is close to doing back to stomach. She is still a very happy baby and really good except for sleeping lately. For the past couple of weeks she has been waking up during the night and fighting her sleep. She is probably teething and I hope she gets back to herself soon! She can be a night owl and stayed up to bring in the new year! -sat in the bumbo a few times -reaches and bats at toys -likes her play mat and baby doll -puts everything in her mouth -wearing mostly 3-6 months clothes - size 2 diaper -eats every 3 hours -ticklish in many spots -laughs out...