Emily at 6 Months

Wow, I can't believe my BABY is already six months old! She is just precious in every way.

Height: 28" (99th percentile)

Weight: 19 lbs 10 oz (94th percentile)

Head circumference: 17.25" (87th percentile)

What she can do: 

She has rolled both ways at least once, but is not doing this consistently. She can sit with help for a minute, but will eventually wind up laying on her legs. :) And she loves to kick! I can't get her to stand on my lap because all she wants to do is jump and bounce! 

She's eating some pureed food, drinking from a sippy cup with help, cooing, grinning, giggling, and full out belly laughing. She can hold and play with toys, and even put her toes in her mouth and suck on them, which she's quite proud about.

What she likes: 

Emily likes being talked to above almost anything else. Ever since she was born, this has been the thing that's made her come to life. (For Matthew, that was being tossed and swung around. For Clara, "lively" was default mode.) She loves people and sweetly interacts. Strangers in the grocery store are always delighted by the HUGE grin she gives them when they give her a moment's attention. I often tell them it's because she's the youngest of three, so she doesn't take that special attention for granted!

She likes her jumperoo, as they all seem to at this age! It's amazing how much of the day she will happily spend in it if I need her to. Her only stipulation is that someone be in the room with her. If I step out, she immediately starts whining. But a sibling is as good as mom. :)

She loves being sung to, having her "personal space invaded" in play (this makes her laugh like nothing else), riding around on my hip, sitting up in her bumbo, and even tummy time!

Sleep:

Emily-girl sleeps from about 8 pm to 5 am, and then goes back to sleep until 8 am. She's a great sleeper! She also takes two naps, one in the morning, and one in the afternoon. It works out perfectly with our schedule, especially since she's willing to take her morning nap in the stroller if we want to be out and about.

Other information:

She loves her brother and sister, and they are both super sweet with her and seem to have good instincts (and a bit of training) for how to interact with her appropriately.  She has no stranger or separation anxiety, which is a blessing, since everyone in her life is able to enjoy her so much as she snuggles in and plays and grins easily.

That's our low maintenance Emily. She is a pure sweetheart. It's incredible to see how well she fits in with our family, filling a little hole we didn't know we had until we met her.

I find her mad face just about as adorable as anything.

She's big enough to swing! But she doesn't react to it much.

Mmmmm... tasty! Everything, in the mouth!

Hanging out in the stroller, all grins!

Emily Rose at 4 Months

Sweet, sweet Emily, how we love her!

She is the best of all things baby: squishy, content, smiley, adorable, sleepy and peaceful. She's social yet calm-natured --really the embodiment of sweetness.

Length: 26.3" (98th percentile)

Weight: 16 lbs 9 oz (87th percentile)

Head Circumference: 16.5" (84th percentile)

In other words, she's bigger than Clara was at this age (that's saying a lot), but still smaller than Matthew Frank! She's another healthy, beautiful, vivacious tall-girl!

What she likes: She likes to be talked to! Since birth, the one thing that seems to excite her more than anything is a good conversation, although she's not likely to do much talking herself. She responds by vigorously kicking her legs and pumping her arms, and with wide eyes locked in on yours.

She also likes being sung to and paid attention to in general. Baby #3 doesn't take those things for granted.

What she can do: She can hold her head up very well, coo and giggle a bit. She can bring things to her mouth and bat at an object. She loves chewing on those hands and goes through multiple outfits and bibs per day because they're drool soaked. She can just now sit on my hip for short periods.

She has yet to roll over. She's not a motivated mover, so it may be a while.

Sleep: She is a great sleeper. For most of the past two months she has slept through the night, until 5:00 am or later (often until 7:00!). She prefers to sleep in her bed, so if she gets tired out and about during the day, it typically does not go well.

Other information: She's interested in sucking her thumb/fingers, but we're attempting to keep her from attaching to those things. Trying to break Clara of her thumb-sucking nowadays has made me wary! Oh, and she's not too interested in a bottle. We've all but given up at this point in her life.

Emily is a bundle of joy... she is such a blessing!

When Your 4-Year-Old is Smarter than You

My 4-year-old is smarter than me, and I'm not sure how I feel about it.

Let me illustrate.

Example 1: The Walk Solution

Today she wanted to go on a walk. I agreed, but after she'd gotten her shoes on I realized we were at home with no stroller and no baby carrier, since Mitch had taken the van to work with both inside. I told her we had no way to do our walk... sorry.

"But we do have Emily's car seat," Clara responded.

"Yes, but it's too heavy for me, I can't carry it on a walk," I responded with an "oh, sweetie..." sort of tone.

"We could put the car seat in the wagon," Clara continued politely.

I stared at her blankly, blinking a few times.

Finally, I started chuckling and then laughing in disbelief that she had so easily solved a problem that had me stumped.

Example 2: The Lost Phone

We were trying to get out the door. I doubled back into the house for my phone and something else. After a minute, Clara followed me in.

"Can you help me find my phone," I asked distractedly, while responding to a text from Mitch. "I don't know where it is."

A confused Clara said, "But mom, you already found it."

"No I didn't," I said, "I don't know where it is," as I continued around the house glancing around, all with my eyes still half glued to the lit screen in my hand.

Clara stood rooted, slightly confounded, watching me go to and fro.

"You have it in your hand!" she finally spit out.

I looked up, then back down... and burst out laughing. It was not only in my hand, but I had been using it during the conversation.

Clara loves to tell that story!

Example 3: The Story Memorizer

This girl memorizes her books... like crazy.

She got a Disney Princess anthology a few weeks ago from Nana, and has had me read her a lengthy Sleepy Beauty story several times. Then, earlier this week, she began quoting it verbatim to Emily (mind you, the book was not in front of her). She used all the language and vocabulary flawlessly, without error and with sublime annunciation. I stopped what I was doing to stare at her in amazement, wondering how far she could go.

Although she did eventually skip some pages in her mental retelling, she went on for at least a few minutes, quoting a story we had read together many times, but of which I had exactly no lines memorized. After all, it doesn't rhyme.

Example 4: The Fairy Disagreement

Another book we read frequently is about fairies. In the back you can find a "catalog" of the fairies you might find in the book. (Each book is customized to a specific child's name). She pointed to the "Apple Blossom Fairy" and told me it was in her book.

"No, it's not," I corrected lightly.

"It is!" she insisted, "I'll show you."

We flipped back through the pages, each expecting to set the other one straight.

I'll let you guess who won. :)

The moral of the story is, think twice before getting in an argument with Clara. You just might be wrong!

Matthew at Age 2

Height: 3' (86%)

Weight: 31 lbs (82%)

Head circumference: 19.6" (76%)

What he likes: 

Ball and dogs are hands-down Matthew's favorite things. He has great throwing skills and maximum interest in all things sports it seems, but especially baseball. The way he walks around the house with a baseball bat thrown over his shoulder makes me want to duck and cover, but he has a very good track record for not actually hitting things or people he's not supposed to. He does, however, really struggle to find the self control not to throw anything and everything.

He loves ice cream and his train table. He also loves rocking with Clara on our rocking horse. It's made for one child to ride, but they've figured out how to make it a seesaw for two people.

He likes performing and being the center of attention. It's fun to see him assume this role. He doesn't advocate for the limelight, so often it's Clara who occupies it.

He also likes wrestling with dad, tools, etc. He enjoys books quite a lot too!

What he can do: 

He can say so many words, but like his father, he doesn't feel the need to use them most of the time. He's putting words together into two word phrases.

He can also follow instructions, play on playground pretty independently, correctly identify several body parts, sing "Let it Go" and read two books from memory ("No David!" and "Tubby"). He can count to ten (give or take a number) and calls all immediate family members by name (never mind that he thinks Emily's name is Abby...)

Sleep: 

There's no doubt that Matthew has come through for me on sleep his whole life. At this point, he typically naps 3.5-4 hours per day, along with a good 11 hour night. He sleeps with his monkey blanket and pacifier, but he can go without if needed.

He sleeps in a big boy bed now. That transition was as smooth as pudding. Matthew is one of those kids who does a lot of what he's asked to do. He's good boy.

Other information:

Matthew is definitely two. We have our fair share of tantrums, crying, can't-make-up-my-mind melt downs, and refusals of food and others things he normal enjoys.

Thank goodness he's so cute! I just grab his little face in my hands all the time and kiss him! And he grins... it's the best!

Matthew-ismis:

Some of Matthew's memorable phrases are:

"No! uh-uh."

"Um... yeah!"

"Tickow, tickow" (when attempting to tickle you... so cute!)

"Weed book!" (read book)

"Ca-wa! Mama! Dada!" (names Matthew always says in an enthusiastic yell)

He gives me a run for my money, but on the whole he is a sweet, sweet little boy.

That One Time When... (Funny Stories from our Lives)

Funny stories from Clara (age not-quite-4) and Matthew (age not-quite-2)

That one time when:

Matthew was put in time out in his rocking chair (in his room) for crying and whining. ...And then we forgot about him in the hustle and bustle of cleaning up dinner and preparing for company.

Fifteen minutes later I noticed something was amiss and hollered to Mitch in the family room, "Hey! Is Matthew still in his room??" Rather than Mitch's voice, I heard a muffled, yet somehow chipper, "Yah!" come through Matthew's cracked door.

I hurried in, and there he was, right were we left him. Patiently waiting. We had no more whining that night.

That one time when:

Clara called Mitch onto the carpet for leaving the toilet seat up. He looked at me with a suspicious eye, wondering if I'd put her up to this.

Toilet seat etiquette had, in fact, never been explained to her. She figured that out all on her own. She became borderline emotional when explaining that... she can't potty when it's like that. And asked him to please put it down. 

I thought it was a very compelling plea, but have yet to see if it influences change.

It did influence the most sheepish grin I've ever seen.

That one time when:

We were listing to a concert in the coffee shop inside our church after service one Saturday evening, and Matthew motioned for me to come with him somewhere. 

Thinking he wanted to go closer to the musician I encouraged him to proceed alone. 

To my surprise, he headed not toward the show, but sidled right up to the bar and patiently stood in line at the register. After several minutes of waiting, and just about everyone around us gushing over the cuteness of the whole thing, Matthew won. I raced up there and bought him the cookie he was eyeing through the glass.

It made me ever-so happy to do so.

That one time when:

We were at a birthday party a Chuck E. Cheese. Suddenly I turned around and Matthew was gone. I began running around hunting him down when he caught my eye. He had approached the man in a giant Chuck E. Cheese costume and was staring him down from about a four foot distance. Suddenly, he broke forward and gave Chuck E. a huge hug on the leg.

That one time when:

We found Clara in her room at 10 o'clock at night. She was fully dressed and sitting on the edge of her mattress quietly. When Mitch asked her what she was doing, she responded, "Mom told me no playing. So I'm just sitting here."

That other time when we went in to check on her at 10:00 (when we go to bed) and found her asleep in her suitcase...

That one time when:

Matthew was supposed to be napping, but instead he got into my sister-in-law's make up and had a grand time ruining a pack 'n play.

That other time when:

Both kids were stripped down and in the bathtub as it was filling with water. I noticed the water was getting hotter, so I kept turning the cold knob more and more to no avail. 

Suddenly, it snapped off in my hand, sending a fire hose of cold water across the tub and forcefully spraying both kids and the far wall. In my shock I began screaming for Mitch to turn off the water to the house and pressing the broken nob against the spout, only causing a more dramatic spray of the whole bathroom.

Matthew was whining and trying to get out of the tub, but quickly calmed down once the water was off (12 seconds later).

Clara, on the other hand, was tripping over herself trying to get out of the tub and as far away from the bathroom as possible. She was screaming and crying hysterically, and took quite a while to calm down to figure out whether she was actually hurt in some way. (she wasn't) She was able to laugh about it later, and I'm still chuckling at her response today.

The kids are getting used to showers until further notice.

That one time when

Clara actually got to go to the doctor when she was sick because she said three magic words, "My ear hurts."

She really enjoyed the attention of having an appointment scheduled, going through the visit in which the doctor directed all questions to her specifically (it was so cute I almost cried... she felt so important), and having "medicine" to take, since she in fact did have an ear infection.

I was the same way as a child.

There's no doubt these two keep us on our toes!

Matthew at 15 Months

Weight: 26 lbs 6 oz (91st percentile)

Height: 2' 9" (97th percentile)

Head size: 47.9 cm (79th percentile)

What he can do: Walk! He was a bit slow to join that party, and really only in the past week has he become proficient.

He has one puzzle piece to one particular puzzle that he can do (a round sun), which he enjoys doing over and over again with great yelling and cheering for himself.

He can climb things (floor to chair, chair to table, table to kitchen counter... you know)

Although he loves his soft monkey and pacifier, we confine these things for use in his crib only. It's interesting because we used to literally wrestle them out of his hands after a nap, but now he's well trained. The instant he's picked up, he removes them himself and throws them back in. It's a funny auto-response now. Even when you pick him up from a dead sleep, he does this without being fully awake.

What he likes: He loves being tossed around and rough housing. He really comes to life when Mitch wrestles around with him. All boy?

He likes cleaning up, and takes it upon himself to gather every item on his bedroom floor each morning and deposit them in the laundry hamper. This includes pretty much everything BUT laundry.

Oh yeah. He also has an "insane" love for animals. I say that because none of the rest of us are big animal people, so we just don't get it or know where that comes from. When Matthew sees animals, he pretty much goes crazy giggling, following them around, trying to touch and hug them, etc. Thankfully our friends have very nice kid-adjusted pets who are patient with him.

Other information: He is a phenomenal sleeper. The kids sleeps 12+ hours at night (8-8:30), and takes 1-2 naps. I wake him up from both naps to keep him on schedule, but he still logs a minimum of 4 hours of naps each day. It's awesome!

In fact, his stellar sleeping schedule has allowed me to pursue another, more demanding blog. Check it out at www.embracingasimplerlife.com

Matthew with his sister and cousin during our recent Branson family vacation. We even got matching family shirts! 

Big Boy Matthew

I can hardly believe what a big boy my little Matthew has become!

He's 15 months old today, and already he's doing and wanting to do so many big boy things.

I think these are all impressive "abilities" for this age. He's doing things like:

• eating corn on the cob (which he insists on)
• feeding himself with a spoon (which he insists on)
• drinking from a real cup (which he insists on)
• climbing up on a kids chair to see what I'm doing in the kitchen (which he insists on)
• going up stairs and down the slide all by himself on the park toddler structure

Notice any common thread? Our Matthew has his own ideas about life, that's for sure. He's the independent type.

He's also a man of few words.

While he doesn't talk much, he knows how to nod yes (saying "yeah") or shake his head no. He appears to understand pretty much of what we say to him, and uses his yes and no powers to communicate with us. So mom and dad are staying busy asking lots of yes-or-no questions and trying to out guess his needs. :)

In other words, he's into efficiency. Why expend more than minimum effort? Why not watch mom and dad run around until they figure out what he wants? Good questions.

But don't worry, he will not hesitate to defend himself against big sister. If he has any problem whatsoever with her he is more than happy to let us know with excessive yelling, screaming and crying.

He especially does not appreciate when she touches his cozy coupe.

This brooding face cracks me up. We love our Matthew!

Matthew's One!

Height: 2'7" (91st percentile)

Weight: 23 lbs 10 oz (83rd percentile)

Head circumference: 48cm (77th percentile)

What he can do: Pull up, cruise, walk while holding our hands, balance while standing by himself for a moment or two, climb stairs, speed crawl, manage his own sippy cup, say da-da, ma-ma, "more" and uh-oh, although da-da is his favorite. He can nod yes and no, throw and hit a ball around, put two blocks together, and mimic us (try to drink my coffee, pound with his play hammer, etc.)

What he likes: He loves dogs, splashing in water, our toy golf set, bananas, biscuits and gravy (he even rummaged a few stray pieces out of his bib), and having his belly eaten. Watching other people have fun really tickles him.

Other information:
His #1 source of tantrums is when I close the dishwasher while he's busily trying to play in it. He does not appreciate that at all.

I've decided he's into efficiency. He's not going to exert needless energy. He chooses the least strenuous approach to everything. He wouldn't even hold his own cup for the longest time, because he knew he could just whimper and I'd hold it for him like a bottle-fed calf. He didn't even think about crawling or rolling until he was good and ready at 9 months, after which time he easily and quickly mastered both. We've been teaching him baby sign language, which he seems to have no use for. He will, however, attempt to say the words we're trying to get him to sign, because of course that requires far less effort.

He's an observer. He's a giggler. He's my little boy. He's so fun.

He does have some opinions.

Organize and Reorganize

Our little Clara is QUITE the organizer. She loves to play with lots of pieces that can be organized and reorganized, sorted and categorized. Over and over again. This is a huge part of her life and play.

It's nice because when she gets an idea, she will play quietly by herself, totally focused, until that task is complete. She doesn't want help or attention; she's fully motivated by the end result she seeks.

Mitch is the organized type. Me, not so much. Thankfully I've come a long way, but I definitely hope Clara will continue to take after her father in this way.

I really do see and believe that a "more-organized" life is a "higher-quality" life.

Matthew at 9 Months

Cuteness.

 Height: 2' 6" (92nd percentile)

Weight: 22 lbs 2 oz (84th percentile)

Head size: 48.3 cm (99th percentile)

He's officially bigger and taller than Clara was at the same age, about which I'm pleased. Our kids definitely got the tall gene, and it didn't come from me!

What he can do: Well, upon turning 9 months, he wasn't doing much at all in terms of moving. But after passing that mile marker, he decided he was ready to go! And since he was good and ready, he proceeded to hit several milestones in quick succession, which was thrilling but left me saying a resounding "WHAT?!"

You see, in my mind Matthew wasn't supposed to crawl before walking, and not walk until about 14+ months. He was my chill, content, relaxed, still-natured, easy baby. He sat where I put him and played with the toys in his reach, which I was QUITE okay with. Easy, relaxing, calm.

Now suddenly, all at once, he's sitting himself up, rolling over (he had never rolled off his back before 9 months), lunging onto his belly, CRAWLING (up to five steps), pulling up to his knees, play while standing, and scooting backwards all over the place, including under couches, beds and chairs where he disappears totally and gets rather mad.

In addition to that he's now yelling, making noises, screaming excited screams, eating table food, drinking from a sippy cup (with a little help), clapping, giving a high five on command, and babbling on command... all more or less new in the last 3 weeks.

Self feeding! It makes life a little easier & messier.

What he likes: Sleeping, ice cream, sausage, swinging, sharing experiences with Clara (they laugh and giggle together... ahhh! so cute!), Itsy Bitsy Spider, music, exploring new things, and being tossed around.

Sleep: He goes down easily and either wakes up at 5 to nurse or sleeps straight through and gets up at 7 for the day. He naps twice, and I often wake him up after 2-3 hours of sleep to keep him on schedule. He loves to nap!

Other information: Matthew is his own man. He's a unique little guy, such a boy and yet so sweet. I see his boy-ness come out in the bath tub. When I put him in he splashes and squeals like crazy until I take him out. I'm wet, the floor is wet, it's a mess. Clara never did that. She was much more likely to sit with her toys, turning them over carefully in her hands.

I love seeing their differences. :) Matthew, Matthew, what a guy. Oh how I love him.

Ha ha! He does have some opinions. He makes this face well before making any sounds though. SO funny.

Little Orator

Clara is turning in to quite the little orator.

From the back seat of the car we hear, "Talk to me! Mom. Dad. Will you please talk to me?" almost any time we drive. It's rather difficult to get a quality conversation in, because Clara is in the back seat dying to be involved most of the time.

Besides that, I pretty much have no need to say anything anymore. Clara knows the script for everything we do, and she's happy to say everyone's lines.

For example: "Mom, I pooped in my pants... That's ok! But we do not poop in our pants. You have to poop on the potty. Let's get the wipes. I have to clean you up. Ok!" (Meanwhile I'm silently fuming and glad she's filled in my script with gracious words because I'm feeling frustrated at present moment.)

Her latest "game" is one where she gathers everyone together in the living room and then stands on the ottoman and "talks to us." With lots of smacking sounds, she proceeds to inform us that she will be telling a Bible story, although she rarely gets to the actual story but instead has more fun repeatedly emphasizing and checking to make sure we know our job is to listen to her. Or she just sings "Baa, Baa Black Sheep."

Her speech is above average for her age. She puts together sentences in a thorough manner. This weekend while driving home from church, she piped up, "My dad is very special to me." It was sweet and surprising. I didn't know she could put that thought together on her own. It still makes me chuckle.

Instead of saying a simple "thank you," she prefers, "Mom, thank you for getting me my pink coconut socks" (aka: polka dot socks).

She's also memorized three Bible verses. Not to mention about 87 Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes, a favorite book of hers.

She's good company. We have fun. :)  Clara brings much joy and conversation into my daily life, which I love!

Silliness

Peas

Matthew is not a fan of the green stuff. Vegetables that is.

Our pediatrician laughed when I told her of his faces when first introduced to peas and encouraged me to try them 12 times before drawing any conclusions.

Well, I haven't counted, but I think we're nearing 12, and he is cracking me up with his well-established opinion on the issue. Same goes for green beans.

Today as I was attempting to shovel some in his mouth, not only was he using his growing coordination to block and push the spoon away, but he was also pinching his mouth closed and pursing his lips. Of the few spoonfuls I got in there, I think more came out than went down, and he repeated shuddered throughout the process. Hilarious.

But he never made a peep. He makes his opinions known, but does so in true Matthew fashion: quite, calm, pleasant, and relaxed.

Matthew at 7.5 Months

Height: 28"

Weight: 20 lbs

What he can do: Play peekaboo by pulling a blanket over his head and then bringing it down, roll from front to back consistently, buzz his lips as spit flies everywhere (future trumpet player?), and make his opinions known.

What he likes: Sweets! His favorite is the sugary infant Tylenol that I gave him during a recent fever and teething, but he'll also take any fruit as a second choice and sweet potatoes as a third option. He is not a fan of green beans or peas. He loves being talked to, the remote, and being thrown around. He also loves strings (like those attached to a hoodie).

Sleep: Very sketchy and inconsistent. It's not often that he will sleep through the night, that's for sure. His two new bottom teeth may account for this somewhat.

Other information: From what we can tell, he's done with the bottle. I'm okay with that though since I don't have any need to be away from him in the near future, and he's doing great with solids.

He's just the sweetest little guy. He has the puppy dog eyes and little grin to make your heart melt. Sweet, sweet, sweet. And he's a cuddler too. Matthew is good for the soul.

Matthew at 6 Months

Height: 27.5" (83rd percentile)

Weight: 19 lbs. 5 oz. (79th percentile)

Head circumference: 44 cm (80th percentile)

What he likes: Getting his toes in his mouth, soft toys, toys that rattle, being part of the action, being tossed around, naps, his sister, cuddling, watching television, being sung to (specifically pat-a-cake and the pony ride song), and most importantly being talked to.

What he can do: He's a strong sitter and can hold and play with toys. He jumps in his jumperoo, but never stands. If you hold him out in front of you to stand in your lap he pulls his knees up. Your arms get tired and... he wins. :) He has also discovered babbling and screaming.

Sleep: He wakes up at 1 and 3, but will accept a pacifier and go back to sleep without nursing. By 6 he's ready to eat though, and may or may not go back down to sleep more. He naps very easily and well, and can change his nap schedule around to accommodate our schedule without getting fussy for the most part.

Other information: He has a big grin and he knows how to use it, although unprovoked he will also sit indefinitely with a solemn look on his face... watching quietly. He does not, however, appreciate being left alone in a room and will immediately start fussing for some company!

This month he's eaten both squash and peas. The squash seemed agreeable. The peas on the other hand produced some hilarious and rather sour faces. I'm not thinking he is going to be much a pea eater, but we'll keep trying anyway.

More on Clara

More on Clara (from summer 2013)

Quotes
"Mmmm... delicious!"
"All day long!"
"Ta-da"
"Let me see... (thinking)"
"Let me getchya some _________" when asking me to get her something.
"I can wipe you off." when asking to be wiped off.
"Mommy, I need hold you!" when asking to be held.
"couple-two" books (usually about 7)

Stories
Scenario: She demands something (i.e. milk), we tell her to ask nicely. So she rephrases it to say, "I like some milk peese... Okay!" filling in our normal response.

Scenario: I accidentally got Clara in the nose with my fingernail as we were heading back to the car. We both stop short, turning our full attention to her nose. She grabs it and begins rubbing, with brow furrowed and a befuddled look on her face. I watch her closely, waiting for her reaction before giving one of my own.  After a few moments she looks up at me and says, through a pinched noses, "Mommy? ...didya hurt me?" 

She definitely salvaged the moment with that one. And she was pretty pleased when everyone thought her comment was so funny.

She loves wearing her fancy shoes everywhere.
She counts in Spanish thanks to Dora, and cracks me up when she says "cuako" for 4.
She also likes to say a cheery "Come on, 'Vamenos!'"when she wants to get me moving.

She's doing great with potty training.

Clara at 2.5

QUOTES
"I want to hold you"
"That would be nice and good."
Asking the obvious, "Mom, are you drinking your water?" "Dad, are you taking a shower?" "Mom, are you feeding Matthew?"
"Rawr! I'm a tiger!"
"I got a snotty, bergy nose."
"Do you like that Matthew?"

She loves putting together puzzles. She can do puzzles meant for an older child, such as her 20 piece jigsaw puzzle, with ease now. She doesn't get frustrated. It's amazing to watch her work through it.

She also loves having pretend picnics.

She's independent at the playground, which is nice. Although she does like playing up the damsel in distress at times. She will intentionally get herself stuck on something that's a little too hard for her and then sweetly cry out "help! help!" After doing this once, three preteen boys ran over and escorted her the rest of the way up the ladder. She was quite pleased with that outcome and attempted to repeat the scenario a few more times. I chose to intervene because those boys were being sweet, and I didn't want to see them taken advantage of. :)

Canned green beans are arguable her favorite food. She'll eat about too adult servings of them at dinner and then want more. We find ourselves saying things like, "Eat some pasta first, then you can have more green beans." Strangely backwards... but diversification is good, right? If unchecked she will polish off a whole can.

She is very meticulous and organized. She systematically works through her play. For example she creates a stack a books, and then reading one at a time, page by page until they're all organized into a separate "finished" pile. Or she colors with her crayons one at a time until they've all made their mark and been arranged in a neat row. She doesn't appreciate being interrupted from these tasks. She likes to accomplish.

She can sing songs, identify her letters, spell her name (verbally), sort, recognize quantities, and all kinds of other amazing things. Her sentence structure and vocabulary are very good for her age. She amazes us in new ways every day. She's sweet too and good about "thank you's."

She also likes to say, "mom says I have to...(fill in whatever she wants to do)." There are other variations of this too. I've heard about commands from dad, nana, and grandma as well.
My favorite was a few days ago when she very dutifully told me, "dad says I have to go to Chick-Fil-A." I made the mistake of checking with dad, only to discover that he, in fact, did not say that. I missed a window of opportunity there...

Some good Clara faces. She's quite expressive.

So fun.

Matthew at 5 Months

Weight: 19 lbs

Height: 27.6"

What he can do: Belly laugh, sit in a highchair, sit on a hip, hold his toes, put things to his mouth, bounce in his jumperoo like nobody's business, and hold and manipulate toys.

What he likes: Blankets, pat-a-cake, itsy bitsy spider, being thrown up and around, sitting on a table and looking at you eye to eye, baths, and when you eat his belly (that one is hysterical).

Sleep: He has digressed in this department. He wakes up at least once in the early morning and maybe another time in the night. He also cried quite a bit at bedtime and naptimes until we figured out to give him something soft to hold. That solved that.

Other information: He's so cuddly and sweet. Just the best baby.

Matthew at 4 Months

At his 4 month doctor's appointment the nurse nervously re-measured him after comparing his height to a growth chart, indicating that the doctor wouldn't believe she'd done it accurately and she'd have to measure him again anyway. Sure enough, same measurement...

Height: 27.3" (100th percentile)

Weight: 17 lbs 12 oz (87th percentile)

Head Circumference 17" (87th percentile)

What he likes: His jumperoo, the pat-a-cake song (or any song with actions), being tickled, flying, looking at books, being talked to, being a part of the action, his paci, sucking his thumb and fingers and hands, cuddling, kicking around in the bath, and sleeping. :)

What he can do: He can grab his feet, hold his head up, spin around in his crib, laugh (of some form), track with his eyes, and make spit noises with his lips. Also he's getting to be a stronger sitter.

Sleep: He's a sleeper. Our pediatrician jokingly warned me not to tell anyone just how great he is and so lose all sympathy... but here are the beans. He's been sleeping 12 hours in a row at night for the last month. Not only that, but he's usually good for 3 naps a day, the afternoon nap being around 3 hours. Apparently all this growing is hard work... and he's certainly been doing his share of that!

Other information: He rolled over once just after he turned 3 months but has yet to repeat that feat. He continually amazes me and everyone else with his easy-going nature. He's definitely a good baby and has made the transition from one kid to two quite pleasant!

Clara is so sweet to her brother. And he tolerates the affection quite well!

All Boy

Last night during his bath, Matthew was busily kicking around in the water when suddenly he paused and looked over at me.  Our eyes locked.  He proceed to paste a smug smile on his face, and with perfect comedic timing began peeing a little fountain into his bathwater. He appeared QUITE pleased with himself.

Oh, Matthew, you're such a boy.

Fortunately I happen to think little boys are pretty darn cute: love for peeing in unsanctioned areas and all.

One day I might be less than humored by these actions, but for today... hilarious.

The best picture I can find to represent his little smile in that moment.

Matthew at 3 months

I love those twinkly eyes. :)

Weight: 16.5 lbs (90th percentile)

Height: 26 in. (between percentile 90 and 95)

What he can do: 
He's batting at objects, smiling a bunch, and even trying to laugh (more of an excited hiccup). He can bring his hands together, make great eye contact, and find his thumb.

What he likes: 
He likes being talked to, his sister, being left alone when he's fussy, sleeping, playing in his baby gym, the elephant rattle, and baths.

Sleep:
He's a sleepy fellow. He takes 3 naps each day (ranging in length from 1-4 hours each) and sleeps 8-10 hours in a row at night.

Other information:
He's so relaxed. It cracks me up that when I put my hands under his armpits to lift him out of his crib he gives me no help. Except for a coy little smile he remains totally limp, allowing his head and shoulders roll backwards while his arms and legs hang down until I flop him onto my shoulder. His eyes twinkle like he thinks it's funny that he can get away with that.

Hilarious. SOOO different from my little go-getter Clara. She has always done at least half the work of being lifted or held... all muscles engaged.

He also continues to be a quiet guy. Sometimes I put him down in his crib thinking he's tired, only to peek in on him after 30-45 minutes of silence and find him quietly wiggling away, looking all around. In our conversations I find myself doing the vast majority of the talking. He does coo, but seems to prefer, and quite enjoy, listening. He's going to make a great husband someday!