Alexander at 11 months

Your favorite toy for playing is:  outlets and toilet paper...well, real toys would have to be anything with wheels or balls

Your favorite toy for snuggling is:  the squishy blocks

Your favorite food is:  any kind of meat or marina sauce

Your favorite book is:  any of the crinkly ones or lift the flap ones

Your favorite activity is:  nursing, sleeping, getting into baby trouble like destroying mommy's fake plant or knocking over the floor lamps, getting worn in the sling by mommy, playing with Claire

Your favorite place to go is:  Mommy's Breastaurant.  Open 24/7/365
Your best friend is:  Mommy ;)

Something new that you're doing:  You started scooting at about 10 months.  You started scooting FAST at 10.5 months.  You started pushing up into sitting at 11 months.  You've started to pull yourself up to your knees at 11 m, 1 w. 

Something you've mastered:  Initiating games of Peek-a-boo or Pat-a-cake.  You like to softly bump heads, click your togue and wait for us to repeat it, as well as this "La la la" sound game you do by patting your mouth while open 

Something people say about you:  He is a big baby!  And the eye comments: He has beautiful blue eyes.  I could get lost in his eyes.  He has big eyes.  The girls are going to love him!  He's going to be a lady killer.

Something that you're saying is:  Dada, Mama, Up Up (sounds like pop, pop), Bu-ble (for bubbles),  Car (for Claire)

Something Dad and I are proud of you for:  Not throwing too much food on the floor at meals ;)

Something surprising about you:  You are already busting out of the 24 month sizes.  I had your feet measured a couple weeks ago.  5 WIDE.  Uh-oh!  Size 5 diapers!


Some Boo-boos: You chipped your top front tooth on the fireplace


How many teeth:  2 bottom middle, and the 4 top ones.  You like getting your teeth brushed.


Sleep:  You sleep about 12 hours.  Usually 8 to 8ish.  You can survive with one nap/day, but usually do better with 2 shorter ones.  One from about 10-11 then another around 2-4 ish.  We aren't super strict with sleep.  Mommy nurses you to sleep, every time, of course. ;)  You stopped taking your binkies promptly at 6 months when you lost that sucking reflex

Hair:  You have had 3 hair cuts.  Wow.  Your hair grows fast and thick like Daddy's! 

We love you so much! You've grown so much in the past few months!  I can't wait to see how big you are at your 12 month appt in just 3 short weeks!


Love,

Mommy :)

Claire at 3 1/2

Dear Claire,

You are 3 1/2 now. I can't believe how fast the time is flying.




Your favorite toy for playing is:  Your Barbie Dream house and Barbies


Your favorite toy for snuggling is:  Your night-night baby doll


Your favorite food is:  spaghetti or anything like it (lasanga, etc)


Your favorite book is:  Snow White or any Princess one or The Berenstain Bear books, which are totally fun to read!


Your favorite activity is:  Hopping on your new giant bouncy ball 


Your favorite place to go is:  Preschool! 


Your best friend is:  Tough call, you have so many friends, but I'm going to have to say Alexander at home.  Your best friend at preschool is Harper.  Your 2 neighborhood friends are Amelia and Christopher.


Something new that you're doing:  Making up silly lyrics to familiar songs without any prompting.  "The Wheels on the Bus" might be like "The dogs on the bus go Poop, Poop, Poop."  Or "Old McDonald had a baby with a wah, wah here..."


Something you've mastered:  Fully dressing yourself in matching outfits 99% of the time, including sock/shoes/coat!  Preschool certainly has made you want to get ready because you can't wait to get dressed and go! 


Something people say about you:  She is tall!  She has pretty eyes.  She looks just like you!  She talks very well.  How old is she?  She can't be 3 1/2! 


Something that you're saying is:  I'm jealous of Alex.  Can you hold me too?  Can you carry me up the stairs too? 


Something Dad and I are proud of you for:  Coming home from Preschool with a "good job stamp" every time! 


Something surprising about you:  You are shy at school and in new situations, but when you are with Mommy, you'd never know that! 


You like to make "cozy spots" which are piles of blankets and pillows and hide in them.  You also like to make your "jumping jack house" which is a big pile of blankets in Alex's room.  Then you like to run and jump into it!  Daddy and I got you a hoppy ball that you LOVE to jump on when Alex is jumping in his jumper.  You laugh at each other.  You love to love on Alex and you get jealous if we are with other small children who want to play with him.

We love you so much!  You've grown so much in the past few months!

Love,
Mommy :)

PS:  You may borrow my black high heels when you grow up, per your recent request, but I do hope you have a better sense of fashion than me.

PPS:  You also recently asked if you could live in this house when grow up.  I would love to let you live in this house when you grow up with your kids and then Daddy and I will get a house next to the Children's Museum, like you suggested.  However, the easiest solution, perhaps, is that you just get a place near the museum.  Perhaps you could work there?  Oooh!  Now that sounds fun! :)

Big Sis! Lil Bro!

Yay!  Spring is here!  I recently took Claire and Alexander for a photo shoot.  Here is one of the three of us together.  Josh opted not to come.  We'll have to do some family ones outside this summer, though.  Now, Click on this photo to make it full-sized and tell me...do my eyes really look that tired!?! 

Today was 73 and sunny!  It was soooo great to sit outside on the patio and bask in the sunshine!  I painted all of Claire's toes and fingers different colors, and then did my own.  Alex had a blast scooting around on the patio and smacking it.  He also enjoyed sampling varies sizes of mulch bits, while Claire discovered she could eat the green onions and decided that she liked the "spicy plant!"