Two and a Half

(I apologize for the detailed update, I am doing it for myself because I really love all that is going on at this age.  Feel free to skip through).

It amazes me how much David has changed in the short 3 months he has been a Big Brother.  He is like a different child in a lot of ways.  The child is incredibly chatty.  We joke that we should reevaluate our no pacifier in the car rule just to save ourselves, ha.  However, David and I honestly have the best conversations while driving around town.  It is just so strange to hear him speaking in long sentences.  I love it.

Singing has become his new thing and we spend at least 15 or 20 minutes just laying in bed at night singing songs together.  He loves Wheels on the Bus, Jesus Loves Me, Jesus Loves the Little Children, Deep and Wide, and most recently Amazing Grace.  He calls it Amazing Grace How Sweet the Sound.  We probably sing it 12 times in a row before he moves onto another song.

Playing outside is his all time favorite thing to do and we are extremely excited about the upcoming time change.  David loves to play golf in the front yard with his Daddy after work.  We spend a lot of time just watching cars drive by, airplanes fly over us, and picking up pine cones, leaves, and sticks.

The boy finally loves to color and has an obsession with stickers, fire engines, and choo-choo trains.  I probably could pack up the rest of his toys and he would hardly even notice.  He absolutely loves playing and gets distraught when it is time to go to bed.  You can hear him crying all the way down the hall saying "Play toys!!"  He also loves to help his Daddy cook and learned how to peel carrots and cucumbers the other night.  We go to the dentist next week for the first time and I can only hope it goes as well as getting his hair cut usually goes.  He loves getting his hair cut.  He talks about Deborah all of the time and we cannot drive by the barber shop without him screaming to go park and see Deborah.  I think it is because she gives him lollipops!  David also knows who drives what kind of car.  He always thinks his friend Harrison is around if he sees a Volvo SUV and gets upset if we don't follow white Jeeps because he thinks it is his Daddy.  Speaking of, David ADORES his Daddy.  He loves to rough house with him and talks about missing him during the day.  He always wants to know if Daddy is working at the office with Susu and Papa.

I am going to try and start recording specific phrases he comes up with.  It is cute to see how his little mind is processing things.  I definitely want to remember what a little compass he has become, he even knows where we are at night.  It has shocked me honestly because I am so directionally challenged (height and also in terms of orientation).  He knows more at 2 then I probably did when I was 16 and reminds me a lot of my brother in that respect.  I guess it is just the spatial engineer genes he gets from his Daddy.

What I want to remember most about this phase of David's development is how incredibly tender hearted he is.  David feels things really hard and is always distraught when any of his people have to leave.  His feelings get hurt very easily.  He tells Evie she is beautiful and is always concerned when her paci falls out.  He loves to hold hands, sit in my lap, and probably tells me he loves me 20 times a day.  I am soaking it up because I am sure he will snap out of this adoration of his Momma way before he even goes to Junior High.

I asked him his Favorites earlier today and they are as follows:

Favorite Color: Red
Favorite TV Show: Handy Manny
Favorite Mickey Mouse Clubhouse character: Pluto, no Mickey
Favorite food: Bananas and Kashi Bars
Favorite drink: Orange Juice
Favorite sport: Football or as he says "feetball"
Favorite animal: Tiger
Favorite Movie: Cars or as he said Lightning McQueen
Favorite Holiday: Halloween (which is hilarious since it is Grant and my least favorite.  I think he just loves candy, ha!  He usually says candy tastes like Halloween.)
Favorite Candy: Lollipops
Favorite toy: Thomas train
Favorite Olympic sport: Curling and hockey

The Good Life

We had such a wonderful and low key weekend. Friday was an absolute blast. David LOVED the snow and had the best time running around and playing with the neighbors. He even got to skip his nap and have hot chocolate with marshmellows. Daddy made it home just in time to make a huge snow man before the sunset and finish off the night with pizza and friends.

Last weekend David was invited to his dear friend Harrison's 2nd birthday party at the Fire Station. David ADORES fire trucks, but was a little overwhelmed by the whole experience. The firemen were so kind to all the kids, let them pile into the driver's seat, and even turned the lights on. Like all things, David likes things in theory more than practice. The fire station was a bit like Santa Claus, but he warmed up after being there for a little while and of course was delighted to hear that cupcakes would end the day.

Evie is doing really well. She has grown so much in her willingness to eat and has the cutest little thighs and cheeks to show for it. I cannot wait to see her in bubbles this Spring and Summer. She has rolled over a few more times even though she doesn't love tummy time as much as her brother did. She is taking a 1 hour morning nap, cat nap around lunch, a HUGE nap in the afternoon, and then another cat nap around dinner. I am assuming she will start to drop those cat naps as she gets older. It is tricky trying to remember what I did with David and then adjusting it to fit Evie's needs.

David is just plain silly. It has been the biggest change so far. He runs around the house making all kinds of weird voices and does this silly strut as well. He is full of energy and has taken to jumping on furniture and screaming into pillows. There are no more smiles for the camera. He is much too busy to be bothered with posing for Mommy. He is in a huge train phase and could play with them non-stop all day long. It is crazy weird to hear him speaking in sentences. He is still extremely detail oriented and is not one to like a mess. His eating has gotten significantly better--he now LOVES broccoli (which he calls garlic for some reason or another) and carrots.

We are blessed and I love my job.

Favorite Boy

Bonnets and Bloomers

Bonnets and bloomers are the two things I was most excited about when we found out our second baby was a girl. I have been taking every chance I can to get her in the many bonnets I have prepared for her. I absolutely love them and plan for her to wear them probably longer than most would go for :).

On another equally fun note--Baby Girl is TWO months old. This is all just too fast for my taste and I am rather sad that we only have 8 more months of babyhood with her. I am trying to soak it up as well as I can. Life is busy with two. Evie's doctor appointment went well--she has skyrocketed up the growth charts. If you recall, she was in the 10% for height and 25% for weight at 3 weeks. Here we are 6 weeks later and baby girl is 90% in height and 75% in weight!!!!!! I was SHOCKED. Lets just say her eating issues are not affecting her growth, thankfully. I looked back at David's measurements and laughed. They were the EXACT same weight at birth and at this point she is a full pound heavier than he was at 2 months. I love her chubby thighs and cheeks!! I cannot wait to see her in bathing suits this summer--she will be precious!!! Bathing suits are another thing I am quite excited about in the girl department. Having a girl has been such a fun surprise!

Other things to record: Evie sleeps from 1130 to about 630 or 7. She takes 4 to 5 ounces every 3 hours and 6 ounces at bedtime. Our pediatrician thinks she may have some intermittent reflux, but nothing to be concerned about at this point. She is still taking a short morning nap, midday cat nap, and long afternoon nap. I love that my children are huge nappers. I know the time is coming with her where I will have to work hard to keep her napping. I think sleep training came into play with David around 5 months. I am just going to enjoy myself for now :).

(new post below about my first baby)

Cookin' Man

David's term for a chef is "cookin-man." He often runs into the kitchen and says "I a cookin man!!" I know his Daddy loves this and hopes that David can share in his love of making food for people. All I can say is David's wife will be extremely lucky. The child already pretends to cook with pasta, garlic, and mushrooms. He also has learned about al dente pasta and that food needs acid. He loves to pretend squeeze lemon juice in every meal he pretends to cook. He loves to sear meat on the grille and make a ssssss sound while it cooks. Thank you Santa for such a fun gift---we are loving our kitchen!!!

Pretty Pretty

Evie is doing really well. She has started eating much much better and consistently takes a full bottle. For the most part she sleeps through the night--she wakes up anywhere between 4 and 6, except on Saturday Baby Girl slept until 730!!! We have been venturing to church semi-frequently and sit with her in the balcony. I am hoping to put her in the nursery around 3 months, until then we just hope and pray she sleeps quietly in the balcony. She has grown to love her paci more and really needs it to settle into sleep. Swaddling is a requirement because she is so strong and squirmy. She cannot sleep with her little arms flailing. Evie is also a huge stretcher and often stretches of 5 or 6 minutes after a nap--she throws her head back, arches her back, and stretchers her arms above her head. Poor thing actually punched herself in the face during one of her stretching fests. It is really very cute, I need to get it on camera--David never did anything like it. Also, she is still super animated and smiles for absolutely no reason quite often--I guess it is the girl in her. :)

(new post below)

As good as it gets....

When David asks me why I don't have any framed pictures to show for his second year of life--I will remind him of how camera friendly he was at this sweet tender age :).