4 YEAR STATS

34 lbs (25th %! The boy needs some creatine!!)
43 inches tall (98%)
5T or boys size 4 clothes
Size 10 shoes

HEALTH: An uneventful month! I'm beginning to prepare myself for the upcoming cold season though.... Uggghh. I'm hoping Brax's lungs have grown out of being so prone to infections!
One random thing I noticed recently was how many freckles he's getting all over him! Like his momma.

NEW TRICKS:

• Stays dry in his undies all night (about 90% of the time, anyway).
• Writes his name (reluctantly, and only in exchange for Skittles-one of each color).
• Tells great jokes.
• Jumps in the pool by himself.
• Great at the opposite game--"What's the opposite of...." (hot/cold, soft/hard, tall/short, loud/quiet, open/shut, wet/dry, happy/sad, new/old....)
• Attempts to brush his teeth by himself, and LOVES adult mint toothpaste-not the kid flavors!
  

FAVORITE FOODS:
Peaches, corn on the cob, pepperonis, sherbert, watermelon and cantelope, Oikos greek vanilla yogurt.

FAVORITE BOOKS:
We have started reading chapter books which he seems to follow and enjoy. He has so many books he loves, he really just loves to read anything.

FAVORITE TOYS/ACTIVITIES:
Camping! Riding his new big boy bike he got for his birthday. Swimming and jumping in. Stick hunting.

DAILY ROUTINE:
Up around 7:30, still usually naps at 1 for an hour, to bed at 8:30.

FAVORITE SONGS:
Nothing in particular right now...

DISLIKES:
He hates to have any white grown out on his fingernails/toenails. He hates hangnails, and is constantly picking at his nails if they are too long.

MOMENTS I DON'T WANT TO FORGET:

• How both the kids beg for a cheese stick as soon as we walk into the grocery store.
• When he forgot to put his kiddy toilet seat on and he fell in the potty!
• I dropped one of Harper's meat sticks on the floor right as he was walking by, he stepped and slid a little bit on it so it was mushed all over the bottom of his foot. He gagged and threw up on the floor! He also gags when Harper spits out chewed up food on her tray.
• One day at nap time he wanted to rub my face so I'd go to sleep with him. So sweet!
• Brax had been playing by himself then he went and hid in his cardboard house. I went in to see what he was doing (he was being tooooo quiet!) and he then ran up and hid in his bed. When I went to see what was wrong, he told me he had done something bad and he was scared of getting in trouble. I told him I would love him no matter what, but he had to tell the truth. He finally admitted to accidentally scratching the wood floor when he was pushing his tool box across it. (Which wasn't a big deal, considering I dropped a knife on the floor and took a chunk out of it!)
• Going to Aunt Kathi's farmhouse for 4th of July and watching Levee Town, Brax sat in a front row chair and watched intently the whole time. (Harper boogied down!)
• Brax and I watching fireworks on the lawn by the hospital, eating star shaped marshmallows.
• Nana staying with the kids while we went to Chicago.
• Grammy and Pop Pop bringing Cousin Joel here for Brax's birthday party. Then, Brax's first away-from-home-alone time for 5 nights!!!! He did great! (I did okay, too! Harper cried for him.)
• Brax and I going on our campout at Shawnee Mission Park--putting up the tent together, watching "Suessical the Musical" and eating snowcones, cotton candy ("This is the best cotton candy EVER!" he said), and popcorn together, sleeping under the stars with our makeshift ceiling fans hanging from the tent, swimming at the beach (lake) together and digging roads for his trucks in the sand. The best time!!!
  

BRAXISMS:

• One day he spontaneously decided to clean up the toys in the living room. He was so proud of himself. Harper immediately began pulling stuff back out, and he said to her, "I don't want to have to clean that up again, Harper."
• He tooted and made a skid mark... said, "It was just a little shart."
• His favorite jokes--"Why did the chicken cross the playground? To get to the other slide!" "Why don't zoo animals take tests? Because there's too many cheetahs!" "Knock knock. Who's there? Abby. Abby who? Abby stung me on the bottom!" He cracks himself up!
• He was "shooting" me with a tinker-toy gun and I said it wasn't nice to shoot mommy. He said, "I'm just spray tanning you!!" HA!
  
• At the grocery store, I gave the kids their cheese sticks and happened to open his first. He said, "I thought ladies always go first, Momma?!" Such a gentleman.
• Randomly told me one day he was ready to see Jesus. Although I'm not ready for that of course, it gave me goosebumps (in a God-is-cool-like-that kind of way!)
  

18 Month Stats

32 1/2 inches (75th %)
23 lbs 6 oz (45%)
18 month clothes
Size 5 shoe
Size 4 diaper
Got #'s S and L this month (total of 11 teeth now, still waiting on Q)

HEALTH: No issues, other than teething pain with those molars.

NEW TRICKS:

• Starting to think about pottying--will go to the potty and say, "Pee pee? Pee pee!" Will also tell us when she poops sometimes. One day we were getting ready for bath and I had just taken her diaper off. She stood next to the potty, said, "Pee pee," then proceeded to pee on the floor! I was so excited! So close!
• Can walk backwards.
• Can spin in circles. (Says "poppy, poppy, dow" meaning she wants to sing "Ring around the rosy." She's referring to the "pocket full of posies" part and falling down. She wants us to all hold hands while we do it. Too cute!)
• Great at cleaning up her toys, sometimes even without us asking.
• Knows animal sounds--cow, horse, duck, cat, dog, monkey, snake, lion, turkey. (One day she saw a Chic-Filet commercial with the cow on it and she mooed at the TV!)
• Says "NO" emphatically!
• Great at feeding herself with fork/spoon... INSISTS on doing it. Much different than Brax, who would sit there with his mouth open like a baby bird so we'd feed him till he was like 2 1/2. Ha!
• NO MORE NITE-NITE! (pacifier) Her last day with it was Sunday July 31st at naptime. She cried for it at sleep times for a couple days, then was over it. Such a big girl!
• ID's all body parts
  

VOCAB:
SO many new words!

• "pee pee," "toot," and "poo" (such a potty mouth, right?!)
• "bando" (band-aid--she LOVES band-aids)
• "up"
• "down"
• "aba" (open)
• "sut" (shut)
• "sye" (outside)
• "die" (dry, referring to blow drying her hair)
• "sim" (swim)
• "cay" (carry)
• "ky" (cry, says this when she's crying or she sees someone else cry)
• "happy" (says this over and over when she's happy about something, it's so precious)
• "funny" (says this when she laughs or hears someone else laugh)
• "dump" (jump)
• "dan" (dance)
• "sow" (show--referring to Fresh Beat Band, which she also calls "Be-Be." Does this while waving the remote at the TV!)
• "cool" and "aw man" (got these from Bubba)
• "hot" and "cold" and uses the correctly
• "see" (when she wants to look at something)
• "puss" (push) and "poo" (pull), uses them correctly
• "wy" (wipe)
• "kuh-kay" (cupcake)
• "vezzy" (veggies)
• "chassy" (chapstick, which she loves to put on)
• "my-ine" (magazine-she loves to "read" mine with me)
• "tay-oo" (thank you)
• "tsu" (chew)
• "ow" (out)
• "owie"
• "fow" (throw)
  
• "hode" (hold)
• "eh-pay" (airplane)
  
• "eye, no (nose), toe, fee (feet), knee, han (hand), chee (cheek), head, hair, neh (neck), tummy (her favorite)"
• And my favorite, "mommeeeee, mommeee, mommee!!!" She'll just randomly say it over and over. I love hearing her call for me!!!!! Or she'll just look at me and say it a few times and smile so big, or when I walk in the door she says it like she's so relieved and happy to see me. Love it.
  

FAVORITE FOODS:
Loves cheese and requests it frequently, just like big brother. Loves oatmeal, and loves feeding it to herself w/ a spoon. The only food she won't eat is peaches. Likes soy burgers and turkey sausage. Loves bananas still.

FAVORITE BOOKS:
Really starting to get into her books and remember them. Really starting to "study" them. 10 Little Babies, My Little Word Book, Stuck in the Mud (a Thomas the Train book she stole from Brax's room!), any Fancy Nancy book, Millie Moo.

FAVORITE TOYS/ACTIVITIES:

• Nothing makes the girl happier than dancing to Fresh Beat Band songs. Sings the "Go-Go," "Bananas," "Tap it Out" and "Shine" songs. Asks to dance with me ("Dan? Dan?") And nothing makes me happier than watching her shake her little booty, wave her hands around, and move her shoulders up and down.
  
• Drumming anything, still.
• Sitting next to me on the couch and reading magazines together.
• Playing "tea party" in her room.
• Jumping and looking at books on Brax's bed.
• Playing chase with Brax.
• Having her toes and nails painted.
• Jumping to me in the pool. She LOVES water.
• Stopping to smell all flowers she sees (even if it's a picture of them!).
• She LOVES her "be-be" (blankie) and would carry it with her at all times if I would let her. (I don't, because I can't stand the thought of her sleeping with a dirty Linus blanket!)
• She loves to sit on my bathroom counter and play in my makeup bag while I get ready. She'll sit there and be still the whole time! I love our "girl time."
  
• Eating. That's my girl!
  

DAILY ROUTINE:
Up around 8, one nap from 1-2:30, to bed around 7:45.

FAVORITE SONGS:
All Fresh Beat Band songs!

DISLIKES:
Brushing her teeth, still. Great for getting haircuts and also when I fix her hair though!

MOMENTS I DON'T WANT TO FORGET:

• Sometimes I'll get us a snack and she wants to sit on the kitchen rug and have a picnic together! She'll either sit next to me or want to crawl in my lap and we have a little nibble together.
• Reading magazines together.
• Dancing to FFB on TV together, she wiggles so happily and smiles and giggles--nothing better.
• The night I put her to bed and when I asked for a kiss she gave me THREE! Bonus!
• One night we were playing and I said it was bathtime. She said "done" and put her toys away then went upstairs without me even telling her to.
• How she touches her ear and looks toward a window when she hears an airplane fly overhead and says "eh-pay?"
  
• How she insists on having her toes covered when we are reading books in her rocker.
  
• One night she wanted to give me the biggest hug ever while she was in the bathtub. Of course I accepted, even though I got soaking wet. It was the greatest hug she's ever given me, and totally random.
• One night she was washing her baby doll in the tub, rocking it, and patting it on the back. Such a good little momma.
• Going to the pool after dinner.
• Playing with Cousin Joel when he came to visit-Harper loved him so much and he was so sweet to her!
• When Brax stayed a week at Grammy's, Harper pointed to his seat in the car and said, "Bubba?? Bubba?" and started crying!!! She missed him!
• How she sword fights and says "Yah! Yah!" as she swings it around.
• One time at dinner I jokingly told Mike I was feeding the lions, and Harper said, "RARRR!"
• How she walks around saying "happy happy happy!"
  

3 Yr/11 Month Stats

5T/boys size 4 clothes
Size 10 shoes

HEALTH: Had 100-101 fever for two days, no other symptoms.

NEW TRICKS:

• Gets completely dressed all by himself, puts shoes away, puts clothes in hamper.
• Gets out of bed to go pee in the morning then goes back to bed (he used to sit there and holler, "I HAVE TO PEEEEEEE!" until we came in and got him up!)

FAVORITE FOODS:
Harper out-eats him and just about every meal.

FAVORITE BOOKS:
I think I'm going to start getting him chapter books--he really follows stories/plots now and enjoys that. Starting to sound out words with help.

FAVORITE TOYS/ACTIVITIES:

• This isn't necessarily a favorite activity, but he is very accurate at hitting the baseball off his tee. If he's in the mood, he will do this over and over.
• Loves riding his bike "really fast."
• Watching Bugs Bunny (Looney Toons) and carryiing around a toy carrot saying, "What's up, Doc?"
• Manipulating his Bumblebee transformer. (I had no idea it took 19 steps for it to "transform." Seriously??!!)
• Playing w/ his Automoblox and Kid K'Nex blocks; building anything.

DAILY ROUTINE:
Up at 7-7:30 (we bought a clock that you can set to change colors at a certain time to indicate that it's okay to get out of bed! He has yet to actually stay in bed until that time--7:30--so we're working on it....) Still naps just about every day from 12:30-2ish. To bed at 8:30.

FAVORITE SONGS:
We discovered the 1996 hit "Come On Ride It" (the train song) by Quad City DJ's and Brax loves it. Or maybe I just still really love it!
I've noticed that he will sing the words to songs we listen to on his own... I'm glad we listen to KLOVE!

DISLIKES:
Time out, being woken up.

MOMENTS I DON'T WANT TO FORGET:
Our first campout!!! Saturday, June 11. The weather was PERFECT, not too hot, a little breeze. We got stuff to make smores (GIANT marshmallows) and roasted them over the grill! Brax took one bite of the chocolate, started gagging and puked on the patio. That didn't stop him though! He helped me put up our cheapy Wal-Mart tent (which surprisingly only took about 10 minutes) and we put blankets and pillows down in it. He had a blast going in and out, zipping and unzipping the door. We made popcorn and ate it in the tent while we watched a movie on my computer. Finally at about 10pm we tried to go to sleep, but at 10:30 he requested to go in to his own bed! We obliged.... hopefully next time we'll make it all night!

At Wal-Mart grocery shopping. He ALWAYS begs to go look at the trains the minute we walk in. This time, he said, "Momma, you can look at whatever you want to. I can wait to look at trains 'cause I'm a big boy now. I was just little last night [this means any time in the past tense to him] and that's why I kept asking to go to the trains. We can look at them whenever you want to...." I could not believe my ears!!! Who was this kid?! My little boy is growing up so fast.

When we went to see Cars 2. We brought snacks and got popcorn and an Icee... he was so patient waiting in line for almost an hour to get in. During the movie he was leaning against me and I had my hand on his chest. The movie was so intense and exciting I could feel his heart beating out of his chest! His little hands were shaking as he nervously picked at his finger nails... I asked him if he was okay, he said he was fine, and that he liked the movie! Guess he likes the action flicks!

BRAXISMS:

• "I'm talking to you, honey."
• "You look so pretty, Momma. Are you going out?"
• "MOMMAAAA!!!! I missed you while you were at work today!" (He says this every time I go! Almost makes going to work worth it when I see how excited he is when I walk in the door.)
• "I don't wanna get big and get married. I don't want to live with anyone else but you!" (Cute now, but I'm hoping he outgrows this...LOL!)
• He really wants to know "why" and the reasoning behind what I tell him to do or not do. He'll say "why" and when I say "because I said so," he'll will say, "NO Momma, you have to tell me WHY!!!!"
  

17 Month Stats

18 Month Clothes, Size 4 diaper, Size 5 shoes
9 teeth erupted (got #B and #I this month-upper molars-both in one week!!)

HEALTH: Other than teething, she has been fine.

NEW TRICKS:

• Runs! (speed walks, anyway)
• Feeds herself with a spoon and fork.
• Can go down the stairs forward holding onto the rail. (I still prefer the backwards-on-her-tummy method!)
• Tries to wash her hair (and Brax's).
• Wipes her tray after she eats.
• Gets Kleenexes and wipes her nose.
• Eats her food without me having to cut it up.
• Likes to sit on the potty (no action, just likes to say pee pee and sit there).
• Pours water on her face in the bathtub, also lays on both her tummy and back and kicks.
• Down to one nap.
  

NEW VOCAB:

• "be-be" (blanket)
• "buh-buh" (bubbles)
• "Bubba" (bubba/Brax)
• "buh" (bow)
• "fis" (fish)
• "mow mow" (meow-meow/cat)
• "gobba gobba" (gobble gobble/turkey)
• "baa baa" (sheep)
• "maa maa" (goat)
• "puh-puh" (purple)
• "nak" (snack)
• "kaka" (cracker and color)
• "kick" (kick)
• "gagel" (bagel)
• "gogo" (yogurt)
• "bebes" (blueberries)
• "bib"
• "sees" (cheese)
• "ga kub" (golf club)
• "fuf" (soft)
• "o-ma" (oh man!) (i'm pretty sure she is saying this and that she got it from Brax!)
• "doo doo" (noodles)
  

FAVORITE FOODS:
Just about anything still. LOVES bananas.

FAVORITE BOOKS:
My First Words, One Fish Two Fish, Goodnight Moon, 10 Little Ladybugs

FAVORITE TOYS/ACTIVITIES:

• Drumming. She LOVES to drum on anything--her drum set, pots and pans, her tray in her chair... Sister's got some rhythm! She loves to dance, too.
• Water--swimming, bathtime. She puts her face in the water, and kicks like crazy.
• Riding her trike (foot powered), especially when Brax pushes her around.
• Rolling on top of her big ball, sitting on it and bouncing.
• Flipping light switches on and off.
• Talking on the phone (whether there's anyone there or not!!)
• Snuggling her blanket. She will pull her blanket out and drag it to the couch and want to sit in your lap and snuggle (along with her nite-nite, which will be gone in the next month or two!)
• Watching Fresh Beat Band.
• Watching sports on TV and clapping whenever the fans clap.
• Coloring (then tearing up the paper).
• Playing with Brax's screwdrivers... "fixing" stuff.
  

DAILY ROUTINE:
Up at 7:30-8, breakfast. Snack at 9:30-10. Lunch at 11:30. Nap at 12-2ish. Snack at 2:30. Dinner at 5:30. Bath at 7:00. Books/to bed at 7:30.

FAVORITE SONGS:
Itsy Bitsy Spider, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, any FBB songs.

DISLIKES:
Diaper changes, brushing teeth.

MOMENTS I DON'T WANT TO FORGET:
How she does that great belly laugh when you tickle her.
How she looks at you with a really disconcerted look on her face sometimes, like she just wants a little sympathy.
Her scrunchy nose smile.
How she sits in the bath tub with her legs out in front of her and rubs her legs and kicks them really straight up and down. And then rolls over and over in the tub, playing in the water.
How she bites and head butts Brax if he gets on her nerves for too long.
How she is so relaxed in her stroller when we go for walks.
How she walks with her hands out behind her sometimes.
How she plays peek-a-boo with herself in her crib when she wakes up, putting blankets on her head and pulling them off.

3 Yr/10 Month Stats

35 Lbs.
42 1/2 inches tall
5t shirts, 4t shorts. Can wear boys size 4/small stuff too.
Size 10 shoe.

HEALTH: 5/8-noticed his left ear was bleeding and very smelly. 5/13-woke up crying at night, ear bleeding again. Started ear drops. Stuffy nose, up all night the next night. 5/15-to urgent care, ear bleeding a lot. Dx ear infection, started Augmentin.

NEW TRICKS:

• So confident on his bike now!
• Does "exercises" on his big ball.
• Takes dishes to the sink w/out being told. (Most of the time!)

MOMENTS I DON'T WANT TO FORGET:
Trip to Cali. Brax was such a great traveler, and a big help. He slept on the plane quite a bit, and rode on the stroller while helping me hold the bags and carseat on it as well! It was actually really fun traveling with him. The best day ever was when we went to San Francisco to spend the day with my friend Vanessa. We packed alot of fun in that one day, and I would say that besides the day he was born, it was my favorite day with my little guy!

The day he hid a box of diapers in his cardboard house when I brought them in from the store. I had no idea. I went back to the store thinking I was crazy and had left them there! A couple days later they reappeared, and that's when he finally told me he had hidden them. He thought it was hilarious.

BRAXISMS:

• Said the bird feeder must have peanut butter in it because the birds haven't eaten any.
• Talking about a girl at school-"She is a dumb girl and talks too much at circle time."
• Spilled his milk on the carpet as he was carrying it to the sink. Quickly said he was sorry and that he wanted to unspill it. So sweet. I was glad I didn't get mad at him!
• Touched the rail the garage door slides up and down on, got grease on his hand. Started dry heaving when he showed it to me, then puked in the driveway. I couldn't quit laughing!
• Called me "sweet girl" one night as I was tucking him in.
• Saw a picture of Harper when she was a little baby-asked if that was "our old baby."
  

16 Month Stats

Didn't weigh/measure this month.
18 month clothes, Size 4/5 shoes, Size 4 diapers.
7 teeth-got #N while we were in California

HEALTH: Twice this month Harper woke up a few nights crying. I think it was teeth or just a cold. One day she had a 101.7 fever, then 3 days later broke out it a bad rash all over her neck/trunk area. I think it was rosceola. Not much to do about it but ride it out, it lasted 3 days or so.

NEW TRICKS:

• Feeds her babies
• Will lay down for a diaper change when instructed to do so.
• Will sometimes cooperate for tooth brushing.
• Puts her diaper in the trash.
• Getting great at walking.
• No longer takes a bottle as of May 5. She pretty much weaned herself.
  

NEW VOCAB:

• Says "ahhh" after every sip.
• "Minna?" (This translates into "what's that?" Don't know where she got it, but she consistently says it with a question mark when she points at something.)
• "gobba gobba" (what a turkey says)
• "bumpy" (about the avacado we were inspecting at the store)
• "key"
• "nak" (snack)
• "hat"

FAVORITE FOODS:
Anything. Just like momma! Eats a waffle and blueberries every morning, LOVES bananas, yogurt, meat sticks, ANY veggies...

FAVORITE BOOKS:
10 Little Babies, My First Word Book, 10 Little Ladybugs.

FAVORITE TOYS/ACTIVITIES:

• Drawing on the doodle pro.
• Hanging her washcloth on the hook in the bathtub.
• Pushing her stroller.
• Riding her tricycle (especially when Brax pushes her)

DAILY ROUTINE:
Up at 7:30-8, breakfast. Still transitioning between one and two naps, so every day is a little different! To bed at 7:30.

FAVORITE SONGS:
Still loves her Fresh Beat Band and any music. Waves her arms around, bobs up and down.

DISLIKES:
Diaper changes, teeth brushing.

MOMENTS I DON'T WANT TO FORGET:
Her last bottle. Thursday, May 5, I gave her a bottle at bed time (we had cut out the bottle at nap time last month.) She was only taking a few ounces, so I knew the time was coming! I tried holding her "like a baby" and feeding her her bottle, wanting to savor the moment knowing it was probably the last, but she was just so over it! She pushed it away and wanted to read books. Although I was a little sad, I was so proud of her! The next night we went out and had a babysitter that put her to bed, and she didn't take ANY of the bottle from her. So I took that as our cue to get rid of them completely. And that was that!

Our trip to California. She was a little high maintenance with the mommy-attachment. The only other person she would go to (in my presence, anyway) was my step-mom. Other than that, she was great! She slept well and pretty much stayed on our time. She LOVED the beach! It was cool and rainy but it didn't phase Harper! She enjoyed playing in the sand.

3 Year/9 Month Stats

Size 4 boys or 5T clothes
Size 10 shoe

HEALTH: Yayyyy! No sickies! Could it be, after EIGHT bouts of respiratory illness this past fall/winter, we are FINALLY out of "cold season???"

NEW TRICKS:

• Balancing on one foot for extended periods of time.
• Swim lessons--doing good floating on his back and jumping in with help, puts his face in with no hesitation.
• Helps dry pots and pans after I wash them.
• Getting good at coloring.

FAVORITE FOODS: Must have had a growth spurt--eating more than usual. 2 packets of oatmeal in the morning!


FAVORITE BOOKS: We re-read his whole Storybook Bible again. He asked for it every time we would read before naps/bedtime, and he really got into the stories. It is an awesome book for 3+ year olds.


FAVORITE TOYS/ACTIVITIES: Doctoring Harper with his doctor kit, riding his bike, spraying with spray bottles, filling his dump truck with stuff, filling his Thomas freight cars with stuff, playing with play food and making "meals."

DAILY ROUTINE: Up at 7:15-7:30ish, can go without a nap (but still usually takes one from 1-3ish), to bed at 8.

FAVORITE SONGS: "Loud boy songs" he says.

DISLIKES: Time out, sharing with Harper, eating.

MOMENTS I DON'T WANT TO FORGET:

• Went and got a burp cloth and wiped Harper's tears (w/out me asking!) when she was upset one day.
• When I go in to get him up in the morning, he feels my shirt and tries to see what I'm wearing (the lights are still off) to see if I have on my "work shirt" or if I'm wearing "stay home" clothes.
• How his favorite color is "lellow" right now.
• Tucking him in one night, he wanted to know how you get to heaven. (Not in the spiritual sense, but physically. He doesn't understand that your body stays here and it's your soul that goes... so I just went with it. I told him angels come and get you and you ride on their backs and fly up to heaven.)
• One morning at breakfast I could see his wheels turning. He looked at me quizzically and asked, "So God let Jesus die for our sins so we could go to heaven? He let that happen?" I was amazed at his grasp of the Truth.
  
• We were laying in his bed and he kicked off the blankets. Then he reached down and pulled them back up over me! So sweet.
• How he was running through the yard with his Buzz Lightyear toy hollering in his "superhero voice, "TO INFINITY AND BEYOOOOOND!"
• Our new bath routine--usually we bathe them together, then Mike finishes Brax up (drying off, brushing teeth, getting jammies on) while I put Harper down. Then I go in and read to Brax and tuck him in.
• Going to see "Hop" at the movies, going to the zoo (even if it was a flop), Nana and Papa T coming to visit, Grammy and Pop Pop coming to visit, going to Tulsa.
  

BRAXISMS:

• At the mall... Pointed out that "some girls have fat tummies." Nice.
• I asked him what his favorite part of swim lessons was--he said, "Drying off."
• Told me he called Jesus to ask Him to help put his shoes on.
• Always says, "Mom! Check this out!" or "Let's go check that out!"
• Says, "SWEET!" when he really likes something.
  
• Brax bumped his head on my front tooth one day, which hurt us both. I thought I might be able to distract him from his own pain if I could get him to care about my poor tooth. He wailed, "I DON'T CARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
• Took a toy with him to go pee. He came out and said, "I dropped it in the potty!!!" When I responded with disgust, he goes, "I'm just teasing!!!! That was so funny it cracked me up!"
• I was putting his jeans on him and he said, "We gotta be sure and zip 'em." I agreed, then he added, "So the horse doesn't get out!" I could not stop laughing. I asked him where he heard that and he told me that Grandpa Russ told him to zip his pants so the horse doesn't get out of the barn door! Hilarious!
  

15 Month Stats

HT/WT/TOOTH COUNT: 22 lbs., 4 oz. (50th %) 31 1/4 inches (77th %). Size 4 diapers, 18-24 month clothes, size 5 shoes.

HEALTH: No problems.

NEW TRICKS:

• Wednesday, April 6, at 6:30 (thank goodness it was after I got home from work!) Harper took her FIRST STEPS! We were playing on the living room floor and she just decided to stand up, then took a few steps! She didn't do it much the next few days, she still would rather speed-crawl, but by the next week she was walking more and more. Two weeks later, she was walking across the room by herself.
  
• ID's hair, head, hand, eyes, ears, nose (says "beep beep" every time!), teeth, tongue, hand, socks, shoes, feet, legs.
• Puts her head under the faucet in the bathtub, puts her face in the pool
• Stacks blocks.
• "Plays" Connect 4 (likes putting the pieces in the holder thing)
• Puts garbage in the trashcan on command.
• Told me she pooped one day!
• Has major separation anxiety from me. I can't leave her sight without her crying.
  

NEW VOCAB:

• "wa-wa" (water)
• "ace" (Jace, our neighbor)
• "ay" (eye)
• "duh" (all done, w/ sign)
• "muh" (more, w/ sign)
• "nana" (banana and Nana)
• "fos" (flowers)
• "fafa" (waffle)
• "papa" (always said in a whisper for some reason, for Papa and Pop Pop)
• "poo" (yes, poop)
• "soos" (shoes)
• "buh buh" (bye bye)
• "die die die" (itsy bitsy spider, done w/ hand motions for song)
• "boo" (peek-a-boo, book)
• "ba" (bath)

FAVORITE FOODS: Loves everything!

FAVORITE BOOKS:

• Rainbow Rob--LOVES the page with the orange orangatan waving his hand. She will sit and wave at him as long as I'll let her, or gives him kisses or high fives.

• Itsy Bitsy Spider--Loves the page where the spider falls down. Everytime we see that page she says, "Die die die UH OH!" (I always say, "The spider fell down! Uh Oh!) She also loves the page where he lands by three birds and has a scared look on his face--she makes a scared face and screeches.
• Baby Cakes--She loves the parts where the baby plays patty-cake and peek-a-boo.

FAVORITE TOYS/ACTIVITIES: Watching Fresh Beat Band, playing in water, playing catch, wearing necklaces, pushing her baby stroller, riding her trike while Brax pushes her, climbing anything.

DAILY ROUTINE: Up around 8, eats breakfast (Kashi waffle, blueberries, banana), snack at 10, bottle/nap 11:30-1, then lunch (OR bottle/nap from 9:30-11, then lunch, then bottle/nap at 1:30)... snack at 3ish, dinner at 5:30ish, bath/books/bottle at 7, to bed by 7:45. (I really need to cut out the bottles-she sometimes skips them before nap, but I haven't really pushed the issue. She drinks out of sippies just fine, so that's not a problem. I will totally admit that I'm simply not ready to let go of my baby yet!!!!!)

FAVORITE SONGS: The Itsy Bitsy Spider, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, anything by The Fresh Beat Band or Black Eyed Peas... She LOVES to dance!

DISLIKES: Getting out of the bathtub, brushing her teeth, and changing her diaper. She throws a royal fit.

MOMENTS I DON'T WANT TO FORGET:

• Seeing Harper take her first steps across the living room floor!
  
• Bit Brax one day when he was antagonizing her. Not a very nice thing to do, but sometimes he deserves it! She went right for his belly.
• She was crawling on the concrete and tripped over her hand, falling face first and chipping her front tooth (#E). I took her to the DDS the next day and he smoothed it off so you can't really tell. It wasn't too bad, it didn't bleed or get loose.
• I just love how she snuggles into my chest as we rock before bed.
• Our new bath routine--usually we bathe them together, then Mike finishes Brax up (drying off, brushing teeth, getting jammies on) while I put Harper down. Then I go in and read to Brax and tuck him in.
  

14 Month Stats

31 3/4 Inches
22.8 Lbs
18 Month spring/summer clothes, size 5 shoes, size 4 diapers
Tooth eruption seems to have halted-holding steady with 4 on top, 2 centrals on bottom

HEALTH: No problems.

NEW TRICKS:

• On Friday, 3/4, Harper just decided she could stand up! She pushes up on her hands and feet, then pops up and looks so proud of herself!! She kept doing this over and over that day. She did it for a few days, but now she acts like she's over it.
  
• Starting to enjoy walking holding onto our fingers. Also likes pushing her stroller around and can maneuver it around stuff.
• Can eat with a fork.
• Puts her finger to her mouth and says, "Shhhhhh."
• Pushes toys over to the couch and climbs up.
• Can climb up on the couch by herself (and the gate, and the drawer under the oven...)
  
• Identifies her ears, nose, hair, feet, belly button, and hands by pointing when we ask.
• Does okay only taking one nap some days.
• Drinks out of a straw.
• Tries to put her socks on and take her shirts off.
• Tries to wash her hair.
• BITES!
• Walks on her knees. I think she's afraid that the minute she tries to walk for real Brax will barrel over her!
  

NEW VOCAB:

• "hi"
• "gog" (dog)
• "bo" (boat)
  

FAVORITE FOODS:
Bananas, avacado, bread, mandarin oranges, waffles, meat sticks, cheese, noodles, frozen peas, broccoli... Honestly, I have yet to find anything this girl DOESN'T like! Like mother, like daughter...

FAVORITE BOOKS:
She is starting to actually sit still while we read books. She likes to sit in my lap facing me with the book to our side (instead of with her back against me with the book in front of us) and she watches my face as I read, glancing at the book from time to time. Funny.

FAVORITE TOYS/ACTIVITIES:

• Hands down, her favorite thing to do right now is to take a bath with her Bubba. As soon as we all start heading upstairs in the evening she starts screeching and kicking her legs. I put her in her crib while I get stuff ready and Brax runs out into the hallway, into our room, then sprints back to her crib and they both crack up. They don't really play together in the bathtub, but for whatever reason, she LOVES it.
• In the bath, she always wants me to put the washcloth on her back. She tries to get it back there herself which is funny!
  
• Eating. As soon as she sees food, she starts saying, "NUM NUM NUM NUM!" You can't eat in front of her without sharing!
• Singing/signing the songs "I'm a Little Teapot" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider" after she gets out of the bath. She likes watching ourselves as we do it in the mirror.
• Sitting in things-toyboxes, drawers...
  
• Wearing any kind of glasses or goggles.
• Drawing on the Doodle-Pro.
• Pushing her stroller.
• Wearing Brax's "pit pass" lanyard.
• Putting on chapstick or pretend lipstick, combing her hair.
  

DAILY ROUTINE:
I LOVE WHEN DAYLIGHT SAVINGS ENDS!!! Basically, her entire routine shifted an hour later, which is great. Also, she is transitioning to one nap. It's not set in stone, but for the most part, if we want to get out and do something in the mornings then she is fine to hold off awhile and just do one nap. However, if we are just sitting at home, she makes it clear that she wants both naps!
7:30ish Up
7:45 Breakfast
*If we get out and do something, she can hold off until 12 at the latest for one long nap. Otherwise, she is ready to go down at 10ish for an hour or so.
*If we only do one nap, she has a snack around 9:30, then lunch at 11:00.
If we do two naps, her bottle is her snack and we do lunch at 11:45. 2nd nap is at 2ish.
Dinner at 5:30-6.
Up to bath at 7ish, to bed by 7:45.

FAVORITE SONGS:
Likes The Black Eyed Peas!

DISLIKES:
Having her diaper changed (this evokes a full-on tantrum sometimes), getting out of the bathtub, having her teeth brushed. Being told "no"--she gives you this sad face and whimpers, it's so cute!

MOMENTS I DON'T WANT TO FORGET:

• How she likes to cuddle against my chest at sleep times... When we're rocking, she turns around and faces me and tucks her little hands under her then lays her head on my chest. Sometimes she'll coo and sing and giggle, like she is just so happy to snuggle like that. I love it! I sniff her fluffy hair, and I feel like I just can't hold her enough!
• When we visited Nana this month, Harper loved Charlie. As soon as we got there, she was crawling around chasing him, "barking" at him. (It was a really quiet "woof woof" sound, like a whisper bark!!) So cute.
• How she makes a really awful noise while she eats. Like an engine hum sort of... the entire time she's eating. It's so annoying it's cute!
  

3 Yr/8 Month Stats

HEALTH: We almost made it through the month with no respiratory problems, but the last week of March he got it again (#8!). Controlled with breathing treatments.

NEW TRICKS:

• Knows the sounds of most of the letters of the alphabet.
• Identifies single digit numbers.
• Gets dressed by himself.
• Becoming very imaginative.
• Developing a sense of humor, tries to joke with me. (He'll put a ball of food in his cheek and with a funny, fake-confused look on his face ask, "What is this bump in my cheek??!!" Or he'll make a noise and say, "I think there's someone at the door, Mommy!")
• Knows what it means to feel embarrassed (which makes me kind of sad!)--I'll tell him to do something silly and he'll say, "But they'll laugh at me." I guess he doesn't understand the difference between being laughed at and laughed with yet.
  

FAVORITE FOODS:
Mealtimes are my least favorite time... he has to be reminded to continuously take bites! The boy just has better things to do than eat right now, but he is a beanpole so I battle this! He would eat crackers and cheese all day if I let him, but I try to get some protein in there too. He still despises peanut butter, bananas, and peas. He does love grilled cheese sandwiches and oatmeal squares cereal.

FAVORITE BOOKS:
His Thomas storybook Daddy found for him at Sam's--it's 6 books in one and has 24 different stories!

FAVORITE TOYS/ACTIVITIES:
Playing trains--specifically, he likes loading different types of "cargo" into the cars (beans, rocks, Nerf darts, small plastic animals, food--pretzels, fruit snacks, cereal, crackers...) and he recites stories from his books verbatim while he plays. He also loves to ride his bike, and is getting very excited about being able to play outdoors.

DAILY ROUTINE:
Up at 7:15-7:45, usually a nap at 1, to bed at 8. (Staying dry most every night now but I still keep him in a pull-up overnight.)

FAVORITE SONGS:
Likes "fast" songs. Listens carefully to the words when we're in the car, asking me what the song is about. Makes me realize what a negative influence mainstream music could be on kids. We only listen to K-LOVE!

DISLIKES:
Stopping to eat.

MOMENTS I DON'T WANT TO FORGET:

• Fun things we did this month--the KC Auto show (which he wasn't all that impressed with), spring break (we went to Nana's for 4 days-he kept saying how much fun he was having, Miss Noelle took them to a playgroup and the library, he had a date-day with Aunt Kathi and they went to the movies, and I took them to see a puppet show), the Train Expo (not as cool as what I expected, but he approved), going to see Toy Story 3 on Ice with our friends Miss Jen and her daughter Delanie, and Parents as Teachers' BlockFest.
  

BRAXISMS:

• Upon waking, "I can't go to school today, I've got gopher breath."
• I told him I was tired of reminding him to take bites at breakfast. He said, "You should go back to bed then."
• I was picking at my face in the mirror while he was in the bathtub. He asked if I was popping a zit, then said, "I wanna eat a zit." Appalled, I asked him to clarify. He explained, "You know, the zits that are orange and squares and have a little whole in the middle..." (He meant Cheez-Its!!!!)
• I asked him what I do all day. He answered, "You just love on me and play with me." I was so happy to hear that I almost cried! I had spent the day before cleaning, doing laundry, and grocery shopping so I figured he would say I clean all the time!!
• I came home from work one day and plopped down on the couch. Brax looked at me and said, "Mommy, what are you doing??!! You can't sit down!"
  

13 Month Stats

31 Inches
22 Lbs
Size 4 diapers, still fits in 12 month clothes but can wear 18 months too, size 3 shoes.

TEETH:

6 Teeth (This month she got E the 2nd week, then was sick for 2 weeks and the eruption halted. In the fourth week, she got D in.)

HEALTH: Got her first real bout of illness this month. Sunday, 2/13, she woke up just a couple hours after I put her down and was up most of the night with a fever and crying. She would sleep for a few minutes while I held her, but finally at 4am I just couldn't let her suffer any longer and I took her to Children's Mercy Urgent Care. Bless her heart, she was just so tired, but still whimpering. It didn't take but 30 seconds for them to check her ears and confirm a double ear infection.
Early on Sunday, I had decided to take off Monday because I had a bad cough. Then, I had taken NyQuil and Mucinex right before I went to be and was extremely loopy. I don't even remember the route we took to get back home from the hospital... Scary!
Thank goodness I was able to stay home Monday-all Harper wanted was for me to hold her. When we got home in the morning (6:30ish?) I fed her a bottle and put her back down-she was exhausted. She slept for about an hour and a half, then wanted me to hold her more. I was SO thankful Miss Noelle was here to help with Brax so I could give all my attention to Harper. While Noelle took Brax to school and filled Harper's script, we just laid on the couch and watched Fresh Beat Band and she fell asleep on my chest. It was just one of those precious moments I'll never forget. It was a wonderful Valentine's Day-to be able to "make it all better" for my girl.

NEW TRICKS:

• Tries to sing "E-I-E-I-O" when I sing Old McDonald.
• Gets on and off her zebra and rocking horse by herself; stands up on rocking horse.
• Cruises from one piece of furniture to the next.
• ALWAYS takes off her diaper if I don't have clothes on her. Brax NEVER did this... I am horrified at the thought of coming in her room to find her playing in poop during a nap.
• Points at everything. Wants to be held and navigate around the room while I name things.
• Throws tantrums--full blown flailing on the ground (while checking to see if we're watching) fits. Squeezes her eyes shut really tight as if to try and get out as many tears as possible.
• Drinks whole milk. (Cold out of sippy w/ meals, but I still warm it just a tad for bottles at sleep times... we are working on getting out of that habit!) Still using up last can of formula on her night time bottle. At first I mixed milk and formula to ease her into it, but after about 2 weeks she was on straight milk.
  
• "Shares" food and toys--likes to hand me things or give me bites.
• Tries to blow her nose if I hand her a tissue.
• I can't remember the last time she sucked her thumb. It's been months, it seems. She loves her "ni-nite" (paci) now though! I am relieved that she quit the thumb all on her own-it's easy to take away ni-nites! (I won't do that till 18 months, though)
• Jabbering alot more, becoming much more vocal.

NEW VOCAB:

• no
  
• Bubba (Brax)
  
• ca (car)
  
• pi-ty (pretty)

FAVORITE FOODS:
Likes pretty much anything! She always has a Kashi waffle and blueberries for breakfast. Still eats alot of Gerber meatsticks, but also LOVES rotisserie chicken from the deli! Also--YoBaby yogurt, diced frozen fruit (I get the bag of Dole diced strawberries/peaches/bananas), steamed broccoli and cauliflower (she INHALES this--I can't believe how much she loves it). Still LOVES noodles and veggies.

FAVORITE BOOKS:
She really enjoys looking at books on her own in the living room, but when I go to read her stories at sleep times she is really antsy. (I think it's because I still feed her a bottle at that time--she'd rather drink her bottle and go to bed). Her favorite book to "read" on her own is Millie Moo.

FAVORITE TOYS/ACTIVITIES:
Sitting her toy boxes, in the junk drawer; playing in the corner with her play food (she crawls into the picnic basket.)

DAILY ROUTINE:
Up at 6:30-7, breakfast
8:45 6oz bottle, to bed
**Not always taking great naps. Sometimes they're each only 30-45 minutes, but then some days they're each an hour and a half...
11 or 11:30 lunch
12:45 6oz bottle, to bed
2:30 or 3 snack
5ish dinner
6ish bathtime
6:30 6 oz bottle, to bed

FAVORITE SONGS:
Loves loves loves to dance, to anything! Especially loves The Fresh Beat Band on Nick Jr.! Dances every time they sing a song.

DISLIKES:
Getting out of the bathtub (especially if Brax is in there with her) and laying down to have her diaper changed. Also gets mad when we tell her "no."

MOMENTS I DON'T WANT TO FORGET:

• Her first birthday party was so fun. I so enjoyed planning it--we did a "LoveBug" (ladybug/Valentine's) theme. Harper loved every minute of it!
• Saturday 2/12. We had "a moment" while I was feeding her her bedtime bottle. By "moment," I really just mean that I took a second to really soak up the sweetness of my not-so-baby baby. I am guilty of always being in a hurry, but every now and then I remind myself to slow down and appreciate the moment for what it is. Nothing spectacular or out of the ordinary happened in this "moment." It was simply Harper and I rocking in the dark... her guzzling her bottle while I kissed on her sweet face, sniffed her Baby Magic smelling hair, whispered, "Love my baby" over and over... I want my future self to know that although life sped by, I really did stop and smell the roses sometimes.
• Laying on the couch the day she was sick while she slept on my chest. She hasn't slept like this since she was probably 2 months old, so I was savoring it! It made me feel so good to be able to make her feel better just by being there to hold her. Hands down, that is the BEST part of being a mom. (Conversely, the HARDEST part of being a mom is when you CAN'T make it all better!)
  

3 Yr/7 Mo Stats

HEALTH: Ugghhh! It's been a rough month. The day of Harper's 1st birthday party, Brax woke up from his nap feeling bad, and by night time, he had a 101.2 fever with coughing. (This was round 6 of respiratory illness since October...) Usually his cough is the lone symptom, and is controlled with the addition of Xoponex breathing treatments. This time hit him a bit harder. He had the low grade fever all week, so his asthma doc gave us a round of Prednisone. That helped for awhile, but the cough and yucky nose came back about 10 days later. We then started on 2 weeks of Augmentin for a suspected sinus infection, and have been instructed to continue his Pulmicort breathing tx's twice a day through mid-March (instead of once a day as maintenance).

NEW TRICKS:

• This has been a big month in the way of Brax's independence!!! We had parent-teacher meetings the beginning of the month and she told me he needed to be putting his jacket and shoes on by himself. I am very guilty of rushing out the door and doing these tasks for him just to go faster. After some candy-corn bribery, Brax willingly mastered the jobs (as well as socks!) within a day or two. (I swore I'd never bribe my kids, period. Much less bribe them with CANDY.)
• He has also mastered getting undressed AND dressed by himself! (Not always perfectly, but the effort is there!)
• In the past, I've always helped get situated when he has to go "#2," (putting the potty seat on, helping get up there) but now he insists that he will do it by himself and says, "Leave me in privacy, Mom!" I still do the clean-up, though!!!! (One thing I won't miss!)
• LOVES to ride down the "big" hill on our street on his bike at full speed. He refused to do this last summer-he was so scared! Now he says he's brave and boy, is he. He doesn't even touch the brakes on the way down.
• Making himself burp, and also making himself gag when he decides he doesn't want to eat anymore dinner. Charming.
  

FAVORITE FOODS:
A new favorite--toasted raviolis. Also decided that he likes cherry tomatoes (he used to hate them.) Also likes Cutie Oranges, especially peeling them!

FAVORITE BOOKS:
After a brief rendezvous with Lightning McQueen, he has rekindled his love for all things Thomas, especially the story books. He likes to reenact the plots with his real trains. It amazes me how he can quote parts of the books, verbatim!

FAVORITE TOYS/ACTIVITIES:
Playing with his Trackmaster Thomas set. (These are the motorized Thomas trains on the bigger tracks.) Also likes pushing Harper's push-toys around the house pretending to "mow" the carpet. Has an affinity for squishing Harper's cheeks, regardless of how many times I tell him not to.

DAILY ROUTINE:
Same. Can skip nap every now and then and still be tolerable.

FAVORITE SONGS:
Frequently requests "fast" songs.

DISLIKES:
Eating food. This is not to be confused with eating snack, which means any of the foods on the bottom shelf of the pantry (crackers, granola bars, etc.). "Food" translates into any meal that has nutritional value that I actually put effort into preparing. Sometimes I will tell him to come eat and he actually asks, "Is it snack or food? I don't want food, I want snack."

MOMENTS I DON'T WANT TO FORGET:

• The first time he told me, "I DON'T LIKE YOU!" (Feb. 8). I had put him in time-out for something. I'm sure this won't be the last time I hear it! However, someone once told me that if your child says they don't like you, then you are doing your job.
• Conversely, on Feb. 12, he said, "I love you, Momma. You are my BEST FRIEND." Redemption. Sweet redemption.
• We were decorating our little tree for Valentine's Day. I pulled out some little glass heart ornaments and warned him that they were fragile... to be very careful not to drop them. Who drops one??? ME! He said, "It's no biggy, Momma! It was an accident. We'll just clean it up." I wondered, would I have been so gracious if he had been the one to break it? Sweet boy.
• One day I went in to wake him from his nap. I was just rubbing his face to wake him gently, and he started smiling before he opened his eyes. He was so peaceful and happy.
  

BRAXISMS:

• "That's HILAROUS!"
• One day he told Harper she looked pretty and that he wanted to marry her.
• "I like the ingredients in this food." (I don't remember what it was, though! Probably snack!)
• One day I was struggling with Harper during a diaper change. I guess he sensed my frustration, because I looked up and he was standing there with his pants around his ankles! I couldn't help but laugh, and when I asked him what he was doing, he said, "Just being silly!!!!!"
• One day I had gone upstairs to put Harper down while he was eating at the table. I heard him doing something and when I hollered down to ask him what he was up to, he answered, "I was putting my plate by the sink! I told you I could do it myself!" (I didn't even ask him to do this!!)
• It was bath time and I was making treats for Harper's party. I told him he could have one marshmallow if he would go upstairs for bath with Daddy with a happy attitude. He kept fussing about it while I kept negotiating (I broke Parenting Rule #1--It's not a negotiation.) I said, "Brax, if I give you this marshmallow, do you agree to go take a bath without whining?" He answered, in true master negotiator form, "Yes, I agree..................to have the marshmallow."
  
• We are working on not talking back and being respectful. He always retorts that I'm the one being "disrespectABLE" when I'm getting on to him.

ONE YEAR STATS!

31 Inches

21.8 Lbs

Size 4 diaper, 12 month clothes, Size 3 shoes

TEETH:

4 teeth erupted in one month! (Got F, then O then G, then P-one each week. D and E are bubbling under the surface!)

HEALTH:

No sickness this month, just lots of teething symptoms! Ouch! She eats teething tablets like candy! Two nights before she got her first tooth (which was on 1/12), she was up most of the night

NEW TRICKS:

· CLIMBING! Stairs, the fireplace, into her toybox, Brax’s train table… Also quickly picked up on going down the stairs and fireplace backwards.

· Waves hi and bye.

· “Shares” things—food, toys—will hand them to me.

· Is able to stand by herself for a few seconds, but only does this when she doesn’t realize what she’s doing! Otherwise she only likes to walk holding on to furniture. Not into walking holding hands. Will walk pushing her toy stroller sometimes. Would rather speed-crawl!

· Blows kisses—so cute!

· She graduated to a “big girl” carseat—taking over Brax’s convertible seat and moving him up to a combo booster.

VOCAB:

· First real word (besides “momma” and “dada”) was “uh-oh” as she drops stuff on purpose.

· 2^nd word was “baby,” VERY clearly and purposefully! She will hold her babies and rock them, saying, “baby.”

· Says “ni-ni” very deliberately (we call her paci’s “nite nites” because she usually only has them in bed)

· “gagga”=dog

· “num-num-num”=when eating

· “no”=(obviously)

· Signs more, please, and all done

· Will point to lights on command

NEW/FAVORITE FOODS:

Loves Kashi waffles for breakfast, with cut up blueberries. Also likes YoBaby vanilla yogurt. Gerber meat sticks, frozen peas, well cooked cauliflower, any pasta…

Tried scrambled eggs and liked them, but woke up with a rash all over the next day.

FAVORITE TOYS/ACTIVITIES:

· Her pink and purple plastic purse. Especially loves the little coin purse with stuffed coins.

· Climbing into her toybox. She will sit there for 30 minutes just playing!

· Climbing on the fireplace, then leaning over to push the buttons on her playhouse to play music, then she sits up and dances on the fireplace.

· Playing “catch” with my Bender Ball (this is the most action this ball ever sees). She gets so excited and proud of herself when she throws the ball.

· Likes to scribble on the DoodlePro thing, and then chew on the writer. (We can’t do crayons or paint yet because she eats it!)

THINGS I DON’T WANT TO FORGET:

· I came home from work one day and Noelle said that as soon as Harper heard the garage door open, she booked it toward the door. When I walked in, Noelle was holding her and she was kicking, so excited, and said, “MA!”

· How she loves (and so do I) for me to hold her and say, “Love my baby… Love my baby…” We do this all day long! She will hold her babies and rock them, too.

· How every single time I remove the tray from her highchair, she digs in the pocket of her bib looking for food she dropped!

· How she will stand up holding onto the rail of her crib, then let go and stand for a second before plopping down on her bottom and giggling.

· How she does the sweetest belly laugh when you tickle her.

· Her “scrunchy face.”

· How, on the night she was up all night with her teeth hurting, all she wanted was her momma

· Her last ride in her infant carrier (to Babies R Us to buy a new one!)

3 Yr/6 Mo Stats

41 3/4 Inches

32 Lbs

4T clothes, Size 9 1/2 shoe

HEALTH:

Round 5 of respiratory infection. No biggy.

Almost had another ER trip when he was climbing on the back of Harper’s chair and pulled it over on top of himself (with her in it, no less!) Only minor bruises on his shin! Whew!

NEW TRICKS:

· Learning the states with his Lightning McQueen vitamins and his US map placemat. Every morning we put his two Lightning vitamins on a state and then “drive “ them back home to Kansas. Knows California, Texas, Oklahoma, New York, Nevada, Montana and Missouri.

· Can ID all the letters of the alphabet, and knows some of their phonetics.

· Counts objects accurately.

· Stays dry all night, sometimes even waking himself to go potty (but won’t get out of bed—he yells, “I HAVE TO PEEEEEEEEEEE!” till we come get him! I keep telling him he’s not locked in his room anymore!)

· Loves riding in his big kid booster carseat.

· Draws stick people.

FAVORITE TOYS/ACTIVITIES:

· Sitting in Harper’s crib and “reading” to her.

· Thinks it’s HILARIOUS to blow me a kiss and then I “miss” it and it hits me in the forehead. He always says, “Momma, I’ll blow you a kiss and don’t catch it!” The harder I pretend that it hits me, the funnier he thinks it is!

· Playing with his dog puppet. He likes to stuff things where your hand is supposed to go and pretend like it’s eating.

· Loves ice water.

· Loves playing with one of Harper’s dolls, the one that is “life-like.” Sometimes he’s really sweet to it, like tucking it in to bed or feeding it, and sometimes he’s tossing it around and beating it with a golf club….

THINGS I WANT TO REMEMBER:

How when I get him up in the morning, I sit on the end of his bed and he curls up in my lap and we snuggle for a few minutes. He always asks, “What day is this?” wanting to know if it’s a school day and if Miss Noelle is coming.

BRAXISMS:

· Tucking him in one night, he said, “Oh Mom, I love you.” I said, “I love you too!” He said, “That’s GREAT!”

· Randomly (and often) says, “This is RIDICULOUS!” or “Are you kidding me??”

· “Mom! A new Lightning is coming to the movies! I’m so exciting [excited]! I can’t WAIT!”

· “I need some Momma love.”

· Mad at me for something-“We need to TALK.”

· I had gotten ready (and by ready I mean I was wearing something besides sweats, no makeup and a ponytail). When I went in to get him out of bed, the first thing he said was, “You look pretty!” and it was still dark in his room! Such a charmer. Then he said, “Let’s go see what Daddy thinks about it.”

· He had made Harper cry so he said “sorry.” When I went on to get onto him about being rough with her, he said, “Didn’t you hear me say I was sorry??”

· In Harper’s crib with her, “reading” her a book. She was romping around and he said in his sternest voice, “Harper, do you want me to leave? No? Then be still.” (This is what I say to him at night when I’m laying with him and he won’t lay still!)

· I was lecturing him on “treating Harper how YOU want to be treated…” He says, “But I LIKE to play rough!”

· Mike was having a talk to him (probably about being rough with his sister) and Brax obviously wanted to change the subject. He told Daddy, “I need to scratch my bottom.”

· We were sitting at dinner one night and Brax said, “You are such a good mommy!”

11 Months Stats

11 MONTHS
(Do you think she's tired of posing yet?)

30 1/2 Inches
21.2 Lbs.
12 month clothes, Size 3 shoe, Size 4 diaper
No teeth yet, but it looks like #'s D, E, F and G will be first (and all at the same time!)
They are bulging under the tissue.

HEALTH: Head cold/cough #2.

NEW TRICKS:

• After a short round of baby boot camp the first week of December, Harper is back to sleeping solidly for about 12 hours every night.
• Balances up on knees, bounces up and down.
• Sometimes stands alone for a few seconds, until she realizes what she's doing!
• "Talks" on her toy phones.
• Hugs and rocks her babies.
• Makes "scrunchy face" all the time.
• Initiates a game of peek-a-boo with anyone who looks at her.
• Speed-demon crawler.
• Sits in a "hurdler" pose all the time, with one leg bent and the other straight in front of her.
• Can drink out of a Dixie cup (spills a little, but can do it)
• We think she's said a few words, but just randomly... "uh oh" when she throws stuff off her high chair, "eye" (and points to eyes)...
• She has pretty much stopped sucking her thumb. Every now and then she'll pop it in if she's really tired, but it's very rare now. I actually kind of miss it! But I'm glad, since she'll probably get a tooth soon.
  

FAVORITE FOODS:
Shredded cheese, baby meat sticks, any canned vegetable, hard boiled egg whites, beans, cheerios, elbow macaroni.

FAVORITE BOOKS:
Rainbow Rob makes her smile every time, Millie Moo, Good Night Moon.

FAVORITE TOYS/ACTIVITIES:
Pushing the top on her ball popper, crawling through her new activity house thing she got for Christmas, pulling up on everything, rocking on the rocking horse, playing in the play tunnel with Brax. Playing patty-cake (this ALWAYS makes her smile) and peek-a-boo.

DAILY ROUTINE:
Up at 6:30
6:45 breakfast-whole jar of fruit and some dry cheerios
8:45 4-6 oz bottle, then down for nap at 9 till about 10:30
11:00 lunch-4-5 meat sticks, a cup of veggies, handful of shredded cheese; will also still eat jarred baby food if we give it to her (big jar of meat/veggie)
12:30 4-6 oz bottle, down for nap at 12:45 till about 2:30
3:00 snack-jar of food or some finger food
5:00 dinner-same as lunch
6:15 bath
6:30 6 oz bottle, to bed at 6:45

FAVORITE SONGS:
Dances to anything!

DISLIKES:
Having her nose wiped, being in a room by herself, holding still for a diaper change. She always has a little hissy when I get her out of the bathtub, too. She LOVES to play in the water!

MOMENTS I DON'T WANT TO FORGET:

• I was feeding her breakfast on Christmas morning and she reached over, grabbed my face and gave me a big open-mouthed kiss. She had her arms by my neck and hugged!
• How she speed-crawls over to me, grabs onto my pants and says "uh uh uh" till I pick her up.
• How when I go in to get her out of bed, she lays there and smiles like she's pretending to be asleep.
• Face-grabbing, open mouthed kisses.
• How her little booty wiggles side to side when she crawls.
  

3 Yr/5 Mo Stats

HEALTH: Respiratory infection #4. Mild again, no biggy.

NEW TRICKS:

• Likes to show off his ability to balance on one foot.
  
• Likes to jump of the footboard on our bed and off the couch. Not encouraged, tho!
• Articulating his "r" sounds perfectly now! Without any guidance, he just started pronouncing his "r's" the right way... It makes him sound so grown up! For example, instead of saying "Hoppa," he says his sister's name right! Or instead of "twuck" it's "truck."
  
• I've been trying to teach him that girls like to be touched softly, not rough. (Mainly to get him to be gentle with Harper, but I figure this won't hurt his game with the ladies down the road!) So now he will come up and caress her face (or mine). It's so sweet!

FAVORITE FOODS:
Still only eats oatmeal, yogurt and chocolate milk for breakfast. Will try about anything Miss Noelle brings over-he loves to eat her Clementine oranges. Very picky otherwise. LOVES popcorn.

FAVORITE BOOKS:
Smiley Shark, Thomas Breaks a Promise, Thomas and the Great Discovery

FAVORITE TOYS/ACTIVITIES:
He's still trying out all his new toys from Christmas. His request from Santa was dinosaurs, so he is loving those. He also got several board games (Chutes and Ladders, Hi Ho Cherry-O, Candyland, Connect Four, etc.) so we are working on learning how to play them and following directions. So far, his attention span doesn't last much past me getting the game set up! Ha!
Loves watching his popcorn popper.

DAILY ROUTINE:
Up around 7:30, still typically naps for about 1-2 hours, in bed around 8.

FAVORITE SONGS:
He memorized several Christmas songs this year, so I hear him singing bits and pieces of those all the time! So cute.

DISLIKES:
He still doesn't like Harper getting into his stuff, but he is better about "trading" her when he wants what she has.

MOMENTS I DON'T WANT TO FORGET:

• Our lunch dates at Chic-Filet.
• One night I was putting him to bed... I thought he was almost asleep, when he asked me, "Does Jesus save us?" "Yes, He does," I said. "Does He wear a cape?" he asked. Not sure how to answer that, I just said, "Well, maybe?" Brax then asked, "Does He save us from a fire?" (he was thinking in terms of how firefighters save us, I guess) but since technically Jesus does save us from eternal fire, I said yes. Then he asked the million dollar question, "HOW does He save us?" I'm certainly no biblical scholar, but I do know this one. "Jesus saved us by dying on the cross so that we could go to heaven someday. All you have to do is believe in Him." It amazes me how God works on even the littlest hearts.
  
• One night while I was cleaning up the dinner dishes, he said, "Mom, I wanna give you a hug." He climbed up on a chair and stood there and hugged me for what seemed like minutes, then went about his business.
• Sleeping together while we were at Grammy's over Christmas and snuggling in the mornings.
• I was helping him get dressed one day and he started singing, "Mommy mommy mommy, I love you..."

BRAXISMS:

• He was banging on his xylophone while I was reading Harper a book. I asked him to choose a more quiet toy. "I'M PLAYING A SONG AND YOU HAVE TO LIKE IT!" he retorted.
• We were listening to "Let it Snow." When the song said, "It doesn't show signs of stopping..." He said, "Did the snow wash away the stop signs??"
• He fell down, jumped up and said, "There's no blood! I'm ok!!"
• Randomly says "pop-tart" alot.
  
• Kept wanting to play in "the creepy room" at Grammy's (the bedroom with the lights off!)
• He and his cousin Joel were wrestling on the blow up bed and Brax kept saying, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" (They were just playing around, no one really got mean!)
  

10 Month Stats

10 MONTHS

Ht/Wt/Teeth:
29 1/2 inches
20 lbs
No teeth (no surprise)
Still wearing 9 month clothes, but I'll be breaking out 12 month stuff this weekend!
Size 4 diapers
Size 3 shoes

HEALTH: Had a virus this month that lasted about 10 days-very frequent and mushy poo (good to know, right?), a rash all over her neck, shoulders and back, and a congested/runny nose. Thank goodness no ear infection!

NEW TRICKS:
In just the last 4-5 weeks she has done so many new things! It started with being able to get from her tummy to sitting up, then was able to pull up on the fireplace the next week. The week after that, she was starting to crawl up on all fours (versus her usual tummy scoot) and she figured out how to sit down from a standing position. The next week she started slowly walking along while holding onto the couch. A few days later she was consistently (and quickly) crawling up on all fours (mostly to chase Brax.) It is just incredible to watch how she has become so mobile and sturdy in such a short time!
She also...

• Can drink from a sippy.
• Claps her hands when she sees someone else do it.
• Gives kisses upon request (especially to Daddy).
• Pulls up in her crib and shakes the side of it.
• Sits in the bathtub and plays all over (instead of sitting in the blow-up tub I used to put in the big tub).
• Sometimes gives "high 5" and waves.
• Signs "all done" and "please."
• Responds when we tell her not to touch something.
• Says "Momma" and I love it!!!
  

FAVORITE FOODS:
LOVES food she can chew! Cheerios, peas, carrots, butternut squash cubes, shredded cheese, bread, diced baby apples. Really prefers solids vs. baby food.

FAVORITE BOOKS:
Any of the hard kind she can chew on.

FAVORITE TOYS/ACTIVITIES:

• LOVES to dance while watching "The Fresh Beat Band" on Nick Jr.
  
• Clapping, playing Patty-Cake. This always makes her smile.
• Sleeping with her head nestled against her bumper in the corner of the crib.
• Playing in the bathtub. Doesn't mind water over her face.
• Chewing on toothbrushes. Gets VERY mad when I take them away.
• Sitting in her toybox.
• Loves jumping her jumperoo.
• Sucking either thumb (she used to prefer the right one.)
• Hiding in our play tunnel.
• Riding the rocking horse.
• Being held by me as I do anything. Always wants to be in the same room as us, doesn't like to be left alone.
  

DAILY ROUTINE:
She hasn't been a great night sleeper this past month. I thought it was because she was sick... now I think it's just a habit. She is waking at least once to eat, sometimes twice to be held.
6:30ish-up
7am-breakfast (Cheerios and a jar of fruit)
8:45-4 oz bottle
9-10:30ish-nap
11:00-lunch (a big jar of veggie/meat and some solid finger food)
12:45-4 oz bottle
1:00-2:30ish-nap
3:00-snack (finger food or a jar of veggies)
5:30-dinner (jar of meat/veggie and solid finger foods)
6:00-bath/books/6 oz bottle
6:30-to bed
11pm and 3am or anywhere in between--eating a 6 oz bottle, wanting to be held. I need to do a round of baby boot camp... Not wanting to.

FAVORITE SONGS:
Loves when Brax sings Jingle Bells!

DISLIKES:
Sour fruit baby food (peaches, apricots). Being put down and not being able to see us. Strangers/new baby-sitters.

MOMENTS I DON'T WANT TO FORGET:
The first time I think she really said "Momma" and meant me-it was Thanksgiving day and we were at my Aunt Kathi's. I was trying to get her to take a nap in her pack n play, and she was not having it. She was crying, and she said "Momma" twice! Needless to say, I went in and got her up!
One day she was standing in her crib and waved at me when I went in to get her out of bed. She is always so happy when she wakes up. Usually she is laying on her tummy playing when I hear her wake up, and when I go in she puts her head back down like she's pretending to hide or something! I can see her smiling as I say, "Good morning, sleepy head!"

3 Yr/4 Mo Stats

HEALTH:
Nov. 11-Fell on the wood floor, busted his chin open--4th ER trip. Got 2 stitches and took it like a champ.
Nov. 13-Round 3 of seasonal respiratory illness. Had 101.6 fever one night, but otherwise easily treated w/ BT's.

NEW TRICKS:

• Randomly talks in funny southern accent.
• Pours his own drinks out of his mini-pitcher.

FAVORITE FOODS:
Chocolate milk. Popcorn. Any carbs. Everything else is pretty much force-fed these days.

FAVORITE BOOKS:
We broke out our collection of Christmas books! So far, his favorite is "The Smell of Christmas" that has scratch and sniff stickers in it!

FAVORITE TOYS/ACTIVITIES:

• Loves to tie string to anything and pull it around.
• Made up a contraption using the long tube attachments from my vacuum cleaner--puts his plastic banana in them and sticks them together, pretends it's a number of things. Very random.
• Most common activity is taking whatever Harper has and acting like he really wants to play with it.

DAILY ROUTINE:
Up around 7:30, does okay skipping his afternoon nap a couple times a week. Still sleeps for about 2 hours though when he does nap. Goes to bed around 8:30.

FAVORITE SONGS:
Christmas music, of course! Knows Jingle Bells, and likes to change the word "sleigh" to "car." "Dashing through the snow, in a one horse open carrrrr...."

DISLIKES:
Eating.

MOMENTS I DON'T WANT TO FORGET:

• I was brushing his teeth before bed and he grabbed my neck and pulled my face next to his. We were both smiling, looking in the mirror. I told him to remember this moment!
• We spent the weekend at Nana Star and Papa T's, on the last day he said, "I had so much fun here!"
• Brax and I going on the neighborhood horse-drawn trolley ride.
  
• Thanksgiving. My dad came in town and we crossed lots of fun things off the Christmas-activity-to-do list--visiting Santa, going to look at lights, and going to a movie!
  

BRAXISMS:

• Listening to a Louis Armstrong Christmas song, he asked, "Is this a strong man singing?"
• When asked at school how to make a turkey, he answered, "
• Runs around saying, "Catch me if you can!!!" and "Missed me, missed me, know you gotta kiss me!" I guess he learned this at school.
• Harper was screeching at him in the backseat. He told her, "Do it one more time and I'll turn you into a tree!" (He got this from a book.)
• "I said crap on accident."
• One night he came running to me after looking out the window. He was SO excited, he said, "LOOK AT THE STARS!!!" (He was seeing the street lights, thinking they were enormous, close-up stars... I didn't correct him.)
• After bath one night, he noticed the pictures I have on the wall in the bathroom. He told me they were pretty. Then he said, "You are pretty, too. I love you!" Such a charmer!!!
• After we were done doing our grocery shopping at Wal-Mart, he asked me if I would give him a ride home. HA!
• I swear, he still tells me he loves me like 5 times a day. "I love you dery much, Momma." (Yes, very with a "d.")
  
• "I need a different eyeball. This one hurts." (It was itching him.)
• We were walking into the movies and he noticed the thin, feathery clouds in the sky. He said, "LOOK! The clouds are stretched out!!!"
• I stubbed my toe and said "Owwww!" He asked what happened, and when I told him, he said, "Oh, I'll kiss it and make it better."
• Trying to pronounce "Marmaduke" and was having a hard time. He exclaimed, "I'm tongue tied!!!"
• Sitting on the stairs in our entry way, said "I'm just enjoying the air." (He was sitting where the sun was shining on them and it was really warm.)
• At school they asked the kids how to make the Thanksgiving turkey. Brax's answer: "Put pasta in the turkey. I put cheese on mine. Put icing on it. Put candy on it. Cook it at your house for 7 seconds."
  

3 Yr/3 Mo Stats

HEALTH: We are on the tail end of his second respiratory infection of the season. His asthma doc said we can expect up to eight different rounds of viral infection over the course of the winter! He will sometimes run a low grade fever, but usually the symptoms are limited to a very snotty nose and a bad cough. His nebulizer meds keep it from turning into pneumonia. (And he is a pro at doing the regular inhaler now, too! So much quicker than the machine!)

NEW TRICKS:

• Becoming more daring--he didn't used to be big on jumping off of things or going down big slides, but he has started doing it a little more.
• Very good at jumping with both feet at the same time, can jump over things.
• Can balance on one foot, can also do a ballerina-type turn on one foot!
• Can put his socks and shoes on (however, he usually whines for me to do it for him still).
• Stays dry through nap consistently, and stays dry through the night sometimes.

FAVORITE FOODS:
Candy corn. Is that a food?

FAVORITE BOOKS:
We have been reading a bunch of Halloween books from the library. One of our faves is "The Old Lady Who Wasn't Scared of Anything."

FAVORITE TOYS/ACTIVITIES:

• I made him a calendar because he loves to know when we are doing something. He had a lot of fun activities in October, and he kept asking when he would get to do them. (Everyday--"Is it Halloween now?" He seems to think that anytime it's dark out it's Halloween!) So now he really enjoys counting the days until it's time for the event.
• Whipping around a weeping willow branch he pulled off a neighbor's tree!
• Taking toys (both his AND hers) from Harper.
• Pretending to have a picnic with his play food and our picnic basket.
• Sucking water up into a squirty elephant toy in the bath out of the holes in the top of an empty parmesan cheese container. (Random, I know... but I wanted to remember this!)
  

DAILY ROUTINE:
Same as last month... but we are skipping afternoon naps more and more. Usually one or two times a week is his limit before it starts to catch up with him.

FAVORITE SONGS:
He LOVES me to sing "On top of spaghetti, all covered with cheese... I lost my poor meatball, when somebody sneezed......" because it's about cheese. When I first started singing it, he would really analyze the whole situation--"Why did his meatball fall?... Was he playing with it? ... Why didn't he grab it? ... He should cover his mouth when he sneezes..."

DISLIKES:
SHARING WITH HIS SISTER.
He also dislikes it when she looks at him or touches him. This has been the first month he has seemed to be [very] put-off by her presence. I don't think it's any coincidence that this began when she started crawling. She LOVES him and his toys, and enjoys nothing more than for him to just acknowledge her in any way. One day we were in the car and I heard her cracking up in the backseat. I looked in my mirror to see him violently shaking his head "no" at her. I assume that it started with her looking at him and smiling, which as I said before, he does not appreciate. So he started shaking his head "no" to make her stop, but it just made her laugh. Hysterically. It was so funny... the more he shook his head, the harder she laughed!

MOMENTS I DON'T WANT TO FORGET:
Wednesday, Oct. 13. He started coughing again, the second round of respiratory infection beginning. I kept him home from school, but after his first two breathing treatments he was feeling better. So I took him to get a haircut, then he asked if we good "go to the place with dinner." (Meaning a restaurant.) So we went to Chic-Fil-et, and had such a fun little lunch date. It was just one of those days that stuck out in my mind as a really good one!

BRAXISMS:

• The first morning he woke up with a respiratory infection and a hard, barky cough, the first thing he said when I went in to get him was, "Those naughty chokes are back."
• He had sleep in his eye one morning-he said, "My snot got dried in my eye!"
• One night Mike and I were going on a date and I kept changing clothes. Brax was playing in the bedroom and he would say, "You look pretty AGAIN!" every time I came out of the closet in something different!
• He was eating yogurt (the generic Wal-Mart brand) and he said to me, "I need Danonino yogurt. It has ABC's on it." (Proof that the commercials they show on kids' channels ARE effective!)
• Says "Are you kidding me?!" all the time. (Yes he got that one from me.)
• One day as he was riding to school with Miss Noelle they saw a mini-van. He told her he wanted one of those, and a lot of brothers in it.
• I had gotten ready to go somewhere and he said, "I smell a pretty girl!" (No idea where he came up with this pick-up line.)
• He sharted and said, "That toot was like a squirt gun!" HA!!!!
• I was singing "To Make You Feel My Love" to him before bed and when I was done he said, "That was a great song, Mommy."
• Randomly announced, "I'm your favorite!" one day.
• While he was eating dinner one night he asked, "Can I have a brother next time???"
• Always says, "But wait! I need to tell you sumting..." as I am about to walk out of the room after putting him to bed.
  
• Still says "I love you, Mom," several times randomly throughout the day. I never tire of hearing those words.