Gemma - 33 months

Sweet Gemma Grace is 33 months old!! Three-quarters of the way through her third year of life, WOW!!!! She is such a sweet little soul, my heart just burns with love for her. And frustration at times too no doubt, but mainly love. She is a lot like me. A whole lot like me. So you'd think I'd be able to identify, but not always. ;-D I am constantly amazed and grateful that a small child not even three years of age can challenge me (in a good way) and help me to become a better person...the person God is calling me to be. She is helping me grow in patience, understanding, love, self-control. All those good things. Truly a blessing. She is very particular about how things should be done, routines, etc., and if you try to throw a wrench into her perception of how things should be, watch out!!

Here are some things she likes and does:
Nursery Rhymes: listening, reading and singing them!! Sometimes she will sing them and substitute Kolbe's name in randomly. It is funny.

She is a self-proclaimed "good little mommy" (she's heard me tell her that more than once) and loves to take care of her entourage: baby, bunny, brown bear and most recently doggy. She feeds meals, gives baths, goes shopping (to the Aldi's that is apparently in our bedroom), and to Mass (which is in the bathroom), nurses, you name it! A good little mommy she is.
She loves to play for, errrr, with her baby brother. I have a feeling things will get a bit difficult for her initially when he starts crawling (which will likely be soon) but we'll work through it. Here is a typical sight. She loves him, sometimes just a little too much! She is very into owls lately. Owl books, owl clothes, she loves Owl in Little Bear (books and the TV show she watches), I even found a little owl figurine for her that was mine as a little girl. And most exciting, one night she was having a rough time sleeping and daddy took her out on the deck for a bit to calm down and they heard actual owls hooting. She still talks about it.

She is getting very good at riding her tricycle.

She thinks the ice cream truck (and ice cream in general) is the coolest. thing. ever. (sorry Erika) Whenever she hears it she gets sooooo excited and does this laugh/squeal/shudder thing. Like she is just exploding with excitement. And up until about a week ago I don't think she realized you could actually get ice cream from the ice cream truck. My mom got her and my nephew special ice cream treats one evening as we were strolling through their neighborhood and WOW, was that pretty exciting.

She is getting a pretty good concept for counting. She has been able to count to ten for probably a year, but up until about a month or so ago it was just rattling off memorized numbers. Now she will actually point at items, pictures in a book, etc. and count them. She also likes to find "matches", typically pointing out two colors that are the same. She pretty much knows all her colors (usually).

Happy shirt! This was her all-time favorite piece of clothing this summer. She would have worn it every day had I let her. (you can't quite see, it has a smiley face on it and says "happy".) I absolutely love this picture of her.
She is helping me more in the kitchen and that has been good for both of us.
She loves to pretend that she is an animal, and wants you to call her that specific animal. For a long time it was either kitty-cat or puppy-dog, but lately she has been things like sheep, cat and duck. And she will be sure to inform you exactly who she is. For instance, me: "hi sweetie-pie"; Gemma: "I not sweetie-pie, I cat!" She's so funny.

She really loves my parents' old dog Shadow. And yes, he is old, which makes me sad for her. He probably won't be around a whole lot longer and I know she will be heartbroken when he is gone. I really hope she remembers him, she has loved him since she was a little baby.
She likes to sing and listen to music. She has started singing along with some of her CD's (especially the Bible songs we listen to in the car) and can keep up pretty well.

She loves going barefoot, and this summer about the only time she wore shoes was when we went to church or the store. Autumn and the advent of tennies has been a shock to her system.
She enjoys puzzles.
She has recently joined us at the table on a (booster) chair. She had been in the little hangy "big sister" chair (as she called it) since last spring, but we decided to get a booster so she could be a little "bigger" and more independent. It has worked out really well so far, and takes up less space than the hangy chair (and space is prime). Yes, she is eating sprinkles on her pancake. Some Gemma phrases:
Whose yours is that? (her way of asking to whom something belongs)

I'm are! (in answer to an "are you" question)

Be haaaaappyyyyyyyy! Mommy, are you happy?

We love you sweet Gemma-goo!

Kolbe - 8 months

Sweet Kolbe boy is eight months old! Two-thirds of a year! How? He is doing quite well, and recovered just fine from last month's sickies (which ended up being adenovirus according to my hubby and his Merck Manual). No worse for the wear, just a few rough days and nights. He has four teeth and weighs around 18.5 pounds. When I was snuggling him during the night the other night and nuzzled his little (yes, it's still quite small) head, I realized that he is definitely getting some hair. It is still difficult to see as it's pretty light in color, but there's definitely some fuzz there.

The little boy is a tank when it comes to eating and pretty much devours whatever is put in front of him (still nursing well too, for which I am thankful). Funny story, I was feeding him the other night and had the spoon kind of hovering in front of him and turned around to talk to Gemma for a moment, and he grabbed that spoon with both hands and shoved it in his mouth. Hungry boy! So far he has tried:

• banananas (mashed and chunks)
• brown rice
• avocado
• sweet potatoes
• green beans
• chicken puree
• oatmeal
  
• apples
• cheerios
• mango
• carrots
  

His favorites seem to be banananas, green beans and cheerios but he really hasn't shown any huge aversions to anything. Except water. Weird. The other morning when eating his oatmeal and banananas he was actually smacking his lips and saying "nom nom nom" excitedly. It was so cute. Does the same thing for the green beans, which he really does seem to enjoy. Wish he could share some of that enthusiasm for green veggies with big sis!

He still takes two to three naps a day, but is inching more closely towards being a two-nap-a-day kind of guy. Just can't quite make it through the evenings sometimes (especially if he doesn't sleep a good long stretch for his other two naps). He doesn't go to bed nearly as early as big sis did at this age either. Funny what more than one child in the house will do to you! He awakens at least two times a night, typically more, but usually it's just a matter of nursing and snuggling back to sleep. He is sitting up very well and still rolls all over. All. Over. And quickly, too! No attempts to crawl, although I can tell he is moving that direction developmentally (he can turn 360 degrees when he's laying on his tummy and walks his hands down when he's sitting). I will be very surprised if he crawls in the next month however. He has started doing this thing where he will wiggle his head back and forth, and then move his whole body excitedly while smiling and laughing. It's so cute, almost like he is trying to convey that he's excited and having fun. I need to make a concerted effort to start doing some signing with him, because I know he's getting to the age where he will pick up on some of that stuff. He is starting to wave when we wave, or when he gets excited, and that's pretty sweet.. He loves swinging in the swing at the park, and gets a huge kick out of his big sis no matter what they are doing together. I love the way he smiles and laughs at her. Future partners in crime, I'm sure. This is such a fun stage with all the new discoveries and milestones that seem to come with each passing day.

Happy eight months, Kolbe! We are so glad God sent you to be a part of our family.
And the obligatory monthly couch picture.

Kolbe - 7 months

Kolbe is seven months!!! Hard to believe another month has gone by. He is doing well, although I think he's hit a little rough patch either due to teething (still just has the two teeth) or possibly a bit of a virus (he's had a fever on and off for a few days now) or who knows what. Those kiddos sure like to keep a momma guessing! His sleep has definitely been more interrupted and restless and he is a little fussy at times. He has spent more time lately sleeping (and awake) in "the honey" (mei tai carrier) snuggled next to me during the day, and spends more time sleeping with Aaron and me at night than in his crib. He still goes down in his crib around 8-9PM, but after his first waking (sometimes as early as 10:30 or 11) he usually joins us, and it's iffy whether he makes it back to the crib or not. I'm sure this time will pass soon enough and I'll be left wondering where my snuggly baby went. He has started sitting up a little more on his own, although still not well enough to leave his side for very long. I did feel comfortable leaving him long enough to snap a picture though!! He does better if he has a toy he's holding or focusing on. He has spent more time in the stroller and really seems to like the outdoors. Much as I like wearing him, in this 100+ degree weather that just gets a little warm for both of us! We go to the park more days than not, and he's always happy hanging out in the stroller or being held and watching his sissy. One of these days very soon he'll get to give the baby-swing a try!

Several days before turning seven months, Kolbe got his first taste of people-food (besides the bite he took out of the church bulletin a few weeks ago...) Anyways, he seemed to be wanting to nurse a little more often lately, and since he's sitting up well and all, I figured we'd give it a whirl. I made him some homemade brown-rice cereal (I'll do a post on the recipe in the near future, it was fun and easy!) and mixed it with a bit of pureed banana and some breastmilk. I wouldn't say he was terribly excited by it, but he didn't seem to dislike it either. He ate a good 6-8 bites and seemed to enjoy it alright. He even grabbed at the spoon while I was feeding him and tried to shove it in his mouth all on his own. He liked it well enough to open up for more. Messy. (note to self, buy bib) This food business is pretty cool. Such a big boy. He hasn't had anymore since that first little try. With his fever I decided he was probably better off just nursing as frequently as possible. We'll try more sometime soon I'm sure, and I'll be sure to update here as he tries new things (if for no other reason, than so I can have a record of it) ;-D

And here's the obligatory couch pic! Still not feeling 100% poor guy.

Gemma, 2.5 years

I thought I would list a few things about Gemma at the 2 1/2 year mark (upon seeing another friend do the same thing on her blog), just for the record. I think it's fun and interesting to look back on this stuff.

LIKES: bubbles; going to the park; DADDY; reading stories; donuts; straws; vitamins; listening to music (her 102 Children's songs and Bible Songs CD's); bunny-roni; helping mommy and daddy; playing with her bubby-brother; her ever-growing bedtime routine with daddy; flushing the toilet for anyone who uses it; using the timer to let her know when it's time to do something (get dressed, put her binky away, leave the park, etc.). It's hard to argue with a timer.

DISLIKES: eating (she's not picky, just not a huge fan of eating in general); having her hair done; her musical sea-horse. he strikes complete and utter terror in her, even though he is hidden away in a drawer in our room (as per her request). it is very bizarre.

ABILITIES: climbing, hanging, running; can't carry a tune typically, but definitely understands going up and down with her voice when singing; does pretty good feeding herself with a spoon; goes up and down stairs very well (read: no longer scares mommy to death); can go to the bathroom on the big toilet essentially by herself (no longer using her potty-chair); beginning to dress/undress herself (still with assistance); completely potty-trained (still wears a dipe at night, but hasn't wet it for at least a month); will entertain herself playing for 20-30 minute stretches; can pedal her tricycle; falls asleep by herself in her big-girl bed

COMMON PHRASES: when asked what we do for toots, "We clap them." (long story)

• "How'd you like to go to the park? WE can go to the park!!"
• "Daddy sleep with you for minute. For just a minute." (the ever-asked question at bedtime)
• "Whose yours is that?" (asking whose something is)
• "Would you like to read a stoooory?"
• "What haaaaappin???"
• "No ________, like this!" (she knows how things are done)
• around Communion time at Mass she will sweetly put her arm around your neck and say, "Is it time to go and get a donut?" Likewise, when we drive by Church she always comments, "There's Jesus!" and sometimes adds, "and a DONUT!"
• "Mommy, are you happy?" (when she's in trouble)
  

TYPICAL DAY: Up around 8AM. Naps noon-3 (give or take). Bed between 8:30-9PM.

We love you, sweet Gemma!!

Kolbe - 6 months

Kolbe is six months. Half a year!!! I just do not know where the time has gone. He is rolling all over the place and is quite the "talker". He still grunts, and does this funny grunt yell thing while holding his arms in front of him stiffly and then bringing them together when he yells. It's funny. He has two teeth (bottom center), the first one he got on 7/9 and the other on 7/17 (the day after turning six months). He is smiley, alert, sweet and "conversational". He likes to interact and play with others. He is sitting some on his own, but not well enough for me to leave his side. He likes to "buck" (which he does often while being held) and I'm afraid he'd just throw himself backward onto the floor. If he's focusing on a toy or something though he does pretty well. He still likes to be worn, and that's his main method of falling asleep, except before bed at night when he typically nurses to sleep. He sleeps well, usually three naps a day at fairly regular times (give or take). His nights are good, he sleeps in his crib some and cosleeps some. He still nurses 2-4 times during the night. It works. I have come so far in my views of sleep/good sleep, etc. I've learned a lot, and resigned myself to the fact at this point in my life, nighttime parenting is just a part of life, and that's totally cool.

His six month stats:
Weight: 16 lbs 12 oz (25 %ile)
Length: 27 inches (75 %ile)
Head circumference: 16.5 inches (10 %ile)

Yep, still a small head. But he appears to be getting a little bit of hair. Maybe...

And the obligatory pic!

Kolbe - 5 months

Kolbe is five months old!! He is growing and doing very well. He rolls from tummy to back and back to tummy, he likes to play with and "chew" on his toys and is becoming quite attached to this fuzzy little froggy blanket he got as a baby gift. So much so that I actually ordered a spare to keep in the diaper bag! He is quite interactive with his smiles, coos and laughs. He is still a grunter, especially when he nurses and is falling asleep, and he continues to get louder as he gets older. It's pretty amusing. He still likes to fall asleep in the mei tai snuggled up against me (not a huge fan of rocking though), but naps in his bed, some days a solid three naps, longer in the morning and afternoon and a short evening snooze; and other days (like today) it's more hit and miss. Such is life. He sleeps a pretty good first stretch (from 8 or 9ish to anywhere between 1-3am) in his bed at night, and then is usually in bed with us the rest of the night. He seems to be pretty restless from about 5am on, and is typically up for the day around 7. He's beginning to outgrow the bassinet, and since he sleeps well with us or in his big bed I think it is time to pack it away :-/ Ahhh ages and stages...ever fleeting. Here's a pic of the handsome little guy on the day he turned five months. Yep, still no hair.