Lizzie at Two Years and Three Months (almost)

Cross Posted from The Binky Diaries

You never think you could love your child more than you do when they are born and yet somehow you do. Although we are firmly ensconced in the terrible twos, Lizzie never ceases to amaze me. At a little over 2 her language skills are amazing. She speaks in full sentences using nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, conjunctions and pretty much everything else. Most of the time her sentences are correctly structured as well including the use of both present and past tense. She can count to ten and even knows a couple letters.

Photo Credit: Nick Wasch

We weren't sure what to expect when we brought home Alex and Emily but she has shown nothing other than love to them. We have to keep a close eye on her when she is around them because she is still a 2 year and not completely coordinated but she has never intentionally tried to hurt them. She entertains them whey they are upset and loves to hug and hold them. I can only hope this continues as they get older and start stealing her toys!

Lizzie is a big animal lover. She will watch any movie that has animals in it, some of her favorites being Finding Nemo and Ratatouille. I thank Pixar on a regular basis for making movies that can be enjoyed by both kids and adults over and over and over again. As much as she loves to watch movies, she also loves to read books, particular Eric Carle books. Right now we are reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Very Clumsy Click Beetle and The Very Lonely Firefly. We have also recently read The Very Busy Spider.

Photo Credit: Nick Wasch

She is definitely going through a clingy phase right now and I have spent much of this summer carrying her around. I think this comes with her age but I'm sure my being home on maternity leave, spending more time with her and having the twins around have contributed to it. She can be shy when introduced to a new situation however it only takes about 10 minutes for her to get over it and soon she is joining in on the fun wherever we are.

She definitely lights up the room and our life with her blond hair, blue eyes, red lips, adorable voice and vivacious personality. I can only hope that she continues to be a confident child who clearly enjoys life and shows it with a contagious laugh.

Photo Credit: Nick Wasch

Four Months Actual, Three Months Adjusted

Cross Posted from The Binky Diaries.

Emily and Alex turned four months old on August 18th and yesterday they had their four month pediatrician appointment. Here is what they are doing at this stage (I'd like to note that despite their prematurity they both now weight more than Lizzie did at this age and she was only a week early):

Alex

Weight: 13 lbs 7 ounces (15th percentile)
Height: 24 1/4 inches (13th percentile)
Length: 16 3/4 inches (46th percentile)

Alex has accidentally rolled from front to back a couple times when I've put him down for a nap. He prefers to sleep on his stomach and is really great at self soothing most of the time. You can put him down in his crib and walk away and he might do a little bit of low level fussing before falling asleep. He will also sleep for a long time. At night we do a dream feed around 10 pm and then he will generally sleep until 3 am, eat again and then fall right back to sleep. He has even gone until 4 or 5 a few nights so I think he'll be the first to sleep right through.

He loves to smile and coo and can be quite talkative when he is happy. When he smile his whole body shows how happy he is. He is very cuddly and will just mold himself to you when you pick him up.

He is getting stronger every day and doing much better at holding up his head without wobbling. His legs bow in a bit and he doesn't want to put his feel flat down when he stands so we need to see a physical therapist for that. However his torticollis seems to be gone and he is quite happy to turn his head either way.


Photo Credit: Nick Wasch

Emily

Weight: 13 lbs 5 ounces (34th percentile)
Height: 23 1/4 inches (8th percentile)
Length: 16 inches (21st percentile)

Emily is a very strong little girl. She holds her head up really well and when you put her down on the floor on her back she spends most of her time trying to roll on to her stomach, despite the fact that she isn't happy when she gets there! Once she figures out how to get over that arm she will be much happier as she currently gets very frustrated. She is very good at sitting in the Bumbo for lengths of time and I have even put her in the exersaucer a few times. Lizzie has fun playing with the toys while Emily watches.

She loves to smile and can be very chatty. She is saying "ah-goo" and likes to blow bubbles! She is a very straight forward baby. She cries when she is hungry, when she is tired and if she has a little pain but that is about it. Otherwise she is happy to look around and take in the world.

On the sleep front she has a tougher time then Alex. She will fall asleep easily but doesn't stay asleep. She will sleep from 10 pm to 3 am but hasn't gone past that yet. However, she does sleep later in the morning then Alex. He wakes up at 5 am to fuss for a bit then is happy from about 6 am on. If cuddled in our bed Emily will gladly sleep until 7 or 8. This usually happens on the weekend when I get up with Alex and Lizzie and Greg gets to sleep in a bit with Emily.


Photo Credit: Nick Wasch

Swimming

Lizzie Can Swim from Rebecca Sly on Vimeo.

I Love You Daddy from Rebecca Sly on Vimeo.

Emily (2009) from Rebecca Sly on Vimeo.

Alex (2009) from Rebecca Sly on Vimeo.

 

 

 

Lizzie has been taking swimming lessons at the YMCA this summer and now loves swimming in the water. Jacquie's parents (our mothers helper) has a pool which we've been lucky enough to go to a couple times.

 

This girl can fall asleep anywhere!

 

On August 2009 we walked downtown for hot dogs and ice cream, one of our favorite summer things to do. Lizzie decided that the picnic table was too warm in the sun and decided to go sit on a nearby step to eat her lunch.

 

Emily hanging out in the Bumbo.

 

Sometimes even when you are a "big girl" you like to do "little girl" things.

Old Garden Beach 2009 from Rebecca Sly on Vimeo.

 

 

 

 

Going to the beach is definitely much more difficult this summer and not very enjoyable unless we bring a lot of help. Lizzie, however, finally relaxed and absolutely adores the beach now. One of us tries to take her for an afternoon each weekend so she can run around.

 

July 19, 2009

 

 

 

July 17, 2009 - Jacquie, my mother's helper, and I took Lizzie and the twins to Bonkers after shopping at Costco. Bonkers is a fun place for kids, similar to Chuck e' Cheeses except that they have a free fenced in toddler section. Lizzie had the place to herself and clearly had a lot of fun.

 

 

 

 

July 16, 2009 - Nana Rulli and I took Lizzie and the twins to the Stone Zoo. We were joined by Alyson, Taryn, Lydia, Sam and a few other moms and their kids. It is a small zoo so perfect for small kids. Lizzie very much enjoyed seeing the otters and the flamingos.

 

 

July 16, 2009 - Smiles all around!

 

 

Is hummus foot a disease?