...Finding new and exciting ways to entertain a 3 year old and a 22 month old indoors during a long cold wet winter has started to tax my imagination.
Obviously.
However, we are going to the circus this weekend so the fact that they are practicing their scooter ridin' "tricks" just might come in handy with the circus crowd! :)
Lilah is changing so quickly these days. She is a perfect mixture of girly and tough. She will flat beat her big brother with a wooden spoon while wearing every single piece of gaudy costume jewelry she can manage to squeeze on her little 20 month old frame! She usually only gets in one smack before he is off and running and she is right on his heels, both giggling like crazy!
She is learning more and more words and can say anything she wants now that she has finally shed her pacy. My favorite thing she says is "I wuv you" and "daaaaaaaaddyyyyy" SO sweet! I wish I could bottle those up to keep forever!
Lilah loves her big brother and her little brother too. She took right to her new role as big sister, never for one minute being jealous of the new little person in her life. She loves to hold him and kiss him (complete with sound effects!....adorable!!) and must know where he is at all times! I've only heard her say "Walker" 2 times, mostly he's just "thebaby".
She loves her baby dolls, her stroller, any toy Carter is playing with, climbing, squealing, & snuggling. She is Mama's girl, and I LOVE it....
.....and I wuv you too Lilah!
Walker:
He is amazingly tolerant of being held by his brother, sister, & cousins. He has developed every newborn rash known to man, yet still manages to be super adorable under all the little red bumps.
Walker has slept all night long twice now and the intervals are getting longer on the nights he does wake up to eat. I don't know if he is incredibly laid back, or if I am more laid back this time.....maybe a little of both, but going from 2 to 3 children has definately been easier (so far) than going from 0-1 or from 1-2.
He went for his 6 week checkup last week and weighed 9 lbs 1 oz and was 21.5 inches long. He is growing so fast! I treasure every moment with him as I know he won't be this little for long enough!
I love you so much Walker, I am so thankful to have you in our family! Merry 1st Christmas sweet baby!
It's hard to believe that in a few short days a new year, a new decade will begin! I don't make resolutions per say, but I am trying to make a point of slowing down, savoring and enjoying each and every moment with my babies, and with those around us.
Visions of sugar plums?
Look Mom! We both fit! (hold on Lilah!!)
Cooking Christmas Breakfast
Dear Lilah,
A few days ago you turned 16 months old. You are such a good baby. Yes, you are still a baby to me. You love to laugh and smile, and you have most certainly perfected your "little girl squeal" and love to use it at every opportunity. You are working really hard on your vocabulary and it seems like you add a new word every few days. You have mastered Mom, Dad, Carter, Papa, Paw Paw, & Maw Maw, just to name a few. You can ask for a "drink" or your "cup", and of course "bite" was one of the first ones you said perfectly. You crack me up when you want attention and get right up in my face and say "heeeey" and flash your biggest smile.
I thought you might never learn to walk. You still do it sparingly since you can crawl at the speed of light. Your big brother wants to hold your hand while you walk so bad...but your not having any of that. He slows you down. Your favorite mode of transportation is your ride on princess car that Papa & Gran got you for Christmas. You wheel yourself around on that car like nobody's business.....and you love it so much that no matter how much the Disney Princess music that constantly streams from it gets on my nerves (and Dad's & Carters) , we have resisted the urge to take out the batteries.....so far.
You are so sweet, but you do have a serious mischevious side. You never miss an opportunity to pull your big brother's hair, and if he ever does anything to make you mad you don't cry....you just smack him and go about your business. I have a feeling that he won't always think it's as funny as he does now, so we need to get a handle on that pretty quick.
You love to dance and sing. Any time music comes on you dance and sing along. You and your big brother never miss a chance to turn on the country station set on daddy's clock radio and have a dance off on our bed. It's so funny to watch you two dance and giggle at each other.
You love to be outside and rarely have time for a quiet moment, but when you do, you love to look at books. Whether I'm reading them to you, or you "read" them yourself, you love it and chatter your way through each book. You don't care much for TV, but you do have a deep love for Blues' Clues. The Intro song can flat stop you in your tracks. Anytime you get fussy in the car your big brother can calm you down, get you to sleep even. He just starts singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to you and you listen intently for as long as he'll sing...or until you fall asleep.
You bring such a sweet joy to our lives, Lilah. I can't wait to watch you become a big sister in a few short months. I can only hope that you will love your new baby brother or sister as much as your big brother loves and adores you. I am so very blessed to be your mom.
Love,
Did I mention you currently enjoy eating dirt?Happy birthday sweet Lilah! I can barely believe you've been with us for a year! We are so blessed to have you in our lives. We love you so very much!
Love,
Mom, Dad,
& Carter
Dear Lilah,
I can barely believe that eleven months ago this very morning you came into this world. You were so calm and alert as soon as you arrived. A little cry here and there that's all, and that's exactly how you've been every day since then. Calm, alert,.....little cries here and there.
You love to laugh and "talk". You are the fastest crawler I have ever seen. Carter is even amazed. He gets down to try to crawl with you......and can't even keep up! You are doing a bit of cruising here and there, but haven't taken any steps on your own yet. As I've said many times, I'm in no hurry for that!
Your big brother is your biggest fan, admirer, and body guard. He keeps close watch over you and lets us know when you are approaching danger of any kind. He always wants to know where you are, which is giving him quite the workout these days! You are giving me a workout too, since you seem to want to put everything you find in your mouth! There is a lot for me to keep out of your reach with Rambo running around.
Bath time is something you love! You love to smack the water and make a big splash. This makes your big brother squeal, which only makes you laugh harder. I have a feeling you are going to be giving Carter a run for his money very very soon!
I am so enjoying watching you grow and learn. Carter is determined that you learn to close your eyes and hold your hands properly when we say our prayers. You don't always like it when he closes your eyes for you. You are very patient with him while he teaches you colors, numbers, and ABC's. He is currently working on teaching you that you should always say please and thank you. It annoys him greatly when you laugh at him instead of saying the words as he has instructed you to. It really ticks him off when you shake your head violently during his teachings.
You bring such joy to our lives, Lilah. I am so grateful that God allowed me to be your Mom. I love you so much.
Love,
Mom
who needs four wheels??
Dear Lilah,
It seems like just yesterday we were waiting for your arrival, yet you've been with us for 9 months already! You are growing and changing so fast! It seems as though you learn something new every single day. You are crawling here and there, but standing up is your favorite thing to do! I wouldn't be surprised if you took off walking just any day now. I'm not in a hurry for that at all! I know that when you take those first steps, you won't be a baby anymore, you'll be off and running way too soon!
You love to clap and say "Yayyyy" for everything your big brother does, after every bite of food, and this past Sunday during every song that was sung. You even raised your hands "praise style" after every few claps! It was adorable! You must have tired yourself out because after a few minutes I looked over and you were sound asleep sitting straight up in Kenneth's lap. Your nap paid off though because when Tammy reached back and got baby Clayton, you were ready to chat him up! I don't think he expected such a little girl to be such a talker though, because he was ready to go back to his dad pretty quick!
So far you are saying Mama, Dada, bye bye, Yay, something that sounds alot like Carter, and lots of other chatter that we haven't quite decoded yet! One thing's for sure though, you are gonna be a talker!
You have two teeth making their way through, and my goodness are they giving you a fit! You are kind of funny though. Instead of crying, you do this mad growl sort of noise and bite on your finger....like you are determined to fix it instead of let it hurt you. You also have developed a warning scream when Carter is getting too involved in your business. That is hilarious! He covers his ears and tells you "Be quiet Lilah! You're hurting my ears!....or, You're getting on my nerves Lilah!" It kind of hurts my ears too, but it seems to work at keeping him from bothering you too much so I can certainly handle it!
Actually, I rarely have to worry about him bothering you. The two of you play so well together! Carter almost always makes sure you have something to play with before he gets something for himself. He loves you very much and you love him very much too! Your eyes light up every single time he's around you. Like you just can't wait to see what he's going to do next! I hope the two of you always love each other as much as you do now!
You are such a delightful baby. You are always smiling and your eyes always sparkle. I look so forward to watching you grow and learn! I love you so very much and I thank God for blessing us with such a precious baby girl!
Love,
Mom, ....or as your saying so sweetly these days "MaMa"
UPDATED...SEE BELOW!
Four Months. That's when the Pediatrician recommends starting baby on solid foods. Now, by solid food I mean rice cereal, then oatmeal cereal, and stage 1 baby foods. Seeing as how Lilah was in the 80th percentile at her 4 month checkup at 15 pounds, none of us were surprised at how much she loved "solid" foods!
Normally it completely grosses me out to watch a baby learn to eat. Yes, even my own. (This may not win me mother of the year, but it IS a rather nasty process....sorry!) But she has been so comical and enjoying it so much that it's been a little less disgusting to watch!
So of course I simply MUST blog about it!
Lucky you!
Just be glad I didn't start blogging until Carter was a little older. THAT was a nasty process!
p.s.....Listen to Carter in the background. He's trying to talk Lilah into eating some of his "ice cream" which is really yogurt. Wouldn't it be wonderful if he always thought that?!
Also! I had the best trip to Walmart in ohhh, well, in 4 months, today. Check out this picture!
Mom cell phone cam
I put Lilah in the Bumbo seat down in the buggy and strapped Carter into the child seat! I KNOW! How stinkin' brilliant am I??? No more bulky baby car seat!!
Lilah totally loved her new freedom and Carter loved watching her look around and smile and coo. Of course we had the usual onlookers who chatted Carter up and talked to Lilah which she replied to with her bestest grin. Then there were the ones who looked at me like I was the most horrible mom ever. Yeah, whatever. They just wish they'd thought of it! :) It so made Walmart much more do-able with 2 babies!..........and nobody lost their pants either!
