Henry 7 Months Old

It's been a great month with Henry.  The biggest change we've seen in him is he is now sitting up well and stable.  It's so nice to be able to sit him up on a blanket to play.  He really likes sitting in the playroom alongside his brother and sister and letting them entertain him.  He just loves to watch them and particularly lights up when Grace is with him because she pays the most attention to him and is always bringing him whatever she thinks he needs.  He gets bored with baby toys quickly but, like most babies, prefers any "non" toy.  He is rolling all over the place now too.  It is not infrequent to lay him down for tummy time on a blanket and in ten minutes see that he has rolled half way across the room.  As a result of all his rolling he is sleeping on his side a lot more at night but will frequently flip onto his back and wake himself up and cry.  He's not been sleeping as solidly at night the past couple months.  He seems to have gotten into a habit of being hungry and wanting to nurse at night.  We are trying to give him more solid foods however he is only interested for dinner and is pretty picky.  Amazingly he only likes vegetables and rice cereal, and will not eat any of the several fruits we've tried to give him!  It is so funny how stubborn he can be on this!  He is starting to drink water from a sippy cup a little though and likes that.

 Henry continues to be a snuggler and a smiler.  He smiles his big beaming grin at anyone who talks to him, even perfect strangers at the grocery store, church, etc.  He loves the attention.  He also loves to be held a lot!  It's so sweet putting him down for naps..he just wants to be held and rocked for 5-10 minutes and then he's sounds asleep.  He will not go to sleep well in a swing, carseat, etc, he wants to be held and snuggled,  and we are enjoying snuggling with all his sweetness every day!!!!

First Day of Preschool

 Nicholas and Grace had their first day at their new preschool last week.  Nicholas is in Pre-K this year and Grace is in an 18-24 month class.  He will be going four mornings a week and she will be going two mornings each week.  They both seem to really like their teachers and their classmates and have gotten the year off to a great start!

Walking in to school together

Nicholas' teacher helping him find his cubby

Nicholas signing his name in for class

Grace went straight for the blocks

And of course the cars too!

And she also enjoyed making a pretty picture

Henry 6 Months Old

Henry is half a year old already and continues to be as sweet as ever!  Each day he seems to change from the day before.  He has become so playful.  He has found his toes and likes to put his feet in his mouth.  He is rolling all over now, both directions.  He is always in another spot in the bed or on the blanket than where you left him and he has even started sleeping on his side a lot more.  He will reach and pick up toys or his paci and put them in his mouth.  He continues to be entertained by his big brother and sister.  He likes to play with mommy's hair while nursing.  He will sit up on his own for about 10 seconds before toppling over but is getting stronger each day.  He still very rarely ever cries and will just grunt and groan if he is hungry or tired.  He weighs just over 17lbs and is 26 inches long, wearing 9 month clothing.  He had several firsts this month including, his first visit road trip to Virginia to meet many relatives for the first time, his first cold and conjunctivitis, and he started eating solid foods for the first time.  He was really eager to start food and caught on right away.  He continues to be a very smiley baby and such an easy one to care for.  We love you sweet Henry!

Grace 23 Months Old

I've gotten behind on Grace's monthly updates but she has been doing great...a very busy bee these days!  Here's what is new with her in the past 3 months.
* She talks up a storm!!!  She speaks in 4-5 + word sentences now and will have a conversation with you.  She likes to say "K" or "sure" as well as "'cause..." when asked to explain something.  It seems she uses several new words a day.  She pronounces Nicholas and Henry clearly now and has started calling Shawn and I "mom" and "dad."
*  She is very independent...as an almost 2 year old is expected to be I guess.  She likes to say "My do it" for buckling car seat straps, putting on shoes, clothes, etc.
*  She still loves clothes.  She changes her clothes several times a day and it is usually to put on Nicholas' clothes..she is obsessed with wearing his clothes.  When I pick a dress for her to wear though she does like to say "I choose diaper cover to match" and promptly does so :-) 
*  She imitates EVERYTHING Nicholas says and does.  She wears his clothes, requests a "construction story please" at night, and pretends her arm is a "big crane" to carry her dolls, toys, lift food, etc.  She absolutely adores her big brother and loves spending time with him.  They love to chase each other around the house and build blocks together.  Last week she even asked "Me go time out too?" to be with him.
*  She is also very loving and attentive to Henry.  She likes to talk to him, tickle him, sing and "read" to him.  She makes her babies do everything he does including "tummy time" and "nurse."  She always tries to comfort him when he fusses and will often say "shhhh Henry" or "what is it Henry?"  She greets him every morning by saying "morning sunshine!"
*  She enjoys reading and requests books by name now.  Her favorite right now is "My Pink Prayer Purse Book."
 *  She can be stubborn.  She has started purposely testing us and has thrown a few tantrums.
*  She is very busy and never seems to stop when she is awake.  She can still wreck a room in 2 minutes flat ...hence her nickname "tornado" still sticks.
*  She has become very interested in playing in her play kitchen and frequently asks me to come "have a tea party."
*  She can be shy when first meeting someone but usually warms up quickly.
* She is a good napper (2-3hrs per day) and sleeps 12 hrs at night.
*  She has been interested in "going potty" for 5-6 months now but isn't quite ready for potty training I don't think.  She is a bit confused.....she thinks she can stand at the toilet to go (once again imitating her brother) and when she does sit she, for some reason, squeezes her little belly button to try to go....it is quite the sight!
*  She can count to 10 (though sometimes forgets 9 :-)
*  She is a creature of habit and thrives on routine.
*  Everyday she does something to make us laugh and say "Gracie you are tooo much..we love you!"

Always on the go.

Her and her baby while mommy is nursing Henry

She still LOVES to swing and have me sing songs to her while I push.

Bath time "swimming"

Reading time in her room

This is a typical picture of Grace...wearing Nicholas' clothes over her own, with Henry's paci in her mouth, and a kitchen bowl on her head.

Here she is showing me the "water sluice" she made....another term she's learned from her brother.

Happy Birthday Nicholas!

We celebrated Nicholas' 4th birthday with a party for him at the Roswell Riverside Sprayground.  It was so nice of Grandma and Grandpa and cousin Brittany to drive in from Missouri to be there to celebrate with us, not to mention several other good friends of ours from the Atlanta area.  The party was CONSTRUCTION themed,  at Nicholas' request.  I made his cake, Shawn made two flavors of homemade ice cream (peach and vanilla), and we had Moe's cater a lite meal.  The kids enjoyed playing in the water fountains as well as on the playground.  Nicholas and several of the little boys spent a lot of time pushing around his new Tonka dump truck and front loader that we gave him for his birthday.  A friend of ours who is a Roswell Fireman even brought the firetruck by for the kids to see and sit in!  What a treat!  Of course we all sang Happy Birthday and he blew out the candles.  The weather was beautiful and fun was had by all!  Happy Birthday Buddy!

Thanking Mr. Ty (Finley's dad) for coming and bringing the firetruck

Grandpa with his granddaughter.....makes my heart melt!

Little sister always keeping up with big brother...she of course loves construction as well!

Chocolate construction cake...mmmm!