3 years old

Our spunky, opinionated, and hilarious girl is 3! Two was filled with so much change; she is now very much a little girl. She has stories to tell and opinions to give, both of which she's not shy to share. She can be quiet and observant when put in a new situation but once she warms up to a person or place, she is as happy as can be.

School has been so wonderful for Gabriella. She has a little place that is just hers now and has blossomed so much in just a few months. She adores her teachers and has a few "best friends" including Jacob, Tyler, Finley, Jack, and Natalie. We had them over for a small birthday celebration and listening to a group of 3 year olds talk is one of the funniest things in the world.

Gabriella's favorite things include arts and crafts, imaginary play with characters and dolls, and any sort of messy play (finger painting, splashing, bubbles, etc.). She's very much into princesses as well even though she's never watched a full Disney movie. (That being said, when I asked what she wanted to be for Halloween she said a Prince. And when I asked what she would wear she replied "Nothing. I will be a naked prince running down the road". Ahhh three year olds).

It took her a few months to really start enjoying her role as a big sister but now she is great. She can make Elliot laugh harder than anyone else and talks now about how she wants to share a room and a bunk bed with him like Peppa Pig does with her little brother.

We went through a rough patch over the summer with big tantrums and a lot of sleep problems. We weren't really sure what was going on and discussed possible developmental/ emotional things with our pediatrician. He gave us a lot of good guidance and tips on getting through that stage. He believed that the tantrums were actually being caused by some fine motor skill delays which were causing her to get really frustrated with herself.  Giving her a little extra attention when we saw her getting worked up as well as giving positive reinforcement has really helped.
 
If I've learned anything over the past 3 years it's that every age and stage has it's ups and downs. I know 3 will bring it's fair share of challenges but I love how we can have conversations now and her stories and ideas can be so funny and great to hear. I can't wait to see what else this year brings!

6 months old- Elliot vs Gabriella

Our big boy turned 6 months old last week! I love seeing how different Elliot is compared to Gabriella. I know so many of their differences are because she was so early but it still makes me laugh to compare.

At 6 months old Gabby weighed 11 pounds and 11 ounces.  Today at his 6 month appointment Elliot weighs 19 pounds and is 28 inches long! He is in the 90th percentile for both compared to his sister's 5th :) He's wearing mostly 12 month clothes and size 5 diapers.

He is now sitting independently for short amounts of time. Each time he sits he gets better and better at it and I'm sure a week or two from now he'll be very stable. On his stomach he is trying to figure out crawling. He knows how to roll to get things but he's definitely working on moving. Right now he'll lift his bum up in the air but instead of getting his belly off of the floor too, he ends up pushing his head into the floor which just makes him mad. And honestly, I love the sitting stage but he can hold off crawling for a little longer.... it's nice to put him in one spot and know that he won't get too far too quickly.

He's eating 2-3 times a day, all purees. I tried a puff the other day but he's not quite ready for those yet. Soon enough. He's gone through most fruits and vegetables and his favorites are peas, carrots, apples, and pears. He's not the biggest fan of sweet potatoes by themselves but when they are mixed with another vegetable he seems to like them more. We'll start trying more proteins over the next month including some meats, beans, and egg yolks. I'm sure by 7- 7 1/2 months he'll be ready for less purees and more pieces of little foods.

We're still keeping him milk-free because of his allergy but will try milk products that are cooked (ie: breads made with butter or milk, vegetables cooked with a small amount of butter, etc) as he approaches 9-10 months. The majority of kids outgrow the allergy entirely by the time they are 1 so only time will tell what happens for us!

He is learning how to get attention (yell louder than his sister!) and he can be whining and fussing so loud and then you look at him or pick him up and he gives the goofiest grin because he's gotten what he wants. He is cuddly and sweet and I can't wait to see what his personality will be like as he continues to grow!

Happy October! We'll have a 3 year old soon!!

Sibling love

If you know me you know that my siblings are some of my best friends. When we found out we were expecting Elliot, I was so happy that Gabriella was going to have that same lifelong bond with someone. Someone to be silly with, to make memories with, and to grow with.

As Elliot gets older, their relationship becomes even more fun to watch. He is crazy about her. She was the first person to make him belly laugh and still is the one person that can always make him smile. She loves that he is her perfect audience and now that he likes to play she loves giving him toys.

She has discovered that she can climb into his crib and loves going to get him after his naps...

I know that they will have their fair share of fights but I hope they will always know how special their bond is!

Soccer and sitting

Gabriella started soccer this past weekend! It is the cutest and the funniest thing I have seen in awhile. It's for ages 3-5 and the kids are hilarious. She had the best time and spent most of Sunday talking about it. I am loving all of the activities that are available to her now that she is 3; we are really lucky to live in a town where our parks and rec department offers huge variety of sports at a very affordable price. Soccer runs through the fall and then she'll start ice skating lessons!

School has been going really well too. The transition was easier than I thought it would be and she loves going. She comes home singing songs and telling me little tidbits of her day. We had her very first parent teacher conference last night and they said that she's adjusting perfectly!

Elliot is just a few days shy of 6 months and it getting closer and closer to sitting independently. He can hold himself up for a few seconds and several minutes if he's propped up. He gets frustrated on the ground now because you can tell he just wants to move. It will be interesting to see if he's an early stander/walker because he's trying to keep up with his big sister. Elliot's first year is going by so quickly!

As September winds down, we have a 3rd birthday to look forward to and then the start of the holiday season. I love decorating the house for fall through Christmas. October through December is my favorite time of year!

Have a great Tuesday!

First day of school

It's too soon.

The same words that came to me on that night nearly 3 years ago came to me today as I walked Gabriella into her first day of preschool. How did these years go by so quickly? Where did they go? Wasn't she just the tiny baby that wore hats that fit on apples?

 I know this is just preschool. It's a couple of days a week for just a few hours. But still, watching her walk into school, hang her back pack on her hook, and follow directions from her teachers and play with her classmates, was so overwhelming. Just a few short years ago we didn't know what she'd be able to do and now here she is, doing more than we ever prayed and hoped for.

Most days now I forget that she was so fragile and had to fight for her life for months. She is very much a sassy "threenager" and our day to day lives don't remind me of those early days. Every so often though she'll hit a milestone, or do something, that will bring me back, take my breath away, and make me thank God for just how blessed we are.

As she grows I hope she knows the strength she has inside of her. As I signed her out at the end of the day, Gabriella said to me, "Mommy I had so much fun. That was good!". I did everything I could to hold back tears and said, yes, this is really good.

5 months old

In the blink of an eye, Elliot is 5 months old! It seems like just yesterday we were preparing for him to arrive and yet those early weeks with a very colicky newborn seem like a lifetime ago. Life with 2 kids is hilarious, overwhelming, hectic, and wonderful all at the same time. The moments when Elliot is giggling at Gabriella are simply the best and the moments when both are crying and whining, toys are everywhere, and the laundry pile is neverending, certainly make us feel like we have a dozen kids instead of 2 (seriously though, how can 2 small kids be so noisy???). Gabriella has become quite the little lady and most days we are biting the inside of our cheeks while attempting to discipline her to avoid laughing. It's a crazy circus but I wouldn't trade these monkeys for anything!

Elliot was incredibly colicky in the beginning. For the first 8 weeks, he would cry and was unconsolable from around 6pm until sometimes 1am. It was rough. Many a night were spent walking up and down the road with him. It all came to a head around 8 weeks when he had some serious GI issues and was diagnosed with a milk protein allergy. I have had to eliminate all sources of milk protein in my diet and that changed everything. The colic ended and he is now a happy little boy. His personality is just as big as his sisters; he is as happy as can be until he's not.... then watch out, he'll make it known that he needs some attention.

He is a great sleeper. He sleeps through the night about half the time and the other nights he only wakes up once and usually goes back to sleep very quickly.  His napping is getting better each week and he currently takes his best nap in the morning and then takes 2-3 shorter cat naps in the afternoons.

We've started foods with him recently and so far he's had cereal, bananas, and sweet potatoes. He loved them all although definitely liked the sweet potatoes over the banana. With Gabriella, we had to introduce cereal and foods for the calories. She was so small that she just couldn't get enough calories from breastmilk or formula alone. With Elliot, our pediatrician suggested starting cereal at 5 months not for the calories but simply because his appetite was huge and between bottles and nursing he was taking in almost 40 ounces a day! What a difference having a baby in the 90th percentile is compared to barely being on the growth charts!

Through all the rough days and despite the new gray hairs that come with having two kids, I can't believe that they are mine. A few short years ago this little family was one I could only dream of. So I'll take my almost three year old saying, "Mommy your belly is squishy like your boobies" (thanks kid, your day will come), and I'll take what seems like a constant flow of spit-up on my shoulder. These crazies have my heart.

Elliot's Baptism

We started our holiday weekend with Elliot's Baptism. I am the first to admit that we can do better with going to Church; at the end of the day it is simply being a little lazy that stops us from getting there on a more regular basis. But our faith is important to us and has continued to become even more important as we became parents. Elliot's Baptism was so special and I love the tradition of our sacraments. The priest that baptized both Gabriella and Elliot was the same priest that married us. He is a former golf buddy of my father in law and he is just a really nice, funny, and easy going man.

The weather has been kind of crummy recently so we were a little nervous if our outdoor party was going to happen. But luckily, the sun came out and it was a perfect, mid 70s day and everyone was able to be outside.

A huge thank you to our family that came to celebrate Elliot. It's a lot to ask to travel on a holiday weekend so please know that we loved having you here with us! Here are some pictures from his big day!