The day has come...

I knew this day would come but I had hoped we'd be the ones leaving first. A few weeks ago, Addie's friend, Bennett, moved to a new house. Since it's still pretty cold out, it hasn't been much different than normal but I know once the weather is nice more frequently, it's going to be harder to have him so far away.

I have never seen two 3 year olds have such a relationship like Addie and Bennett. It has been this way since they first starting playing together about two years ago! They pray for each other, talk about each other, and ask for each other almost every single day. They don't always get a long, they definitely have their moments but they really do care about each other and they really are good friends.

Addie is always reminding us that "Bennett is going to marry her" (not that she is going to marry Bennett) in the big white temple and they are going to have pink carrot cake.

I know that we will continue to see him and that they can be friends as long as they like but I know things will never be as they have been the last few years. They will go on to have other friends, new experiences and lots of other things that don't involve the other one. It makes me a little sad to know that her best buddy is not just a couple doors down and that they won't be around to just hang out with and play with outside this summer/spring.

The only good thing about this, is that it's going to force Addie to be more social and friendly with the other kids around here, and there are many! I know that good friends coming and going are just part of life but I never really expected I'd be dealing with it with my three year old!

I hope that someday, she will look back on these posts about them and remember what good friends they are (or were).

Will Loves Technology!

Will is taking after his dad. He loves phones, cameras, computers and especially remotes! Check out this video we took of him the other day. Anytime a remote is around, he can't take his eyes off it!

Will is five months!

Will is five months old and is still the sweetest little boy ever! Don't you just LOVE that face?!

We were just at the Dr. the other day and he is now weighing in at 13 lbs. 13 oz. so he's kind of slowed down on the weight gain. We still aren't doing much in the way of solids but we have discovered that he loves baby oatmeal. He'll eat a couple of bowls (tablespoons) of it!

He still loves to eat his hands and now loves to eat his clothes, shirts, pajamas, etc. Pretty much anything he can get in his mouth. His shirts are constantly soaked from eating them.

Despite the fact that he's been chomping on his hands for months, he all of a sudden has discovered them and will be playing then all of a sudden just be staring at his hands. It's hilarious.

He does not love sitting in the Bumbo seat. I think it puts too much pressure on his tummy and is always making him spit up. Whenever he is in it, he's always arching his back or trying to find a way to get out.

He is such a good little guy. He's always happy to see us and gives us the biggest smiles. He loves to talk and make noises and he loves to play with his toys. I love his sweet little face- I just can't get enough sometimes!

Addie

Addie is such a funny girl. We love her to death and she is continually cracking us up with the things she says and does. She is like a sponge and we are learning that we have to be very careful about what we do or say or we'll catch her repeating it to us or her animals/dolls. She is constantly saying things like, "are you kidding me?" and "oh my goodness or oh my gosh"! It's funny to hear.

She never acts her age. She's always mothering someone- whether it's her animals, Will or her friends. She's always chomping on gum like she's a teenager or talking on the phone and doing something else at the same time. Or crossing her legs. It's hilarious most of the time. Usually the only time she ever acts like a 3 year old is when she's tired and needs to go to bed!

She still has a fantastic imagination. She always has her dogs (stuffed beanie babies), Dodger and Lily, and she now has a baby doll named Gracie that goes everywhere with us. She feeds her (real food), talks to her, plays with her and sleeps with her.

Most of the time she still refers to herself in the third person (i.e. Addie likes this, Addie needs to do this). We think it stems from her Elmo watching back when she was little. It's cute but hopefully we can get her to start referring to herself as I soon.

She's still doing tumbling class and doing great. She can now do a somersault without using her hands and can hold her headstand up against the wall for a few seconds. It's been really great to see her actually do the things she's learning.

She is continuing to be such a good big sister to Will. She loves playing with him and he absolutely loves watching her. She loves him so much and is always telling him how sweet and cute he is.

She loves to sing. She sings all day long. Most of the time I have no idea what she's singing- it's just made up words usually to the tune of a Primary song. I don't think she even realizes she's singing half of the time.

She brings so much happiness to our home. Love you Pook!

March!

March has been a little bit of a slow month for us, as you can tell by the lack of blog posts!

We've had some warmer temperatures (albeit a little windy) so we've been able to spend some time outside. Will usually hangs out in his car seat! It's been nice to get some good weather. We are really looking forward to spring and summer!

Rice Cereal!

Will had his first taste of rice cereal this weekend. He still isn't quite sure about it- but he did actually eat some of it!

Addie helped feed him a few bites (She is copying me when she says, "What do you think?"- she's such a little mother)! She always talks an octave higher when she talks to him (again, copying me most of the time)!

Story Time

The other day, Will was sitting in his Bumbo seat and Addie was playing. I was doing something on the computer when I turned around and found her reading to him. I have no idea what she's saying (she likes to make up words, songs, stories, etc) but I thought it was so sweet that she was "playing" with him and he seemed to be enjoying it!

Four Months!

It's hard to believe that Will is already four months old! He is a very happy and sweet little boy. He loves to watch all the action going on around him and is constantly smiling and laughing. He loves to squeal and talk and make lots of noise and sounds. We love having him around.

I took him a few weeks ago for his 4 month check. He is currently 13 lbs (about 16th percentile) and about 26" long (about 78th percentile). So, he's long and lean like his big sister. He still loves to eat and is always happy to see his bottle! We are finally able to go 3 hours between feedings (most of the time) during the day. His head is in the 40th percentile so much smaller than Addie's (hers was always in the 70's and 80th percentile) although, his head shape is different so it looks bigger. We finally had to put up all the 0-3 month clothes (so sad) and he is already in a size 2 diaper! He's growing way too fast!

His reflux seems to be under control but still there. We have had to increase his medication a few times in the last few months but things are going well and his constant diaper rash is pretty much gone now. He's still on the super expensive formula but we're hoping around 6 months we can try and switch to some of the less expensive stuff.

Some things about Will at four months...

He still constantly eats and sucks on his fingers and hands. This means soaking wet collars on all his shirts! He also loves to try and grab his shirts and put them in his mouth.

He is enjoying his toys- he loves to hold them and put him in his mouth and he loves looking at the ones hanging from his carseat handle. He will even sit up in his swing or bouncer to try and reach them on the tray.

He is finally starting to tolerate being on his tummy. He's getting good at holding himself up and looking around. It usually results in a lot of drool and spit up though.

He is getting pretty close to rolling from back to tummy- he's just got a little more to figure out but he sure tries.

He still doesn't love to put weight on his legs but he will do it from time to time. So different from Addie! She was putting weight on them at 2 weeks!

He loves the TV! If he's in viewing distance, his attention is usually fixed on it! He loves it when Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is on- he always gets really excited when Mickey comes on!

Still loves his baths- and he gets one pretty much every night as part of his bedtime routine- mostly to wash off all the spit up!

As you've seen in other posts, he LOVES Addie. She is constantly in his face but she loves him so much and is so sweet with him. She is usually running circles around him and he loves to just sit and watch her. He also loves his Dad- he saves his biggest smiles and laughs for when Daddy is around.

He HATES getting dressed. Mostly just hates having things put over his head and having his arms put into the sleeves. He pretty much cries every time we get him dressed! He is doing much better with diaper changes though- he hardly ever cries anymore.

He was still napping in my arms for most/all of his naps until about 3 or 4 weeks ago. He was getting harder to keep asleep with all the distractions and my legs and back were starting to bug me so we decided it was time to have him start napping in his crib for all of his naps. Unfortunately, he is not the best napper - he likes to take short 35-45 min. naps most of the time. Since he's not napping well, we've been having to put him to bed anywhere between 5-7pm depending on the naps that day.

Nights are going pretty well for the most part. He usually wakes up for a bottle somewhere between 2-5 and then goes back to sleep till between 6-7:30. I don't love being up that early but he is always so happy and sweet first thing in the morning.

We love you buddy! Thank you for all the happiness and joy you bring to our lives!

Warmer Weather

We've been trying to enjoy the warmer weather as often as we can. The other day, Addie wanted to go sit in her little camping chairs out front. I took Will out to sit on the porch and enjoy some fresh air. It was so nice to spend some time outside! We can't wait for spring!