Zoe: 7 months

Zo Zo,
I think this month has flown by faster than any so far! You are getting so big, so quick, and I really wish there was a way to slow down time.

You had your very first really bad cold this month. It turned into an ear infection and you had your first dose of antibiotics. Poor girl! You liked to take your antibiotics though, so it wasn't too bad and it seemed to help out quite a bit. Your sleeping skills completely tanked and I am *hoping* that we will slowly get away from the up every 2 hours and actually screaming for 1-2 hours at 3 am before falling back asleep. Just this week, you have done one 6 hour stretch and one 8 hour stretch. You are not consistent at all about it but maybe one day it will get better!

I think you are getting a little separation anxiety. Maybe its because you have been sick most of this month or because you are anxious about your new skills that allow you to have alot of independence. If you see me walk out of the room, you sometimes cry...but if I get out before you see me, you are okay...until you see me walk back in! It breaks my heart...and it makes it really hard to do anything but hold you.

If I have to do something like pull dinner out of the oven, you will make your way by yourself to find me...right up the stairs from the family room (all 4 stairs)! I panicked the first time you did it. You had been protest crying and I started to head back down to get you and almost tripped over you at the top of the stairs. I guess it really is time now for baby gates! But I can't figure out where to get a baby gate that isn't toddler proof since your brother needs to have access to the play room....

You are pulling yourself up on everything now. You like to let go with one hand and balance. It doesn't matter how many times you fall down, you will just get back up and do it again. My favorite thing now is that you like to climb all over Grey...I kept telling him that you would eventually get him back! He thinks its hilarious and will lay down in front of you while saying "Zoe, come climb on me!!"

Besides trying to stand on your own and crawl upstairs, you have also started to wave. It is the straight arm wave but it is definitely a wave :) When someone waves back at you, you get all shy and stick your hand straight into your mouth. You also make this kissing noise to get our attention. If we ask you to blow kisses to us, you will do it too. Soooo sweet :)

You have started doing the cutest thing ever. You have found out how to blow raspberries, but not just the noisy ones while you eat your dinner. You will do it on any exposed skin, most of the time its on my chest/shoulder as I carry you around. You grin and just  keep doing it. Cracks me up!

One of your favorite things to do now is to be upside down. We have to be careful when we hold you as you will just throw yourself back. You love to sit on my lap and hang upside down off of my legs and watch Grey run around. The world must look very interesting from that angle!

Geez, as I write this letter, I keep thinking of more and more new things you are doing. Seriously, how can all this happen in ONE MONTH??? You seriously amaze me. I am in awe...

XOXO,
Momma

I really need to find a time when Grey isn't around to take your picture with the giraffe. He wanted to pose with Elmo too this time.

 This is the only one I got with just you and the giraffe-sorry it's so blurry!!

 Love that grin

 This face is sooo you.

 You are going to have a new auntie. Check out that rock!

 Playing ball with brother and modeling the bow from Paige

 You have been waiting 7 months to do this...

 I could have waited another 7 months before you started doing this...

 and this...you love to crawl over anything you can find...and land on your head on the other side

 Your brother is hysterical

 See! That face again!!

 Trying puffs for the first time

 upside down sleeping...

Happy Birthday to me!

I am officially thirty-onederful now!

My birthday weekend started out with Zippy watching the kids on Saturday while I met Zephy at our cousin Ronnie's house to do our hair (Ronnie is a hairstylist and has an amazing set up in her garage...hair washing station and all. I decided to just let her do what ever she wanted so my hair is now 3 colors (red brown over all, blond highlights, and some darker color underneath). I really like it but of course can't make it look nearly as good as she did when she styled it!

 
While I was gone, the kids and Zippy were busy prepping my birthday dinner and baking a yummy cake. Grey picked it out all on his own: dark chocolate cake, with chocolate icing with chocolate chips, and strawberries on top! It was delicious :) Grey let me blow out the candle the first time and then wanted to sing again and blow the candle out. Here he is singing happy birthday, he is almost as good of a singer as I am!

Grevin: 2.5 Years

Dear Grevin:
We are officially half way through the "terrible twos."  Lucky for us, they have not been "terrible" in the way of you misbehaving all the time but more  it is just incredible how much energy you have. Will you please share some with me?? From the second you wake up until the moment you go to bed, you are running, jumping, skipping, galloping, hopping, climbing, moving, moving and moving.You run laps around the house. Just for fun. Giggling the whole time!

You have jumped into the role of big brother like you didn't know anything different. Now that Zoe is moving, you are not 100% sure of sharing your toys but will find something for her to play with if she has something that you want. You also are her defender. We were with a bunch of other kids, one of them took a toy from Zoe, and you made sure to raise the biggest stink until he gave it back to her. You could care less if someone takes something from you (most of the time) but they better watch out when they mess with your sister! Most of the time you are really gentle with her but there are some times that you just can't control your energy and you tackle her to the ground in an attempt to give her a hug and kiss. Luckily, she thinks this is hilarious but it lands you in at least one time out a day. You are trying to teach her things now too. Like how to walk. How to climb stairs. How to use sign language. You have to try her food before she eats it, you want to make sure its not poisoned, right?

You have been wearing big boy underwear now for almost 2 weeks. I can't believe how easy it has been. Like many things, we have been dreading making a transition with you but you take change with ease. You seriously amaze me with your easy going, adaptive attitude. Something new? BRING IT ON you say!

We started gymnastics a couple weeks ago and you have found your place. Anywhere you can run, jump, hang off of things, bear crawl, test your strength and balance is a good place for you! You are the only boy out of the 5 kids in the class and the other mom's always giggle when it is your turn to do something. The girls just don't have your energy level and they laugh as you just fling your body into what ever you are doing with no thoughts or cares in the world. Like the other day, we were on the long trampoline and the teacher was having every one do different kinds of jumps all the way down the trampoline and then land on their feet on the mat. Every time you would start jumping, the teacher would remind you what you needed to do and as you would try to do it (a tuck jump) you would go flying one way then another, falling backwards, falling onto the mats on the side, with the biggest grin on your face and kept trying even though you couldn't quite tuck and land back on your feet. As you got to the end, you would FLING your body head first into the mat and body slam yourself to the ground. Part of me says I need to teach you to control this crazy energy but then again, I do not want you to lose it either. There will be a day when it will be gone and I will miss it.

You are really getting into the swing of things at school. There were a couple days of tears when you were not feeling well but it didn't take long to get over that. You come home singing songs, wanting to play with your play-do, and telling us how much fun you had playing. Your teacher says you spend most of your indoor time though cleaning up the whole bin of blocks you like to dump out. Outdoors, you are climbing, sliding, and of course riding the scooter which is your favorite.

You are sleeping in your big boy room and have started to request that we leave your door open. Not really sure where this came from but you still stay in bed and yell "daddy, I am awake" in the morning and don't even try to get out of bed. At night, you are starting to read your books to us. I am usually putting Zoe down and I love to listen to your cute little voice through the wall "bwown, baw, bwown baw, what u see?" or "plan the woad, plan the woad, mawk it on the map, ping pang tap!" You are growing up so much!!

You fill our lives with so much positive intense energy. Our days are full of laughter and teasing. We are so lucky to watch you grow into a big boy!

XOXO
Momma

Lovin' on ZJ

 Making silly faces with Auntie

Such a silly boy!

Happy 91st Birthday, Great Grandpa!

We helped Great Grandpa celebrate his 91st birthday this weekend. It was beautiful afternoon hanging out with the great grandparents, grandparents, aunties and uncles!

Grey with the birthday boy

Cheesy faces from Rory and Tyler

 Zoe loved Uncle Tyler's stubble

 Tickle fight with great grandpa

Baby Giggles

No one can make her giggle like her brother!!

Zoe masters the stair

Grammie and Grandpa have this ONE stair at their house that our kids both have loved. Grey loved to go up and down as soon as he learned how to crawl. Zoe has been using it to pull herself into a standing position.  Now, Grey has been showing Zoe the magic of the stair. It didn't take her long to master it.  Watch out world!!

Grey: Potty Champion!!

Grey continues to amaze me every single day. We have been practicing the potty for awhile, running around naked any chance we could get, usually just for an hour or two before bed. Well, he had been going without any accidents so we decided to try underwear full time (diapers still at nap/bedtime) on Friday morning.  By Monday, he was wearing underwear everywhere-to the store, park, friends' house, with only two potty accidents and he would go even without us prodding him. I am sooo very proud of my big boy.

Zoe is pulling up

Oh, Zoe. I can't believe you are growing up so fast! I am never sure where I am going to find you or what you have gotten yourself into :) Your brother was playing with my half marathon medal (from 5 years ago...still can't believe I did a half marathon...maybe again someday). You thought it was the coolest thing ever. You carried it around the house with you everywhere!

 You didn't want me to keep taking pictures of you or you were afraid I would take your treasure so you turned your back on me! Stinker!

 You love it when daddy helps you "walk"

 Now you are trying to pull up.on.everything. The stairs are your favorite since they are an easy height. You keep trying to figure out how to crawl up them but can't quite get that leg up on to the stair...and you try to chew on the stair...yuck!

 You found that you could pull up on your toy too!

 "look, momma! one hand!" I love the puckered lips :)

 Next up, the scooter.....

 All this hard work is exhausting!!

Trying to climb the stairs...