HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZACH!

3 YEARS OLD!

A few from the weekend...

Spring is Here...

...and we are enjoying every minute of it. We have had a great time getting back outside and trying new playgrounds. Zach loves to climb structures and pretend to be a fireman. Caleb is enjoying the sunshine and fresh air, and as you can see he is learning to eat like a big boy. Mommy and daddy are enjoying the chance to take much needed runs in the sun. My classes are coming to an end for the semester so I have had lots of projects. All three of my boys have been very patient in giving me the time to get my work done. So thankful! Zach starts soccer tomorrow and Caleb and I will be his cheerleaders from the sidelines. Stay tuned for pictures of our little soccer player. For now enjoy some from Easter and other fun spring happenings.

First time on the metro-sitting with Papere.

Smithsonian Kite Festival

Zach is pretending to be mommy working on a paper.

Easter morning!

Cherry Blossoms!

Hunting for eggs. It looks like the person recording this video may have had too many Easter mimosas!

Checking In...

The days are full without much time to stop and write about it. Time is precious with little ones growing so quickly. Zach continues to amaze us with his love and patience with Caleb. They are always making each other laugh. Caleb will be 5 months at the end of this week. He is working on sitting up for longer periods of time, which gives him a new view of the world and allows him to feel more involved in the activities going on all around him. We are going to be introducing solids soon as he is one hungry little guy.

Zach is wearing a sweater that Aunt Sarah made for him. So beautiful, warm, and cozy.

Thanks Sarah!

We went on a mini vacation to Bethany Beach earlier this month. The beach is always so beautiful in the winter. Here is Zach taking in the ocean views.

Zach would like to read your a story:

Has It Been 3 Months Already?

Caleb is 15 weeks now and is such a joy to have in the family. He is full of joy, always blessing us with his many smiles. He is content to play and giggles while he works on grasping at his toys. He is so patient with me while I often need to put him down to help Zach with something. Such a good second child! He has been rolling over from back to tummy since he was 12 weeks and I am sure tummy to back is coming any day now.

He is a great little sleeper too! Much like his brother he does so well when we swaddle him up. He goes to bed at 6:30 and usually wakes up around 2:00 and 5:00 to eat and then goes right down. He has been an early riser so daddy gets up with him and they have a little bonding and play time until Zach and I roll out of bed a while later. He is working on sleeping in a little bit later now though which I know Andy appreciates. He has developed a consistent 9:00 nap so hopefully the afternoon nap times will start to become more consistent as well.

He has the most beautiful blue eyes that light up a room and right now it looks like he may be a red head. Too cute! He is still our little guy. He only weighs 11 lbs and 14 oz which puts him around the 5th percentile. His Dr. is not concerned though. He told us that he likes to look at babies from a Gestalt perspective (I love this use of the Gestalt concept) and he sees him as being very healthy. We know that the low weight is mostly due to the reflux. We certainly don't expect him to be a big baby, but we are trying to help him keep more down in the hopes that he will put on a bit more weight.

Caleb, you make our lives so special. Your precious personality melts our hearts and you are truly a joy to be around. Daddy, Zach and I are so thankful to have you in our family. We love watching you grow and learn about the world around you. We look forward to each day with you, and learning more about who you are.

The Big Three

No, I am not referring to the number of times I have actually made it to the gym since Caleb has been born, or even the number of hours of sleep I got last night. The Big Three are what I have named the three major milestones that I wanted to help Zach accomplish before he turned three-years-old this coming April. Those milestones were: getting rid of the pacifiers that he slept with at night, moving out of his crib and into a big boy bed, and potty-training.

I decided that the pacifiers had the be the first to go. It was way past time! I had been putting this off because he is such an incredible sleeper. I was afraid that taking these away would make it harder for him to fall asleep and take the great naps that he and I have both come to depend on to get through our day.

On January 1st we did it! We started talking about it a few days earlier. We told him that since he was such a big boy now he really didn't need those pacis anymore so it would be great if we could pass them on to a baby that really needs them. Since this is my blog I get to brag about my kids so I can say that he is such a caring little guy so we decided to appeal to his heart on this one. Even though he looks a little skeptical in this picture he was quite excited to put his pacis in the box and send them on.

Zach and mommy walking to the mailbox.

Proudly walking back home after doing such a brave thing.

Once we realized he was willing to continue being a great sleeper, even without those little plastic crutches, it was time for the big boy bed.

Wearing his hard hat and showing his screwdriver after he helped daddy put the bed together.

That was a lot of work! He is ready for a nap!

The transition went great. He loves his new bed and he is still a wonderful sleeper. Victory!

Potty training is the final step. So far Zach is doing well and his parents are being totally inconsistent. Stay tuned...