Um excuse me? Where did July go? I swear this month out of every month thus far has just flown by! How can we already be in August? Due to its accelerated speed terrible blogger me has once again neglected this blog. The kids are getting ginormous, memories are being made daily, and we are soaking up the summer. In all honesty we have been here there and everywhere. Each of our weekends have been full of activities, visiting family and friends, and just plain busy. We are enjoying being so active now as we know as the winter approaches the rush will slow down and we will be stranded at home more often.
So to recap the month of July we celebrated our first 4th of July as a family of 5. We took a trip down to Pittsburgh to celebrate Brian's grandfathers (the kids great grandfather) 80th birthday with extended family. We spent time during the weeks and some weekends at the cabin at the land having visitors and relaxing as much as one can with 3 children. We had several Dr. appointments, our first ER experience (thanks N!), a foster care family cookout, did some swimming at the rec center and in the backyard kiddie pool, several zoo trips, took our first family trip to Cedar Point, and have been growing leaps and bounds.
N's speech took off in the month of July at 23 months old. He calls for and greets us as "mama" and "dada" now routinely. He says "all gone" or "all done", "baby", "outside", "cold" and of course our most loved word "No!" which is to everything while he continues to say his old phrase "go away" which was his first word (yes we know it's two words but it was his first words!). He has been more purposely affectionate with us and seeks comfort and wants to be held more often. He still maintains a very independent adventurous personality and is always trying to make us laugh. His "silly eyes" he does cracks us all up! His 2 year old molars have made their debut which has meant him wanting to chew on everything with his back teeth. Our biggest success was him getting his own room and graduating to his big boy toddler bed. We have not had any issues with his transition which was surprising but I guess he was just ready! Our next goal in the near future is potty training however we are hesitating with starting because his speech is delayed and we have been waiting for him to start communicating more with words. He is surely hitting a developmental leap right now which is fun and exciting to see as he is piecing together how the world works. He turns the big 2 in a little over two weeks from now and rumor has it 2 year olds are just the best :)
Baby E took her first unassisted 5-6 steps in a row at 10 months old. She's a bit on the lazy side and could take off walking if she so desired but she's satisfied to take a step here or there and then simply dive towards whatever she wants or wherever she wants to go. She is one of the fastest crawlers I have ever witnessed. She can crawl up stairs and is trying to climb everything in sight. She has mimicked the words "choo choo", "again", and "bye" and now has a successful arm wave. Her favorite hobby is ripping up and eating paper or wipes so she is not lacking in fiber these days. Once she gets something in her mouth it's darn impossible to get it out with her 6 teeth and the 2 new ones coming in as she clenches them down. She is constantly getting herself in predicaments and in trouble but is quick to flash her dimpled smile to seek forgiveness. She is now eating a lot of table food with us and has had no allergies or problems. She has the craziest curly hair that is tame-able when it has a bow in it but otherwise it's a wild jungle. It is unbelievable how more and more she is becoming a toddler!
Wills at his Dr. appointment mid July was up to 17 lbs 2 oz. and is completely filling out 6-9 month clothes at 4 months old. He's a big boy and so tall. Breastfeeding has been a breeze and he's obviously not lacking in my supply! He has been more fussy than usual but we can see his top teeth descending down to his gum line so it's understandable. He is rolling and scooting around and so alert. He has one of the best full open mouth smiles that honestly can bring tears to my eyes! He is so alert and always watching his older siblings and taking mental notes I'm sure. When he is placed in a sitting position he can hold himself up for several long seconds before falling over. He is Mr. Talker as he is a chatter box that coo's and chats away. His personality is so sweet, happy, and always smiley. He even complains and whines with a smile! He is always attacking his fingers with his mouth and so slobbery these days, likely due to impending teeth. It is unbelievable with him too how big he has seemed to suddenly become just in the past month alone!
