Party time!

Leila is officially a three year old!

This year's party was all about Leila spending time with her friends. We invited a few friends (and family members, of course) to our favorite local park. A very low key, low stress party. Certainly not Pinterest worthy, and nobody cared, not even me.

The kids played, ate pizza, played, ate cake, played, and then had a meltdown. Typical three year old stuff.

And this...well, let's just say it scared the crap out of one dad-to-be.

Terrifying, hilarious, and adorable at the same time.

Oh, and this guy, he just about ruined the party when he flew off to Never Land at the end of the evening. (Whoops.) Leila was heard screaming, "That was my favorite balloon of my birthday ever!", and "It's NOT OKAY!", and possibly even, "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to." (Okay, not really.)

Apparently, Aunt Val said the magic words. She promised to search all night and that she'd call Jake if she couldn't find him. I have a very good feeling she found him. (Best sister ever!)

Leila is officially THREE! Or as those of us with three year old girls like to call it...a threenager.  (Wish me luck!)

THREE cheers for Leila!

Today you are three. 

Three years ago, I held you for the very first time. Three years ago, our lives were changed forever. Three years ago, I was the one receiving a gift.

Today you are three. You will be showered with attention, hugs, and gifts from the people who love you. You deserve every smile, every laugh, and every second of happiness, as you bring joy to so many.

Your friendliness does not go unnoticed. Your little voice gets heard. Your energy is contagious. 

People love to be around you. I love to be around you. This has not changed in three years.

Today you are three. No longer my baby, but still my favorite girl, and always my only Leila.

Happy birthday! I love you! 

Love, Mommy

Countdown to THREE! {Leila can...}

Leila amazes me with what she know and what she can do. Although she's almost THREE, I still see her as a toddler. She has changed so much this year!

Leila can climb almost anything, and she'll try to also! She's got pretty good balance too and loves walking on curbs. She can swing on the big kid swing, run, hop with two feet, throw a ball, and dance like a maniac. 

Leila can recognize some of the letters in her name and a few in our names, as well as some random numbers. She will attempt to write it too (see the green writing on the top corner of the second picture). She blew Jeff away when her little lines actually formed a "M" for Mommy the other day!

She can count to 14 most days then skips to 18, 19, 20. She's so proud of herself when she does.

Leila can draw a pretty decent stick figure if she wants to. Her favorite person to draw is Peter Pan, of course.

She can make her brother laugh by simply looking at him the right way. Really, she can make everybody laugh! When she gets a compliment on her sunglasses she'll flip them up and give the biggest smile. Her hand gestures are funny in them self, let alone the grown up sounding words that come with them. "Great idea", "This is gonna be so exciting!", and "I can't do anything." always crack me up.

Leila can make a friend out of anybody, even if he's imaginary. (Think Peter Pan and Elmo).

She can eat with a fork and spoon but prefers her fingers every time. She drinks out of a "big girl cup" most of the time and even helps butter her toast. 

Leila can pick out her own clothes and does her best to match. She can finally put on her own underwear and pants. She can put on most pairs of shoes but still sometimes puts them on the wrong feet.

Leila can give the best hugs. She can be sweet and sassy, needy and independent...just like a typical THREE year old.

Countdown to THREE {Leila's personality}

There is no doubt about it, Leila is almost three. One minute she's happy and carefree, and the next she's stomping her foot and coming up with an excuse why she can't to do something. Three minutes later she's forgotten her tantrum and is showing off her independence. In the next ten minutes she'll be bossing you around, squealing, playing pretend, and talking, talking, talking.

She's just about the friendliest kid I know. She'll approach any child, calling them her "friend", and then is disappointed when they are shy or not as friendly as her. On the other hand, I catch her playing by herself at the park and she's perfectly content.

Ask her what her name is and she'll tell you Tinker Bell. Her imagination is out of this world. Just don't try to imagine things for her because she's quick to disagree with your creativity.

Leila is a little ball of energy! At three years old she weighs 26 pounds and is just under 3 feet tall. I have no doubt that she'll be short all her life like me.

Check out these short videos of Leila just being Leila. I can't think of a more appropriate way to share Leila's personality. 

Leila is easy to be around! I love being her mom!

Happy half-birthday Carson!

Whoa. These last couple of months flew by, and somehow, my baby turned six months old.

Look at those toes!

For me, six months is really the beginning of baby-hood. So many "firsts" happen right around six months...

First time sitting the the stroller without the car seat.

First time swimming. I love that he can wear sunscreen now!

First time he slept through the night, although it hasn't happened again.

First food- avocado.

Stats: I've been borrowing my friend's baby scale to weigh him weekly and I'm happy to say he weighs 14 lbs 6 oz! His 6 month appointment is not for two more weeks but I am excited to hear his "official" growth stats. He is wearing 3-6 month clothes depending on the style. They seem to make t-shirts so big (3 months) and he's wearing 6 month onesies. In pants/shorts he can wear some 6 month and 3 month bottoms depending on the length. I put him in a pair of 3 month elastic pants the other day and they were snug but long. Other bottoms are way to short in the 3 month size but fall off his waist. Carter's brand ( 6 months) seem to fit him the best.

Eating: Carson nurses every 3 1/2 to four hours, and since his doctor appointment with little-to-no weight gain, he drinks a 3 ounce bottle after the four daytime nursing sessions. He started solids at 5 1/2 months and his first food was avocado. Since then I have also introduced sweet potatoes, but due to a rash by his elbow (allergy related?) he's back to just avocado until it clears up. I am offering him a sippy cup of water with his meals too. He'll get the hang of it eventually.

Activities and Milestones:  This guy is all smiles! He is obsessed with his sister and tends to always keep her within view. He likes to play in the Exersaucer, sit in the Bumbo, and push and roll himself around the family room. We took down the swing last week and am happy to have some space back!

Just this week he started sitting up. He's still a little shaky and topples over after getting too excited. In my opinion, this is a HUGE milestone. He loves his new view and I love not feeling like I need to lay on the floor to look him in the eye.

He's also started getting up on all fours and rocking back and forth. I'm not expecting crawling any time soon but it is great to see he has the strength to lift his body up.

Sleeping: ...like a Rock Star! Well, at least his naps are awesome. He naps at 8:15 and then again around 12/1 for about two hours each nap. (About twice a week he takes 3 naps.) Hooray for sleep training! It has made a huge difference for all of us.

His bedtime is between 6:30 and 7:00 pm depending on the time he woke up from his nap/ if he took a third nap. He usually falls asleep while nursing, but if he doesn't it's no big deal...he can put himself to sleep! He wakes up with the birds but is fine chilling in his crib until about 6:30 am (sunrise). Just this past week he went from waking two times at night to just once. Awesome. Sleeping through the night is just around the corner.

He's not always smiling, but almost!

Discovering the grass. He did not want to be on that blanket!

Happy half-birthday Carson!