twelve months

Size: E is in size 4 diapers and 12-18 month clothes. Some of her 6-12 month clothes still fit (or fit for the first time!) as she's starting to thin out and get taller, though I'm incredibly sad to see those thighs slim down! - A week after turning one, I took Ezra into her 12 month well check appointment. 20 pounds, in the 73%ile for weight and 28 inches, in the 31%ile for height. (Her head circumference was somewhere in the 90th percentile) While in weight, she is still above average, she had actually lost weight from her previous check up and hadn't grown in height - her growth charts took a dive. The only explanation we could think of was that she had previously been sick - wanting to eat less solids, nurse more and had more poopy diapers than normal. But to lose weight? To not grow in height? The doctor recommended that we adjust her diet and bring her back in a few weeks to be weighed and measured again. So that's where we are now - the waiting phase.

Eat: Ezra is nursing 4-5 times a day and eating solids 3-4 times. I have loved my nursing experience with her and am no where near ready to see it end, but I do see us weaning down to 2-3 feedings in the next month or so. She loves Cheerios (and probably eats too many), oatmeal, all fruit, cottage cheese, applesauce, lunch meat, sweet potatoes, beans, carrots... Basically, she likes everything but avocado and scrambled eggs, both, I think, due to texture. She's always been a champ eater and I have so appreciated that about her!

Teeth: There are 5 and a half teeth in that big smile of hers! Her fourth top tooth has broken skin and made its appearance and then disappeared again. There are a couple teeth on the bottom that are at the surface, too (a bottom right premolar is making its debut!) but thankfully, they don't seem to be bothering her.

Sleep: Miss Ezra is still sleeping through the night! I was worried that all our traveling this last month would throw off her schedule - we were home for only 6 days between 11 months and 12! Thankfully, though, she has remained a great sleeper despite the time, schedule and location changes. She goes down for bed around 7 and is up for the day around 6:30. She is taking 2 naps a day - a morning nap around 8 and an afternoon nap around, well, noon! Occasionally she'll take just one nap, if she sleeps in in the morning or we're forced out the door before she gets a chance to go down, and she usually does alright with that - she doesn't mind snoozing a little on the go - and maybe we'll make the transition to just one nap soon, but for now we're all ok with two ;)

Milestones: This girl is walking all over the place! She'd tell you there's a learning curve to walking in hard soled shoes outside, but she is constantly just trying to keep up with her brother. I'm not used to how fast she is and am always surprised to see her when I turn around to leave a room - how did she get there so quickly?! There's no where she can't get, climb up on or get stuck in! She's back to talking a little - dada, momma, doll - and signing - more, all done, eat, nurse - and is starting to shake her head 'yes' or 'no' in response to something we ask or say. She understands so much and it is such a joy to watch her learn every day! "Show me!", "can I have it?", "will you bring it to me?", "go get your ____" ...she is always responding appropriately to our little commands and requests! She claps, hides, gives "loves" and kisses, shows us 1 on her fingers when we ask her how old she is, shows us her arm span when we ask her how big she is and sings "The More We Get Together" in sign language (I have no idea how she came to start doing this other than she's seen Uriah and I do it at story time. She just started doing it one day in her high chair in Alaska and sings it all the time now!)

Likes: Our little GIRL loves just that - all things girly! Her baby dolls are her favorite toys and she spends most of her time giving them loves, rocking them, singing to them, toting them around... It is such a fun and interesting thing to watch the inmate differences between a boy and a girl! She loves Uriah's superheroes, most specifically Ultron and Iron Man (just yesterday she was hugging him and rocking him!). She loves her walker, though she uses it as a doll stroller, now. She's always pulling books from the bookshelf, filliping through their pages and dragging one into my lap. She loves being outside - loves it! I am so excited for the warmer weather we've been having as it is such a treat to watch her walk the paths, play in the grass and giggle as she tries to keep up with Uriah on the playground. She loves playing chase and peek-a-boo. She's attached to her "blankey" and loves to be rocked and hummed to. She loves to eat, nurse and play dress up (she's always trying on everyone's shoes!) She loves bath time, getting tickled and her daddy - all day she walks around the house pointing at his pictures, smiling, declaring "dada!" and waving at them! She assumes every sound outside is him coming home and she lights up when he walks through the door at the end of the day!

Dislikes: Ezra likes to show you her toys but protests when they're taken out of her hand ;) She doesn't like getting laid down for her diaper change, but handles like a champ once you get going. She (recently) doesn't like to share momma's lap with Uriah, specifically when extra tired, but I understand that one.

Things I want to remember: Her soft, fuzzy hair. The way she beams at her daddy. The way she sings "la la la" with her tongue sticking out of her mouth. The way she backs up into my lap with a toy or a book she wants to share with me. Her squawk of a laugh! Her constant giggle as she's walking outside. Her contentment. The way she plays peek-a-boo behind every door. The way she comes "running" at the sound of the FaceTime ring. The few times she's recently fallen back asleep in bed with me. Her most perfect, softest skin. The way she looks at her brother when he's playing with her hair. More than anything, I want to remember her constant and contagious joy.

Happy, happy twelve months, baby girl. You have made us more complete, more tired, more happy, more blessed and we are truly grateful. You are a beautiful, undeniable ray of sunshine and you are loved.

Uriah, at three

I asked Uriah the following questions on February 1, 2016, the day after he turned three years old. I wanted to include these in a full on Uriah update, but where would I even start? He's so big, so smart, so silly, so fun, so quirky, so independent, so inquisitive, so sweet, so intense, so... wonderful. How would I put all that into words? He's so very unique and special and more than wanting to share that with all of you, I want to be able to remember it - that's why these posts are so important to me. Already I've gone back to read his baby updates and compare them to Ezra's. I want to be able to do that with Uriah at three, too. But how?! How do I put into words all that makes up my three year old boy? He is truly unlike any other. And I am proud of that, of him. He's tiring and disobedient and annoying and mean and very much three but I'm proud of all that, too. He's learning and growing and changing and it's all so good! My thoughts and feelings toward him are a jumble every night - caught somewhere between happy, proud, loved, desperate and annoyed. So, future Allison, reading this as Ezra turns three, remember the face he makes when he tries to put lines in his forehead. The way he asks you to receptively act like "you hear somepin and not know what it is, ok?". His furrowed eyebrow, teeth gritting, clenched fist face that he makes when Ezra invades his space. The way his hair feels between your fingers when he asks you to play with it as he falls asleep. Remember the way he looks at Stephen at the dinner table and gently rubs his arm to express his contentedness. The way he always hides under the covers when playing hide and go seek. Always. How everything he makes out of Legos ends up being a fighter jet. And is made of all one color. Remember the way he politely and quietly rubs your arm when he wakes you up in the middle of the night. The way he yells and grunts in anger in his time out. The way he refuses to put on his own underwear even though he knows how. Remember the way he lights up at seeing a firetruck, every single time. His laugh when you tickle that spot in his armpit. His pride and embarrassment when he tells you something he learned. The way he strips down in the hallway and sneaks his way into your shower because heaven forbid he be away from you for ten minutes. Remember his sleeping face, his genuine smile, his sparkling eyes, his innocent wonder and his keen interest. He is so very wonderful.



What is your favorite color? Purple (has been since he learned his colors at 15 months old!)

What is your favorite food? String Cheese (Stephen and his brothers used to argue over who was "cheese man" in their house - aka, who put more cheese on their food. Uriah has learned this and refers to Stephen as Cheese Man and himself as Cheese Boy.)

What is your favorite TV show? Wild Krats (we don't own a tv or have a Netflix account, so Uriah watches PBS shows on the laptop. A strong contender for this would have been Dinosaur Train!)

What is your favorite game? Slap Jack (Uriah loves card games - Go Fish, Spot It, War... I'm so glad we taught these to him early, as it has helped him learn numbers, shapes, reflexes, dexterity... but also because it makes for fun family game nights! With popcorn, of course!)

What is your favorite animal? Bee (this started when the boys would get done swimming in the summer - Stephen and Uriah would snuggle up in their towels in the sun and Stephen would ask Uriah what he wanted to talk about as they dried off. They saw a bee fly by, Stephen taught him everything he knew about bees and it is still Uriah's topic of choice to this day! "Let's talk about bees")

What is your favorite song? Juicy Wiggle (an inappropriate song Stephen introduced Uriah to that has the best dancing beat! It sounds like it might be a children's song, but it is in fact, not.)

Who is your best friend? Ben (our neighbor across the courtyard, though I was expecting him to say his dad, his cousin Harper, or maybe even me...?!)

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play with Baba (while he does love to play outside with Baba!, she was visiting at the time and I think was able to sway his answer a little ;) Had I asked these questions prior to her visit, I would have expected him to say racing dad or playing at "the little park")

What is your favorite holiday? Ice Cream Thursday (I kid you not, this was his true, unprompted response. A kid after my own heart!)

Who is your favorite stuffed animal? Boy (his golden retriever dog that Nana got him from a long trip to Ikea when we first moved here. Boy and Wink accompany him on all his big trips and every night in bed)

What do you want to be when you grow up? A fireman (while he likes to play doctor - going off to work with a backpack and a kiss from mom - this has been his constant answer for quite sometime!)

What is your favorite thing to do with daddy? Snuggle (sweet, right?!)

What is your favorite thing to do with mommy? Play games (though my favorite thing to do with Uriah is snuggle!)

What is your favorite thing to do with Ezra? Play chase! (this answer really did have an exclamation point at the end! This was right when Ezra was crawling fast, but before she could walk. He would run into the other room and call her name until she peeked around the corner, laughing all the way. He would light up and take off running again, sending her into another laughing fit. I could have watched them do this for hours!)

What is your favorite movie? Dragons (aka, How to Train your Dragon, part 2 which he hasn't seen in months...?! He rarely watches actual movies, but I would have guessed Planes, Fire and Rescue would have been his favorite)

Who is your favorite superhero? Spider Man (Spider Man is new around here, and new is always pretty special, but prior to Spider Man, and maybe now tied with Spider Man (or ahead of, depending on the day) would be Iron Man. His first superhero anything was Iron Man, he repeatedly watched the movie trailers with Stephen, chose to be Iron Man for Halloween and can sing his theme song - "I am Iron Man, da da da da da da da da na na na...")

What is your favorite book? Spider Man (the three story Spider Man Little Golden Book we had just borrowed from the library. If this one wasn't fresh in his mind I would have guessed he'd say If You Give a Moose a Muffin, The Bible or the dinosaur book Ezra "got him" when she was born)

What is your favorite thing to play with? Legos (Stephen saves his childhood Legos and introduced them to Uriah around the time Ezra was born. His interest and skill has really taken off these last few months and Legos are now on every wish list and an everyday activity!)

I asked him the following questions as well, but he wasn't in the mood to answer any more of my questions, or maybe didn't quite understand them well enough to give a good or honest answer. I'll keep them in my list for next year, though, and see what he comes up with!

What do you do really well:
What do you like to learn about:
What makes you happy:
What makes you sad:

eleven months

Size: Ezra is wearing size 4 diapers and 12-18 month clothes. A few 6-12 months pieces are still floating around her dresser, but, for the most part, her torso is too long and her legs are too chubby.

Eat: Ezra is still nursing about 5 times a day, somedays 7 or 8 (!!!) It sounds like a lot when I type it out, but it is just such an easy, natural part of our day, I don't even think about it until I go to write these updates. During the day she doesn't nurse for long - she's easily distracted by the sound of her big brother playing - so that might be why we do it so often, it's usually just a quick top off, but it's easier than getting her in the chair and preparing food 5+ times a day while trying to work around Uriah's eating, sleeping, play schedule. It's helping keep those rolls around so I'm not complaining ;) I've been blessed with such great nursing experiences, I'm not in a hurry to wean her down. She is eating solids, too, about 3-5 times a day, depending. She loves fruit - blueberries, bananas, applesauce, pears - bread of any kind (she is, after all, my daughter), black beans, edamame, sweet potato, oatmeal, Cheerios, carrots, green beans, zucchini... I don't think there's anything she hasn't tried and she has always liked what's given to her.

Teeth: Little Miss has five teeth with a sixth making it's debut. Other than the constant drool and finger chewing, this last tooth hasn't seemed to bother her too much - thanking our lucky stars!

Sleep: For the most part, Ezra has always been a great sleeper. And has continued with that "for the most part" attitude into 11 months. Typically sleeping through the night, occasionally waking 1-2 times for various reasons that either lead to 1, letting her cry it out, 2, rocking her for a few minutes and laying her back down awake but content, or 3, nursing. Really, we have no middle of the night routine and it's all depending on how I'm feeling when those cries seep into my bedroom at 2 am. She, does, however, have a pretty consistent routine, otherwise. She wakes for the day between 6-7, as early as 5:30 and as late as 8. With Uriah, though he never slept in, anyway, I'd try and keep him on a schedule and usually wake him around the same time every morning if need be, so the rest of his day wouldn't get thrown off. With the second one? No. Let her sleep! Never wake a sleeping baby, so they say ;) She takes her morning nap an hour or two after she wakes, an afternoon nap at the same time Uriah goes down, between 12-1, and is in bed between 6:30-7:30. In true second baby fashion, she is such a go with the flow baby. She gets cranky when she's tired, yes, but never objects to a nap in the car or the Ergo and can be easily entertained while stretching nap time.

Milestones: Ezra is WALKING! She took her first few steps just three days after turning ten months old and just didn't quit from there! For a while, she'd walk a ways, fall down and then take off crawling, but I don't think I've seen her crawl in a week or so...?! It is officially her go-to form of transportation and it's so dang cute! The drunken toddler walk is my favorite! While she can say "dada", "momma", "yi-uh" and "doll", and knows signs for "all done", "more" and "nurse", she has completely stopped saying them! She has, instead, decided to point and grunt - the girl makes constant noises like a monkey! It's half cute half frustrating, but mostly cute! Just something we'll have to continue working on. I don't think Uriah really picked up signing until just after he turned one... We'll see! She is still clapping, waving and giving high fives and recently started giving kisses! Aka, letting you kiss her extended forehead ;)

Likes: Ezra is a GIRL! Which I knew, yes! But the innate difference between a boy and a girl are really starting to shine the older Ezra gets. Without persuasion she is into all things pink and girly! She loves playing with her doll - giving it "loves" and kisses, putting it in her walker and walking around the living room, dragging it everywhere. She tries putting anything that resembles a hat on her head (Uriah's bike helmet is quite possibly her favorite toy right now) and anything that resembles a necklace or a shirt around her neck and shoulders. Looks like we have a lot of dress up to play in our future! She is still her daddy's biggest fan and just adores him! Uriah, too! She loves to play chase and hide and seek with him and always giggles at his singing. She lights up when he pays attention to her or holds her! Ezra loves being outside, bath time, reading books (major book worm on our hands, here!), being worn in the Ergo or strapped in the stroller, swinging at the park, climbing (anything is a jungle gym to this monkey!) and Uriah's superheroes. Oh, and eating. The girl likes to eat! Just walking into the kitchen will set her off!

Dislikes: This list is still a short one! She still doesn't like being laid down in the bathtub, hates her nose being wiped and pitches a fit when Uriah takes something out of her hand (rightfully!)

Things I want to remember: Oh, Ezra, I want to remember all of it! The way she buries her head in my neck when we walk up to someone new. The way she smiles at everything that moves. The way she growls like a little gremlin and laughs like a screech owl. The constant stream of drool hanging from her mouth. The way her fuzzy head feels on my cheek. The way she eats with one foot propped up on the table. The girl radiates JOY and I want to bottle it all!