James 17 Months, Claire 3 Years

At 17 months, James is really talking a lot.  He normally just repeats a noun until we acknowledge him, but he also has started putting two words together.  Some examples include "Dada's shoes," "Want down," and "Mommy's drink."  He also uses a handful of signs and will sign "more please" or "up please."  When James is happy, he's just as cute and fun as can be, but when James is upset, he can show quite the little temper.  James loves playing outside, sliding, trains, cars, trucks, balls, books, stickers, puzzles, crackers, and strawberry yogurt.  James doesn't like fruit, vegetables, having his diaper changed, or being told "no."  James recognizes about half of the capital letters and is happy to point them out everywhere.

James is still a picky eater, but has thankfully started eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches again.  This is helpful as we do lots of picnic lunches.  He generally sleeps from 8:00 pm until 7:00 am with a 90 minute nap during the day.  He has skipped this nap several times recently and it makes for a very grumpy little boy all evening.  Actually, he often wakes up from his naps in a very grumpy mood too--almost inconsolable.  He likes to call us by name and is constantly saying "Mommy" or "Daddy."  They are the first words out of his mouth in the mornings, and it makes for a much sweeter alarm clock than the previous crying.  James is in size 18 month clothes (but probably not for much longer) and size 4 diapers.  He still has 8 teeth with two molars poking out but not all the way through.

The kids have gotten to visit with grandparents a lot this past month.  In early March, I left them at my parents' house for a weekend while I came home to work at the house.  This was our first time leaving James overnight and we hadn't left Claire since she was very young.  The kids did great and everyone seemed to have fun playing, going to the zoo, and visiting great-grandparents.  Matt and I had a very productive weekend that included ripping out drywall, unpacking/organizing, and cleaning.  We were all able to visit with Matt's parents and extended family in Michigan last week.  Pictures to come!

While we were in Michigan, our sweet little Claire turned three.  She is very excited about anything related to her birthday--especially cake!  We had a little party for her in Michigan and her preschool class celebrated with a special birthday crown and snack (I made cookies).  We will celebrate with her Atlanta friends soon.  On the morning of her birthday, the first thing Claire said to us was "But I'm still little!"  I guess she may have been expecting an overnight transformation, but amidst my bittersweet emotions about her getting older, it was nice to have a reminder that she is indeed still little.

Claire loves playing games, pretend play, coloring, being read to, listening to music, eating, preschool, and having friends come to visit.  She doesn't like going potty (though she does and accidents are rare these days), loud noises, when James touches her toys, or having to clean up.  She is usually pretty sweet with James, especially at a mealtime when she picks his cup off the floor or asks him if he wants different things.  When they are both laughing and playing happily together, it's just the best feeling ever!

Claire typically sleeps from 8:15  until about 7:30.  She naps only about half the time now, but when she does it's usually 2.5-3 hours.  She has her annual checkup this week, so we will find out her latest stats then.  She's had some colds this winter but we've made it six months (since her last well-visit) without a trip to the doctor.  She had her first trip to the dentist today.  We have been reading a book about going for several weeks now, and I think that really helped her to understand the new experience.  She insisted on taking the book with her to show the dentist.  The staff at the dentist office was GREAT.  They were so sweet and patient with her.  They were never able to get her to lie down in the chair, but they were able to examine and clean her teeth and give a fluoride treatment.  She liked the water squirt-er and asked for more after the hygienist was finished!  She walked away with a good report on her teeth, a stuffed monkey, a sticker, a ring, a sugar free sucker, and a cute little card with her picture.  After the dentist finished looking at her teeth, Claire asked for candy.  I was surprised and a little frustrated because I work so hard to keep candy and sweets to a minimum in our house.  The dentist laughed and said she was too cute to turn down, so that's why she got the sucker.  He laughed and told her not to tell anyone.  This phrase was taken very seriously by Claire who questioned as we drove home why she couldn't tell anyone.  Matt and I were discussing recently how we haven't had a good picture of Claire in a long time--capturing her genuine smile and personality.  With one quick click, the hygienist got a really sweet one of our little three year old!