Weston James - 11 months

When I think about this time last year ... waiting for our home remodel to be done, praying this baby boy wouldn't come too early, trying to get in the holiday spirit while feeling lousy, celebrating another baby boy turning 2 ... I can hardly believe THIS baby boy is almost 1! I was so nervous about having a third baby ... and another boy ... but God knew Weston James was exactly what our family needed. He brings us tremendous joy and we love him so dearly. 

He talking up a storm, just like those other two babies did at his age. He's cruising and standing alone but no steps yet. Who needs to walk when your siblings do everything for you?? He loves looking at (and gently touching) the Christmas tree and decorations, and no major catastrophes so far! He is SO BUSY. ALL THE TIME. He and Hutch have been spending more time together while sister's at school or activities, and they absolutely delight in each other. Weston loves to imitate everything Hutch does, especially saying words, acting silly or blowing bubbles in the bathtub. Hutch was made to be a big brother. 

He loves being around people and is more social than his siblings at this age. He was so sad when he couldn't go to the nursery last week (thank you croup) ... when I dropped Hutch next door to Weston's classroom he strained and reached for his teachers. Be still my heart. 

He loves to eat all carbs and puffs. Most meats are OK. He'll eat fruit and veggies most of the time. His sippee cup is No. 1. He's nursing just a few times a day, which makes this mama sad. 

Can't wait to continue to celebrate my favorite time of the year with this sweet baby boy, and then to cap off our year celebrating him turning 1!

Weight: 24ish pounds
Length: 28.75 inches

New things:

• Talking SO MUCH. He says Dada, Adda, Bubba, Lola, Pawpaw, all done, thank you, Coco (our elf ;)), mama (sometimes). He signs for more and milk. 
• Standing on his own without any assistance, often in the middle of the room. Lots of crusiing and using kitchen chairs or his Y bike to get around. 
• Down to 3 nursing sessions a day. He says/signs all done and more while nursing which makes me laugh every time. 
• Six whole teeth!
• Imitating more animal noises. Cow and horse are favorites. He'll repeat any animal that roars. Still pants at Lola (and calls all other dogs Lola) and will quack and make fish noises, too.

Likes:

• Music class is his favorite time of the week. He loves the teacher, loves sitting right next to her and dancing and playing the instruments, usually right on the beat. He also still loves to drum on any and everything.
• Knocking on all hard surfaces
• Blowing bubbles in the bathtub. Also still trying to stand up, escape and pull up the drain constantly.
• Cars and trucks of any kind
• When anyone comes in our back door - he strains to see who it is and usually starts saying Dada as soon as he hears it.
• Vacuums
• Remotes and phones
• Dancing. He (mostly) loved sister's dance recitals - he was in the carrier and dancing and clapping constantly
• Pumpkin muffins are his favorite food
• The church nursery - his teachers and his friends. He now refuses to nap there because there are way too many interesting things to do.
• All Christmas lights
• Anything we're eating that he's not supposed to have
• Taking a bottle. This is the first time I've ever written this about any of my children. He doesn't have to have one often, but when he does, he's excellent. Finally.
• Feeding Lola.
• Imitating brother and sister

Dislikes:

• Getting in the carseat
• Wearing a coat
• Wearing socks or shoes (Jordan recently cleaned out my car of no less than 20 socks, most unmatched
• Being told no

Weston James - 10 months

Watching this boy's personality come to life is such a joy. And deja vu. He reminds me so much of these other two babes who live here. He's perhaps more independent than they were at this age, and maybe also more demanding? He's working on a few more words, but definitely gets frustrated when he wants (or doesn't want) something and can't convey it to us. 

He is into EVERYTHING. He loves to open cabinets, pull things out, open doors, unroll toilet paper, touch the toilets, eat the dog food, attempt to climb the stairs, play drums on the side table .... whew! He wears me out, but thankfully I have two little helpers with way more energy than I can usually manage. His favorite place to play is often opening and closing the warming drawer or opening the cabinet that houses the toaster so he can drum on it. Bathroom and utility doors are usually closed tight to prevent the toilet touching/dog food eating. 

He's eating pretty much everything, with favorites being green pancakes, puffs, apples and any type of carb. He drinks really well from his cup, although we usually force him to let us help, otherwise he'd be pouring milk everywhere because he thinks it's funny. Speaking of funny, he loves to make us laugh, loves to laugh at his siblings, loves to imitate us and for us to imitate him. His belly laugh is just the best. 

He's doing great in the church nursery, but is still reluctant for other people to take him from his mama, especially in a crowd. He thought Halloween was pretty great, other than wearing his costume for any length of time. He loved watching all the people at our Fall Festival and riding in his stroller to see brother and sister trick-or-treat (though he let us know very LOUDLY when he was done). 

Weight: 22ish pounds
Length: 28.75 inches

New things:

• Standing on his own for a little longer periods of time. 
• Down to 3 serious nursing sessions a day and 2 he could take or leave.  
• Sleeping so well (usually) in his room still, typically from about 7:45 till 5 or 6, then back to sleep till 7 or 7:30. He wins the sleeping.
• Trying out some new sounds. When I ask him to say "mama" he generally responds with a kissing noise :) He has said it a few times. He also seems to be saying Lola and Bubba.
• Trying out animal noises, too. He loves the horse (probably because to him to horse spits everywhere) and he LOVES to pant at Lola whenever he sees her or we talk about her or another dog.
• More teeth! Two of his left top teeth are coming in, and I think the right two aren't far behind. Also swollen gums on the bottom, so more likely coming in there as well.
• Clapping or rocking or using instruments on the beat at music class. Reminds me of another baby boy I used to take there!
• Giving sweet kisses when we ask for them. Although sometimes he merely just presents his forehead for a kiss. And making sweet kissing sounds when we say kiss or he hears/sees someone else kiss. 

Likes:

• Getting into brother and sister's toys, especially when they aren't home
• Opening and closing doors, or banging on them when they are closed. 
• Opening all the cabinets.
• Remotes remain a favorite. He SCREAMS when we take them away or he can see them but can't reach them
• Dancing to all music. 
• The big drum at music class. He cries when she puts it away.
• Lola. 
• When daddy comes home. He always says "dada" or sometimes "hi dada" and squeals and crawls to him as fast as he can. If daddy doesn't pick him up immediately he cries as if his heart would break
• Throwing food on the floor to waiting Lola
• Vacuums 
• Clapping and waving on command. Waving anytime he hears the words hi or bye. Clapping when he hears cheering or others clapping. Clapping when Addie performs for him and at her soccer games
• Trucks, cars, etc.
• His Little People farm and zoo toys
• Books, although he likes to be in charge of page turning
• Bathtime

Dislikes:

• Waiting for food, a drink, to nurse, for a toy he wants ... really for anything
• His carseat 
• Being told no. Not being able to reach something he wants

Weston James - 9 months

This baby boy is such a joy. He is SO busy and SO big! Wearing some 12 month clothes, but also some 18 month. He's at about the 75th percentile in both weight and height, definitely bigger than my other two at this age.

He likes to do a lot of things himself, including feeding himself. He literally decided one day he'd had enough of being fed and only wanted to do it himself. Took mama a couple meals to decipher what his screaming meant. So he's now onto only table foods he can feed himself. And flinging his sippee cup all over the place. 

He loves to talk and definitely has several words. He asks for "adda" and waves many mornings after we drop her at school. He calls Hutch "adda" too.

He is vey inquisitive and often looks at toys like he's trying to figure out how they work. Reminds me of his brother. He's loved going to music class once a week with Hutch. He crawls all over the place, squeals, dances and inspects all the instruments. He was given his very own set that he can lick to his heart's desire. 

No more colic or reflux meds for this guy, and finger's crossed, we are really and truly done with all that. 

We all love watching this sweet babe's personality develop. Can't wait to see what the next month brings!

Weight: 21 pounds, 4 ounces 
Length: 28.75 inches

New things:

• Cruising ... and sometimes letting go and standing on his own for a few seconds. 
• Down to 5 nursing sessions a day. 
• Sleeping in his crib in his own room! Yes, I know he's 9 months old and *just* moved out of our room ... but climbing up the stairs a lot of times a night for multiple crying kids is no joke. Thankfully he's done great in his room. Also a thumb sucker means he can always find comfort in the middle of the night. Hooray.
• Eating only table food. After doing so well with pureed foods he did a 180 and decided he only wanted to feed himself. He's eerily like some other people I know ...
• Those babbled words were no joke. Dada definitely his first word, followed by Adda (Addie and Hutch are interchangeable). He also signs and says "all done."
• Mimicking Lola's panting, which is hilarious. 
• Going to Miss Ginger's music class once a week with mama and brother. He LOVES it!

Likes:

• Standing up in the bathtub, which is delightful for everyone else
• Opening and closing doors
• Touching pottys, thankfully only at our own house thus far
• Going for wagon rides with brother and sister. And being outside in general. 
• Sleeping in his own crib. And when brother or sister come to see him first thing in the morning.
• Waving at aaalllll the people
• The metal side table next to our couch ... he loves to pull up on it and drum, drum, drum. He also loves to lick it. Whatever, man.
• Trying to reach all remotes, decorations, etc. He's so helpful at assisting me in deciding what I need to hide away.
• Food. He's liked pretty much everything he's tried, including meats. Mama's green pancakes are his favorite. Followed closely by any and all carbs
• Nursing. While he can't be bothered to do it for very long, he still lets me know (loudly) when it's time
• Grammie and Pawpaw. His sweet face lights up when he sees them, and he usually won't even come back to me.
• The church nursery. Those ladies are no joke, y'all. They can make any baby love them! He's been doing great, even napping occasionally for them. He loves to play with all the toys.
• All toys that play music.
• All toys that have wheels. He turns them over and inspects and spins the wheels. Future engineer?
• Going to music class with brother. His favorite part is banging on the big drum with all the other kids.
• Imitating any sounds his brother or sister make, especially at the table during mealtimes.
• Feeding Lola, aka throwing all the food off his tray into her waiting mouth.
• Sucking his thumb. 
• Flinging all water out of the tub

Dislikes:

• Wearing shoes is still a major dislike
• Touching grass with his feet or hands. 
• Being told no
• Having to sit down in the bathtub. 

Hutch Marshall - 2 years, 9 months

This boy of mine keeps me on my toes. And sometimes makes me want to scream. Always makes me laugh. And fills my heart with joy. We recently went on a date to have some time just the two of us. He loved going to dinner, going to the cupcake place and picking out some new books at the bookstore. It's funny how different he is when it's just the two of us. We're all pretty sad about sister going to school every day this fall, but I'm really excited to spend more one-on-one time with my big boy. And also to see his relationship with his baby brother develop.

Hutch is almost always so good with Weston. He calls him "my baby" and loves to show him toys (also take them away) and hug and kiss him. He's enjoyed starting music class again, though I occasionally have to bribe him with snacks after to get him to participate. He liked going to school this summer once a week, and is really excited to have his same two teachers this fall. He calls it "Ms Carolyn and Ms Tami's school." At his meet-the-teacher, they told me he's the youngest in the class, but behaviorally and academically seems much older. As long as he behaves for them and saves his crazy for me, I'm happy! He's almost potty trained ... occasionally has an accident and doesn't always keep diapers dry during nap time. But he's leaps and bounds ahead of where I thought he'd be. Lots of "pecial tweets" helped. 

He still loves to do everything sister does and wants to be just like her. He loved watching her play basketball, and was a little disappointed when soccer season started that he's still not old enough to play (in the spring he will be). He also loves going to watch her at dance class, though it may be that he knows he gets snacks and screen time during it that he actually loves. 

Hutch LOVES to talk. All the time. About everything. His teacher told me that although he's fairly reserved at school, he does narrate everything happening to her. Sounds just like him!! He loves to go to restaurants, Target and Sams. Really he loves to go anywhere. He loves to swim, although his time in the pool is usually short (and then, shocker, he wants to get out and have a snack). We haven't attempted much swimming without his life jacket this summer, but he is pretty confident with it on and will happily jump off the side or diving board on his own. Especially if that's what sister is doing.

Weight:  ~29 pounds
Length: 26.5 inches

New things:

• Almost totally potty trained! Yippee! 
• Helping cook - his favorite to help with are eggs, pancakes and grilled cheese. He also loves sister's new Easy Bake Oven.
• Talking about his birthday in "Becember" constantly. Asking how soon it will get here. Talking about his party and presents. Currently he just wants to invite friends Micah and Brooks. When I took him to the fire station where we're considering having his party, the fireman turned on the lights and he was so scared it might get loud that he freaked out screaming and crying. Sooooo ... perhaps we'll find another party venue.
• Gaining a little more independence and asserting himself more with his sister. Sometimes this means hitting or biting her. But often just declaring what he wants to play instead of always going along with her. 
• Practicing leaps and shuffle steps with sister.
• Recognizing the letter H.
• Checking out "iPads" from the library. Really, they are handheld videos with built in episodes of Sesame Street, etc. He just calls it his iPad.
• Getting out of bed on his own in the morning and coming downstairs. 

Likes: 

• One-on-one time with mommy or daddy. Although he usually spends the whole time asking where sister is.
• Chuck-E-Cheese's. We introduced him when sister wanted to go this summer and now he talks about it all the time.
• A recent trip with daddy and sister to a kids Home Depot workshop where they built whiteboards
• Going to the zoo. Although it's mostly about the snacks.
• Playing babies or prince with his sister. 
• Watching movies, which he asks to do constantly and then can only stay still to watch for approximately 10 minutes.
• Asking constantly when we can go on an airplane
• Cousins Julia and Lila, who visited this summer
• Pecial tweets and snacks in general
• Getting a cookie at the grocery store from the ladies who adore him. He has excellent manners and asks very sweetly
• Ms Ginger at music class
• Going swimming naked. And/or running around the back yard naked
• Watching the guys pouring concrete and building our new back patio. He's obsessed.
• Being read books
• Shoes. He's obsessed with putting his shoes on, although he can't exactly do it himself
• Singing songs on the radio. Or asking for "my music" in the car
• Carbs
• Asking daddy when it will be Saturday and they can make pancakes
• 
  

Dislikes:

• Being asked to go potty
• Eating meals. Snacks are great, but when it comes to mealtime, this guy is definitely a 2-year-old
• Not getting a cookie or car cart at the grocery store
• Being away from sister