Hutch Marshall - 2 months

I had forgotten how much I love baby coos. The first time my sweet boy smiled and cooed up at me, I thought, "Oh. I remember now why we fight through all that crying and unhappiness. It's for this moment." If I thought he had stolen my heart before, it's an entirely different ballgame with that big grin and big dimples.


Speaking of dimples, I'd like to report that while I was certain that was the only feature on this baby that remotely looked like me, my mom found several pictures of me that look pretty identical to my baby boy. So I am in there somewhere.


I think Hutch is almost the same size as his sister. Seriously. This baby is huge. Which is wonderful and perfectly normal, just a major contrast to his sister, who is still always limping into the 10 or 15th percentile of weight at her well check appointments. He's more like 70 or 80th percentile At one month, he weighed what she did at two months. And now he's completely outgrown his 3 month clothes and moved on to 6 months. I love his little (big) belly.


Sleeping is better but still pretty questionable. I thought his sister was a rough sleeper, till I reviewed her 2-month schedule and realized she was sleeping 6 hours at night. I guess that was pretty great. Colic and reflux still suck, but I think we're making some progress there, too. This was about the time Addie improved for about a month before it came roaring back, so I'm choosing to be only slightly hopeful that perhaps we're over the worst.

Weight: Since his two month appointment isn't for a few more weeks ... I'm guessing he's close to 13 pounds. At least.
Length: Also guessing around 22 inches

New things:

• Smiling. His smiling is my favorite.
• Cooing and interacting.
• Watching our mouths and eyes very intently.
• Even better head control.
• Batting at toys, which I'm pretty sure is mostly accidental.
• Giving himself battle wounds. Thanks to a yucky case of cradle cap, he's constantly trying to scratch his head, ears and forehead, either by rubbing on us, blankets, his swing, his bed or raking his sharp fingernails across his little head. He was asleep and swaddled when I heard a big cry - he had wormed his hand out and given himself a pretty impressive scrape. So we're back to wearing mittens.
• Sleeping a little better. He prefers to wake every three to four hours at night. Sometimes he'll stretch to five. Rarely to six.
• Taking better naps during the day. In his swing, mind you.

Likes:

• His swing. Thank goodness. Especially since we've taken to putting him here around 4 a.m. to try to get some sleep ourselves.
• The mammaroo. God bless our sweet friends who let us borrow this miracle contraption. He doesn't generally sleep in it, not for long anyway, but it does often calm him down when he's fussy
• Being worn. Love that moby wrap, although this baby is quite a bit heavier in it than that other one of mine was!
• His ocean play mat.
• Eating. Eating is his favorite.
• His black and white and contrast books.
• Bath time.
• His momma. I really like that he likes me best. I love that he's really starting to respond to my voice or my face.
• His sister. He loves to hear her sing or read books to him. She gives him the sweetest little kisses and loves to hold him. He saves some of his biggest grins for her.
• His daddy. Just like with Addie, I love how he looks at his daddy. Clearly he has to like me because I'm where to food comes from, but he loves his daddy just because.
• Usually he likes tummy time. Especially if his dog participates.

Dislikes:

• His tummy.
• Sleeping.
• Taking medicine. Already a pro at spitting it out at me.
• Being swaddled. Man this kid is strong and he fights and fights the swaddle, till he finally gives in and realize he actually likes it.
• Getting his boogers sucked out. Which also seriously distresses his sister.

Addison Mae - 30 months

30 months. That's 2 1/2. I can hardly believe it. And a recent growth spurt means she looks even more like a big girl and less like my baby. It's bittersweet when these babies grow. I'm thankful that she still wants me to hold and snuggle her, but I'm realizing it's not quite as often as it used to be. I'm trying my best to soak up all these moments with her, but also reminding myself that each new stage is even more fun (and usually exasperating!!) than the last. While I sometimes feel nostalgic for when she was smaller, I'm always thankful for the present.

Weight: 28.5 pounds
Length: ~32 inches

 New things:

• I'm going to go ahead and call her potty trained. We haven't tried out her actual panties yet (more because momma's scared) but she rarely has an accident. And she LOVES to use the potty at public places. Fun.
• Starting conversations with people by asking, "Do you have a puppy?" If they say no, she asks, "Do you have a kitty?" If both answers are no, she's typically done with the person.

• The funniest new phrases/convos ...
• Telling people they are stinky.
• An obsession with talking about bodily functions
• Telling us about new friends at school or church ... "Do you remember [name]?" If we say no, "I will show her to you next time at church."
• Learning the meaning of the word "startle" and using it correctly in convos
• If Jordan and I or my mom and I are having a conversation, "Talk to me instead, mommy." Usually combined with moving my head to look at her.
• Jordan was telling her about the Olympics and all the various sports. When he said "bobsledding," she said, "Like my Pawpaw?" (His name is Bob. She's going to be really disappointed when he's not on TV)
• A fear of Grammie's bobblehead of Uncle Si from Duck Dynasty. He talks. And Addie doesn't care for it.

Likes:

• Gloves. Hers, mine, Grammie's, anyone. She was thrilled when we had to put gloves on her bubby to keep him from scratching himself.
• Baths in mommy's tub or showers in mommy's shower. It's the little things.
• Helping give brother a bath.
• Playing in cardboard boxes. And asking Pawpaw over and over and over again to cut windows in them.
• Playing with snow, inside.
• Going to Sonic to get a juice box.
• Parties. Which is really any social gathering. Although she can't understand why all social gatherings don't require singing the birthday song, candles and cupcakes.
• Watching the Olympics.
• Car dancing. Girl after my own heart.
• Her brother. Most of the time.
• Doc McStuffins. And playing doctor. "It's gonna hurt really bad, Mommy." She recently gave me a check up and declared that I needed surgery, a shot in the finger, a bandaid and to hold her Ernie doll. She's nothing if not thorough.

Dislikes:

• Not getting her own way. Being told no. She recently told me her teachers at school never tell her no. I'm not buying.
• Time out.
• When her brother gets his nose sucked out. Makes her cry, too.
• Even discussing having to eventually share her toys with her brother.

Addison Mae - 29 months

This crazy girl of mine is officially smarter than me. Brilliant. The things she says on a daily basis are equal parts incredible and exasperating.




She is a fabulous big sister, and while I knew she'd be great, I had no idea she'd be so into her role so quickly. She doesn't love for anyone else to touch her "Bubby" and she's quick to tell me when he's crying ("You need to pick him up, Mommy") or when someone else needs to give him back to me ("He needs his mommy - give him back). She's fairly intrigued with how he eats, and we have since had lots of conversations about nipples at our house. And he already adores her - I was shocked when his first smile was for me, not for her. He calms at the sound of her voice and always responds when she sings to him. Be still my heart.


Addie loved Christmas and was ecstatic to receive a violin (an electric one that plays songs, sometimes, when you run the bow across the strings) and M&Ms. The only desires of her heart. Of course she received way more than just that, including a giant bounce house from her doting Pawpaw. She loved singing Christmas songs (Away in a Manger was the favorite) and lighting (and blowing out) the advent candles. Her understanding of the reason for Christmas blew my mind.


While she totally and constantly wears me out and makes me want to pull my hair out, I am equally (OK, more) so amazed that she's mine and I have the privilege of being her mama.



Weight: 27 pounds
Length: ~32  inches



New things:

• Being a big sister! She loves to help by picking out diapers, bringing him toys, singing to him, helping pick out his clothes, etc. She really loved being the "model" in his crib while we set up his video monitor.
• I am hesitant to say she's potty trained, but we're close. She's wearing pull ups, other than at night, and rarely has an accident. This requires lots of reminders to use to potty, bribes, Grammie's constant help and encouragement, and her teachers' constant praise.
• The funniest new phrases/convos ...
• Rather than "I am" she says "I mam." Makes me laugh every time.
• You're my best friend in the whole live world
• You're my favorite
• I was writing a check for her school and she asked what I was doing. I explained that we pay for her to go to school. About 10 minutes later, she came to me with her Minnie Mouse money and said she would take it to her teachers. I explained that she could keep her money - that mommy would take care of paying her teachers!
• We were playing with Legos and what we were building kept falling down. I told her we needed to start over to make it more stable. She said, "Bullet the horse lives in a stable in Stillwater. So does Jesus." I explained that stable has two meanings. She said, "Two? I am two."
• I asked if she took at nap at school and she said, "Mommy, you forgot my blankets for my nap. I wanted my blankets. I was sad. I had to cover up with Ms. Melissa's scarf." Already knows how to cause major mom guilt.
• "I got my money in my pocket." Which actually meant she had crammed her change purse into her pull up. Along with her play phone.
• Singing "I got $20 in my pocket. This is awesome."
• Asking everyone how old they are.
• A glove fetish. Seriously, she loves gloves and notices them always. On Santa, Minnie Mouse, her teachers at church/school when they change diapers ... and she loves to wear her gloves. She is also obsessed with a play oven mitt for her kitchen and wears it all the time. She always asks, "Can I pat Bubby with my gloves on?" And asks my mom to pick her up with her gloves on. Weirdo.

Likes:

• Gloves.
• Coloring and painting. Especially on her new easel.
• Play Dough
• Her teachers at school. I think she loves them almost as much as she loves me.
• Her Bubby. And a renewed interest in taking care of her Stella doll. I can tell that she's totally modeling what she sees. And thankfully she takes really good care of her.
• Dancing. Music comes on and that girl starts dancing.
• Bath time. Especially if we put food coloring, in the color of her choice, in the water. Girlfriend got lots of new bath toys for Christmas, which makes it extra exciting.
• Her bounce house. "Mommy, can we bounce?"

Dislikes:

• Sometimes she's not a big fan of me feeding her brother and cries for me to hold her instead. Breaks my heart a little.
• When her brother cries.
• Being away from her brother or her mommy.

Hutch Marshall - 1 month

Y'all, we have successfully been a family of four for a whole month. Christmas was magical with a snuggly newborn and a crazy, brilliant, lovable toddler.








Sometimes I look at this precious dark-haired bundle and can't believe he's really mine. (However, he looks so exactly like his daddy that it's pretty clear he belongs to us!) This sweet, chunky baby boy is pretty amazing. Speaking of chunky, his favorite thing in the whole world is eat (gained three pounds in three weeks), and I have been very thankful that nursing has been so successful. He was born ready to eat.








He doesn't really love to sleep (a la his sister) and at about three weeks we were pretty certain he was also following in his sister's footsteps with a colic and reflux diagnosis ... Jordan asked if we could get jobs just diagnosing colic and reflux. We're pretty good at it. And though we've been there before, it's been pretty difficult and draining on all of us. Not so fun.








What is fun is watching his sweet sister dote on him. She is completely in love. And she calls him "Bubby." While there have been some difficult moments, for the most part Addie has been amazing. She doesn't want to be away from him for a second. And she doesn't really want anyone other than Jordan and me to touch him ("Don't take my baby.") She especially loves to pick out diapers for him. And inform me when he's crying.








Weight: 10 pounds 7 ounces
Length: 20.5 inches





New things:

• Well, everything is new.
• Holding head up during tummy time and sometimes when being held
• Tracking objects

Likes:

• His sister. He almost always calms down when he sees her or hears her voice
• Ocean play mat
• Black and white books
• Being held. All. the. time.
• Eating. A lot.
• Bath time
• The nap nanny. Even if it is pink.
• Naked kicking time. Made popular by his colicky sister - one of the only things that would calm her was being stripped to her diaper and lying on a soft blanket. Baby boy thinks it's pretty great, too.

Dislikes:

• His tummy.
• Sleeping.
• His swing. (I know... what is that about??)

Addison Mae - 28 months

I kinda like this every-other-month thing. We have had a wonderful last two months as a family of three. Addie absolutely loved everything about Halloween, including picking out pumpkins, Howloweenie at Pawpaw's work, visiting Pumpkinville at the Myriad Gardens, going to Storybook Forest at Lake Arcadia (thank goodness that was a hit since we waited for over an hour to get in!), the Fall Festival at our church and, of course, trick-or-treating Halloween night. She was the cutest little kitty you ever have seen (complete with a black and pink glittery tutu ... remind me never to make a glittery tutu again). Her favorite part was having her nose and whiskers drawn on her face each time. She didn't so much care about eating any of the candy (unless it was a lollipop), just collecting a lot of it. Which was fine with her pregnant momma.

While this girl of ours has gone to a few OSU tailgates in her little life, she's never been inside the stadium. Until this fall. She LOVED the game, especially watching and cheering for Bullet. She's still quite suspicious of Pete (I no like him. He has a big head. He scares me a little bit.) And she did not love sitting right next to the cannon. But she cried and cried when we left at halftime. Love that she's totally already a Cowgirl! And she even loves watching her Pokes on TV, although it's seriously a bummer that they never show Bullet during home games (thankfully Grammie remedies that by sending videos from the stadium.)

We finished up her gymnastics class in October, where she seriously made some awesome progress. I can't wait to enroll her again when our lives calm down a little bit.

She loved all the prep for Thanksgiving, but didn't so much care for any of the food. We did make some super cute turkey cupcakes that she quite enjoyed.

And she is ecstatic about Christmas. She loves all the  lights and decorations.We had a fabulous time on my birthday going to eat pizza and taking her to see the Chesapeake lights and an awesome house with lights set to music. She was awestruck when Santa sent her her very own elf (who she immediately named Coco) and has been doing a great job teaching him about Jesus and being kind to others (our take on the elf, rather than the naughty/nice list).

The funniest and most exasperating part about the last two months have been Addie's turning into The Negotiator. Which really doesn't mean she is negotiating - it means she tells us exactly what's going to happen, rather than using her "listening ears." She also like to tell me, "Mommy, use your nice voice." To which I typically respond, "If you'd use those listening ears, I would be better able to use my nice voice."

Tomorrow she officially becomes a big sister. We are anxious and excited, and of course very concerned about how our sweet girl is going to react once this baby boy gets here. We covet prayers that the transition goes (mostly) smoothly! We can't wait to share this Christmas with TWO sweet babies!

Weight: 26 pounds
Length: ~32  inches

New things:

• LOTS of using the potty. Which in no way shape or form means she's potty-trained. She does go several times a day, be typically we have to initiate it. She has been having more dry diapers, which is encouraging. She has also used the potty at school, which is awesome. But she also likes to stand right next to me and declare that she's peeing or pooping in her diaper. So we're not really there yet.
• Doing a great job sleeping in her big girl bed and big girl room. No more rolling out of the bed in the middle of the night. But occasional requests to sleep in mommy's bed if she does wake in the night.
• Special phrases coined by The Negotiator. "I just do this for a little bit first" in response to being told it's time for nap/bed/leaving. "I do this a lot a lot a lot of times" when being told to do something one more time before nap/bed/leaving. This one comes with a waving hand motion right in the face of whoever she's talking to.
• Calling her daddy "my sweet Daddy"
• Saying "You my favorite/I love you best in the whole live world."
• An imaginary friend named Coco. And calling just about everyone and everything Coco. Including her new elf from Santa.
• Continuing to use her amazing imagination and play by herself even more.
• Recognizing letters of the alphabet, especially A is for Addie, D is for Daddy and M is for Mommy. Quite impressive.

Likes:

• Going to Hobby Lobby to see the Christmas trees.
• Playing train. Her Daddy recently got his old Brio train set out of the attic and she has literally playing with it every day since.
• Playing with her Little People nativity. And adding her nativity characters to my nativity.
• Helping with the advent candles. My favorite is that when we light the candles, she immediately wants to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and then blow it out.
• Blowing out candles in general. And singing Happy Birthday.
• Checking out the moon at night if it's not too cold. Or looking for it in the morning.
• Christmas lights viewing. Even if it's just the lights on our own house.
• Watching Christmas movies.
• Watching the snow. Playing in the snow.
• Playing chase. Playing hide and seek.
• Going to the library.
• Helping me cook or bake. Or even better, helping Grammie cook or bake.
• Helping Grammie garden.
• Watching her Cowboys or her "Thunders" on TV.
• Coloring. Painting.

Dislikes:

• Being told what to do.
• Not being in control.

Addison Mae - 26 months

Well, it finally happened. I missed a month. And by "missed," I mean I have been feeling super guilty, knowing I hadn't taken the time to blog about my sweet girl since August. But, you know, we've had just a few things going on around here so I'm going to move on and write an extra long one about the last two months. Who know - maybe this every-other-month will become the new thing. Addie is, in a word, hilarious. And exasperating. She is definitely two, going on 13. In the same day, she will make me so proud that I cry, laugh so hard I cry or frustrate me so much I cry. It's kinda a crapshoot. She is so brilliant, and she loves making us laugh. She's also completely into being independent and not listening. We've had several hour to two hour tantrums over the past few months, which all resulted from being told no. And her tantrums typically include kicking, screaming and vomiting. It's super. We've also had multiple half an hour to an hour stand-offs at the table over not wanting to finish a meal (or even a particular bite of food). This is totally Jordan's fault as he used to do this as a kid, too. The funny thing (well, it's not really funny) is that it's been over food she actually LIKES, not random stuff we're forcing down her throat. The heart of the matter is she likes to be in control. And we're not going to say who she gets that from.

Our big girl just moved into her big girl room, complete with awesome stripes her daddy painted on one wall, after he and her Grammie painted the whole room and ceiling. She seems excited about her brother's arrival, but I'm anxious to see how that all pans out in the real world. I know she will be a fabulous big sister. She loves to lie on my tummy and talk to or kiss him. And tell him, "We don't kick Mommy, brother. You go time out for that." As well as tell him all the other reasons he'll be put in time out when he gets here. She means business. And she will LOVE having someone (else) to boss.

We had a fabulous time on our last vacation as a family of three, when we surprised her really early one morning to take her to Eureka Springs/Table Rock Lake. Aside from the countless times she vomited in her car seat to and from said destinations, we had an awesome time. And she sweetly kept telling us "I won't vomit anymore in my seat." We rode the train in Eureka Springs, where she also got to put pennies on the tracks for the train to run over. She maniacally screamed through her first boat ride with her Uncle Ray. She LOVED our day-and-a-half at Silver Dollar City, where she rode another train, petted goats, rode several rides, including her first carousel, and built a bear. I should note that the two kiddie rides she was tall enough for required her non-pregnant father to accompany her ... and he was almost too large for the seats. It was hysterical. We ate copious amounts of food, including the best donuts ever, chocolate pancakes as big as Addie, her first corn dog and lots of ketchup. And we visited the War Eagle Mill. Whew.

Weight: 24.5 pounds
Length: ~32  inches

New things this month (or two):

• Turning into a little gymnast. This girl loves 'nastics class and jumping. She can "jump on my two feet" (instead of the awkward, one-legged toddler jump) and somersault. She seriously is pretty impressive, and I have been extra impressed with how well she (usually) listens. I mean, she is two after all.
• Obsessing about birthdays and blowing out candles. I guess this started with her own birthday, and since she's had several friends, a cousin, a daddy, an aunt, an uncle and a dog with birthdays to celebrate.
• Being extra loving to her mommy and daddy. Unless she's throwing a temper tantrum.
• The temper tantrums as described above.
• Using her imagination. She's playing more by herself than ever before, and she sings to her babies, makes up games and creates entire little worlds. It's pretty amazing.
• Talking about the days of the week, which she can name, though not exactly in order.
• Continuing to try to put on her own clothes. And get really mad when I try to help.
• Using big girl toothpaste, which isn't all that exciting in and of itself. Except for the part where she says, "Mommy, I want to do the spitting." She's pretty thrilled that she gets to incorporate one of her favorite activities into teeth hygiene.
• Riding her first amusement park rides. Riding her first trains. And riding on her first boat.

Likes:

• Going to Hobby Lobby. And playing pretend at home that she's going to Hobby Lobby.
• A continued obsession with all babies.
• Cheez-its. Fruit snacks. Goldfish.
• Stickers and any crafts that go with them.
• Her Stella doll and all Stella's accessories.
• Our nightly frog-moon-stars ritual. About 10 minutes before bed, we go outside to count how many frogs are in our driveway (and if you don't already know it, Jordan is TERRIFIED of frogs, so be sure to picture that part), check out the moon and look up at the stars. Our highest frog count has been 23.
• Jumping.
• Birthday parties.
• Opening the trashcan.
• Going to the library and checking out approximately 28 books every time.
• Helping me cook or bake.
• Singing.
• Choo choo trains.

Dislikes:

• Anyone suggesting she use the potty rather than her diaper. Though she had a good week or so where she used the potty every day, it's now an off-limits topic. She literally yells NO at us when we suggest it, even with the offered bribe of her favorite lollipops. She tells me, "I no go poo-poo in potty, Mommy. I go in my diaper. You clean it up." So, then, we'll just wait till she's ready ...

Addison Mae - 2 years

Y'all, I officially have a 2-year-old. I have been a mom for a whole two years. I can hardly believe I have any sanity left (actually, that's questionable). My high-energy girl and I have had a whirlwind of fun and butting heads over the last month. I think that will likely be the combination for the rest of our lives. Swim lessons were a little rocky at first (complete with her kicking and screaming at her teacher the first lesson ... oh my) but she did a great job and learned and perfected more than I ever imagined she would. And found the bright new world of lollipops (her teacher's reward at the end of each lesson). We have crafted, painted and Play-Doughed ourselves out. We have worked puzzles, played kitchen, taken care of numerous baby dolls (all named Julia or Stella) and made lots of cookies. My parents, Addie and I went to Fort Worth to cousin Lila's birthday party, and Addie was out of her mind for days beforehand she was so anxious to go. It was a quick trip, but she had the time of her life with her sweet cousins, played her heart out at the waterpark party, loved on their two new kitties and ate her weight in sugar. She was also beside herself for her "sister party," when we told her and our families that she's getting a BROTHER! She didn't care about that part so much, but just wanted to eat the pizza and cupcakes she'd been promised and was not-so-patiently waiting for.

We have celebrated and celebrated and celebrated this sweet girl's birthday, starting off on her last day of school when she insisted she wear her full birthday outfit, rather than just the shirt ("I need tutu, Mommy"), and took muffins for her classmates. On her actual birthday, Jordan and I took her to lunch and to Pinkitzel for cupcakes and then celebrated that evening with our families with a hot dog cookout and cookie cake. On Friday, Jeff, Rebecca, Julia and Lila arrived for more celebration, and we had her Aloha! party on Saturday at my parents'  house with her sweet friends and more family. I'm exhausted. And so very, very blessed to be this girl's momma!

Weight: 24 pounds
Length: ~32  inches

New things this month:

• Swimming like a fish. She can kick her little legs, (sort of) use her arms, hold her breath, blow bubbles, jump in like a champ, pull herself out of the water along the side, monkey-crawl her way to the steps and occasionally float (when she allows herself to be relaxed). Now, her "swimming" still resembles drowning most of the time, but she's totally got all the foundational skills, which is awesome. And I think her extreme confidence means momma's got to keep an even closer eye on her than before!
• The talking. Unbelievable. She uses the word catawampus. She also says she's exhausted. Those are my two new favorites. She can use time and directional words correctly, most of the time (yesterday, tomorrow, not yet, next to, under, over, etc.) and likes to say the days of the week (not in order and really, she just likes Sunday and Wednesday). She talks about bigger and smaller, open and closed, in and out ... I'm gonna go ahead and say she's a genius. And that it's likely her sweet brother won't speak a word till he's 7.  Some of my favorite recent phrases: "That not yours, Mommy. That Addie's;" when waking up on a Saturday morning: "Daddy no go work today! Daddy go Farmer's Market with Addie!"; when I hurt myself and yelled Mother Pooper!! (better than many other options, right??), she said, "Mommy, your pooper hurt?"; when I told her the oven was stinky: "Mommy, Izzy poop in there?"; when she was going down for her nap after her party, "Mommy, I so happy Daisy came my party" ... I know I am forgetting so many ...
• This part's not so fun, but she's started saying "I no love you," "I no like you," "I no want you, Mommy" when she's uber cranky or mad at me. Breaks my heart just a little.
• An even greater need to be in control and do things herself, like wipe/wash her own hands, "try" to put on her clothes, open and close all doors 
• Willingly going to time out when we tell her to. And then crying as if her heart would break.
• Chewing her fingernails obsessively. She is my little worrier. (PS Any ideas of how to help her break this would be greatly appreciated.)
• Sleeping all night in her big girl bed, by her own request. I worried most of the first night, but thanks to a very cool foam "railing," she didn't fall out. And I don't think she's figured out that she could get out by herself if she really wanted to.
• Making actual deposits in the potty. She has been sitting on it for a month or more, but she actually made both pee-pee and poo-poo. She was ecstatic. So was Mommy. We've decided not to push potty training but just let her lead the charge (she is rather independent and likes things to be her own idea, if you haven't already noticed). For now, the plan is to sit her on the potty once or twice a day and see what happens ... we'll go from there!
• Meeting Pistol Pete at the Cowboy Caravan. She was really excited to meet him, until she actually saw him. This is her description of the meeting: "I no like Pete, Mommy. I see him, I say AAHHHH! He nice man, he just scare me little bit."
• Finding out she's going to have a brother! She loves to talk about how he's growing in my tummy. When I tell her she's kicking me she either kicks me, too (helpful) or tells my tummy, "We no kick Mommy." When we ask what his name will be, her answers vary: brother baby, sister, boy, green, fountain. The correct answer is Hutch.

Likes:

• Playing hide-and-seek. Although she often forgets to find whoever is hiding. And usually comes out of hiding herself before giving the seeker a chance to find her.
• Playing chase, especially with her daddy. And chasing us, saying, "I going to get you!!!"
• Playing with her baby dolls. She got lots of new accessories for her dolls for her birthday, which has made doll playing even more exciting.
• Playing tea party with her new tea set.
• Play Dough.
• Playing with her shopping cart. "I go grocery store, Mommy. I be back soon."
• Her new outdoor playset. "It has ladder, Mommy!!" And a slide, which she prefers to go down backward on her tummy.
• Trying to or requesting to hold babies. Whether we know them or not. And getting really mad when told she can't hold a baby.
• Stickers. And Bandaids.
• Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la Elmo's World.
• Making up songs on her xylophone or drum.
• Dancing.
• Painting, coloring, finger painting ... any type of art project. One of her teachers at school had some type of art planned nearly every day, so Addie was in heaven. She enjoys painting/coloring the paper and her entire body. So at home, we typically have naked baby art projects.
• Speaking of naked, being naked. "I be naked girl baby, Mommy."
• "Funflowers." Sometimes she actually says sunflowers, but I like the first version better. She loves to look for them as we drive around town. And was beside herself when we bought her some at the Farmer's Market.
• Also the Farmer's Market. She loves helping pick out fruit and veggies and just taking in the sights. She also loves our friend's crepe truck.
• Cupcakes.
• The color green.

Dislikes:

• Eating. This has become a three-times-a-day battle of wills at our house. Even with the addition of ketchup. I know she's just asserting herself and trying to have "control" over something in her little life, but mealtimes are exhausting around here.
• Pants.