Guess who came to visit

I bet you can guess who came to visit us just by looking at the collection of kids on our stairwell.

Spenser on our morning walk

Harper photo op

Harper bundled against the chilly weather on our morning walk.

Touring the town

Long time friends are visiting for a day.  Spenser is having a blast playing with their kids.  We are touring the historic part of town.  Tonight we are having a homemade southern feast of fried chicken, collard greens, and macaroni and cheese.

3 months old

Harper turned 3 months old this month. We've been so busy, there has not been time to stop and talk about it. She weighed 15 lb 3 oz this morning. She is very chatty and will talk a lot when she is in the mood. She is such a good baby and only fusses when she is hungry, lonely, or really really ready to go to bed. She is sleeping 12 hours a night (we only wish Spenser was sleeping as good). She is very strong and alert. She's always looking around to see what is happening.

I've been busy getting her Halloween costume in order. One more sewing project and it will all be done!

Spenser's Milestone

Spenser being oh-so-serious on a vintage fire engine. The local fire and rescue groups are primarily volunteer based. This weekend, they had a fundraiser and open house. They had firetrucks and ambulances open for exploration, free food, balloons, hats, and various other fun and games that were a wee bit advanced for our tow. It was a nice Sunday afternoon activity and let us take a really long walk downtown since we stopped by the wrong firehouse.

A couple of weeks ago, Spenser's teacher, Ms. Pam, let us know that Spenser had asked to use the potty. It was not a successful sitting in that when she stepped away to grab a new diaper, he stood up and managed to get his pants wet. Nevertheless, we took this for a positive sign that he will someday soon show real interest in learning to use the potty. We took the boy to Target and let him pick from a plethora of potties. (I love alliteration) He picked a simple and inexpensive one (no musical flushing mechanism or built in magazine racks). He was so excited about it that he insisted on sitting on it in the shopping basket while we finished our shopping, checked out and made our way back to the car. He has sat on it a few more times, but only when we ask him to right before his bath time. I keep reminding myself, "Babysteps, babysteps."

His vocabulary continues to expand and he is consistently using 3 word sentences. We run through a set of alphabet flashcards each night before bed and he is starting to consistently recognize a few of the letters. He will ask for "cards" if we forget or try to skip over them.

He hasn't been sleeping through the night since shortly before Harper was born. At first, we thought it was just some regression secondary to a new baby showing up, but he is still waking up 2 or more times in the night. He wakes up crying and will sometimes fall asleep with a few minutes of cuddles and back patting. Other times, it's 2 hours of rocking and walking circles with him. More than likely it's still some separation anxiety that is lingering. As C says, this too will pass.

He is pretty protective of Harper. I took Harper to visit C at work and show her off to the office, so the next week, I did the same with Spenser. Spenser was very upset that we were leaving Harper behind at the school.


Just a cute picture of our pretty girl sleeping.

End of September photo dump

Our big girl sitting up in the Bumpo seat. Her head control is excellent! In developmental news, she smiles regularly. She bats at her toy bar on the car seat. She can roll from her tummy to her back. She's starting to drool and blow lots of bubbles, indicating she's starting to gear up for more solid food than the mommy milk.

She looks quite comfy propped up on the couch.

Spenser, our budding mixologist.

I was making dinner when I realized it was awfully quiet in the living room. He had emptied out this toy basket and was sitting in it, contentedly "reading" a little book.

Enjoying some chicken nuggets for dinner. He's decided he's too old to be bothered with bibs. He's in the midst of cutting four canine teeth. No two year molars yet but they are coming soon.

She's going to grow up tough, since big brother has already decided she makes a dandy footrest.

A morning stretch and smile on the changing table.

Zoe has decided that Harper makes just as good a napping partner as Spenser did.

In her lovely party dress that Grandma Gail bought for her. She wore it when we went to a party in Fawn Lake. At that same party, Spenser fell off a concrete patio onto a lower level (two steps) while standing on a chair and later fell down a short flight of steps in the house.

Grandma Marilyn came to visit!