Updates

Why in the world am I not able to keep up with basic updates?? I have so many things each day that I really want to remember, but just can't find the time and/or motivation to jot it down or write it out. Maybe that will have to be my un-New Year's resolution.

Zane and Emerson have both been growing and changing so much! The biggest thing, I think, is that they are truly starting to play together more now. It's my dream come true every time I see them sitting and interacting with cars or dinosaurs together or when I hear them giggling and chasing each other. I just love that they like being together lately...not all the time, but a lot of the time.

Emerson:
* Knows some more words - some completely recognizable (toe, down, milk, more, mama, dada, Elmo, gentle, love you, uh-oh, no, yeah) and some that are the same everytime so we know what she's saying, but aren't as recognizable (doggie - doda, yogurt - aaaooo, I want that - something like that, fan - faaa, ball - daaa, and several more that I can't think of)
* Now has 9 teeth in, including one huge molar. She's just about to get 3 more big molars too and it seems like she's just teething all the time.
* Loves getting shoes for the right person and trying to put them on our feet...her own, Zanes, mine or Zack's. When she gets rocks or sand in her shoes, she just sits right down and takes them off.
* Can point to her feet, toes, belly, and hair when we ask her to.
* Loves shaking her head no when we ask for something and she runs away smiling and giggling.
* Imitates singing, whistling, screaming, and pretty much any sound SOOO well.
* Starts trying to tear off her clothes when we say it's time for a bath.
* Still can't really figure out sucking out of a sippy cup, straw, or bottle - she loves biting all of them so it's tough getting her to stay totally hydrated (I'm still nursing her 2 times a day) and for the rest we have to give her fluids dropping out of the bottom of a straw or a medicine syringe.
* Is super loving and gives hugs and kisses to everyone and everything around her all day. She snuggles us all the time and gives us "gentles."
*Gets the hiccups when she laughs too hard.
* Can finally fall asleep in her car seat and other places by quietly drifting off instead of crying as hard as she can to fall asleep.
* Makes more animal sounds...doggie, cat, cow, monkey, bunny (hops), and most the others still sound pretty similar to each other. :)
* Likes to fake sleep a lot and just lays down her head wherever she is at the time.
* Fake blows bubbles and makes a really funny sound that is supposed to be blowing.
* Reads books and wants to sit in our laps all the time to read, read, read.
* Eats like a maniac! She eats probably double what Zane does and eats every single thing we give her pretty much. She also begs for snacks all day. Wow, it's impressive. She wants to feed herself with spoons and forks so bad and is getting a little bit better at it.
* Loves to bounce balls and chase them. She's also been loving to play in her tent, just running in and out of it cracking up. If one of us sticks our head in, she freaks out in a high pitched squealing laughter and falls over trying to get away.
* Loves playing in the sandbox with Zane and is eating less and less sand.
* She likes to sit in Zane's lap and just plops down whenever she wants to.
* Has such a funny, quirky, wild personality and is hilarious.

Zane:
* Turns 3 in 2 weeks and is becoming so much more independent and just old. He understands and remembers everything!! He's such a cool little person now who I love hanging out with. It's been fun doing more and more with him as he matures.
* Is really getting pretty good at verb tenses, even irregular verbs. When he's talking, he'll correct himself or think about how to say the word right before saying it.
* Has gone to two movies with us (Shrek and Toy Story 3) and did great. He loves all the characters and talks about everyone a lot.
* Asks "why, how, when, what, but especially why" after almost every single thing we say. The crazy thing is that he remembers all our answers and learns from everything we say, so we try our best to give him the real answers. The funny thing is now he's figured out to just ask all his questions at once before we even have a chance to answer them because he anticipates what we'll say. A lot of time, too, he'll say, "Oh, I already know" and then answer his own question. He even asks his toys why all the time and then has them answer his questions in their squeaky voices.
* When we're wondering about something together, he brainstorms the answers or solutions with me and says, "maybe (aybe) it's because"...and he comes up with the best most unique ideas. Wish I could think of good examples.
*Actually told me the other day that my kiss didn't make his toe feel better :( I tried a few times and it didn't help!! I felt like crying because my baby is growing up.
*Tells me where to go and says stuff like, "Mommy, turn left, then right, then turn and you'll get to the store."
* Tells us he went on trips by himself, like that he went to go visit New York and that he rode the train and went to see a movie in the theater and just makes up crazy ideas.
monster with three fingers
* Told me he wanted to go to Lake Michigan again and I told him we had to save up enough money first to plan a trip. So, he told me he would work at church playing play-doh so he could pay for all of us to go on our trip to Michigan.
* Plays the game "I wish I could eat a whole ____" and when I say one, he says, "No, you can't eat that! It's too crunchy or too big or too spicy, etc."
* When a kid on TV or in a book is by himself, he always asks, "Where's his mommy?" If a kid is sad, he usually concludes that he must need his Mommy.
*Helps me assess why Emmy is sad or crying and gives me lot's of ideas why.
* When he learned to sing the song, "It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring. Went to bed and bumped his head and couldn't get up in the morning" he had to ask all about the story behind it - Why is it raining? How did he bump his head? Where's his mommy? Why couldn't he get up? What did he play when he did get up? etc.
* Told me the other day to turn right, turn left to get to the Hub, but don't turn on Sunny Days or else you'll get to Sesame Street.
* Tells knock knock jokes - and then says, "that was SOOO funny!"
* Quotes movies lines and book lines all the time.
* Loves the new building where Zack works, The Hub. He said on the way home from it the other day, "I just love the Hub...it's way more fun that our house,"
* Said, "I tried to hide it from the wind, but it still got it" when he lost a toy outside.
* Came in from outside and yelled, "I'm coming in. It's absolutely freezing out there."
* Told me Emmy is "giving me roughs, not gentles."
* We saw a fire truck and ambulance pass us while driving and Zane told me that they were going to help someone who got hurt. Then he said, "I want to help too, Mommy! I'm a good helper. Can we go?" Then, he concluded that the best helper would be Larry Boy, the main character from Veggie Tales.
* We also tell Zane we're going to put him down for rest time and one day he said, "No, I want you to put me up for a play." He does that a lot, says the exact opposite of what we say.
* He helps Emerson and is more patient with her. He actually helped her climb all the way to the top of a McDonald's playplace today. He likes to hold her while he slides too. He will help me take her hand and guide her in the right direction.
* Is obsessed with the ipad and wants to play games on it all the time. Then, when he asks to see Zack's ipod, he calls his "opad" because he gets the vowels mixed up.
*Talks to other kids more, introduces himself and asks them questions. He's getting friendlier and more outgoing...
* Is the sweetest little guy.

Not so long next time!!