Kids Update (January 2016)

Here’s a quick update from the past few months. I've been slacking in the kids bi-monthly updates, but people always ask me what they are up to lately so I wanted to share.


Both kids are on the go at all times and they absolutely love each other. Dave and I are hoping that continues as they age.
 

Age:
R-man is 2 years 5 months months 
Little-C is 4 years

Stats:
R-man is Weight: 27 lbs. (49%), Height: 33.75" (51%), Head Circumference: 18.5"
Little-C is 37 lbs.

Teeth:
R-man has a full mouth of teeth. He went to the dentist for the first time last fall and it didn't go well at all. We practiced opening his mouth for the dentist, not biting the dentist and once he got there he froze, and clinched his mouth shut. When he cried the dentist was able to check the bottom teeth. Maybe we'll try again this summer! He brushes his teeth well at nights, but we need to work on him brushing, not eating the toothpaste and asking for more.

Little-C's teeth look great and she enjoys brushing her teeth with her brother at nights. They both got light up tooth bushes from Santa and they know they can't quit brushing their teeth until the red, green and yellow lights have quit.

Brushing her teeth! 

Clothes:
R-man – He is wearing 2T clothes and size 7 shoes. Sometimes the sleeves on his sweatshirts are a bit long, but for the most part he is doing well. He hates jeans, mostly because they have the strip to tighten them and that bothers his tummy. Plus, with him now going potty, sweatpants and mesh type pants work best. He can get those on and off much easier.

Little-C – She is wearing 4T clothes and size 9 shoes. She is absolutely in love with shoes and loves boots this time of year!

Favorite foods this month:   
R-man loves anything with noodles and vegetables. It's amazing how much he loves fruit and vegetables. One thing he's grown to love is uncooked carrots. He'll eat those just like an adult. He also loves steak!

Little-C enjoys most foods. However, over the past few months we've learned that she's a little bit picky than her brother. She has to assure her food isn't touching each other and she's quick to say she doesn't like something when she hasn't even tried it.

Milestones: 
R-man:

• Potty trained: He is fully potty trained!! And he is dry in the mornings as well so we feel as if we've overcome a huge milestone.
• Transitioned to a full size bed: Over Christmas break we transitioned him into a full size bed. He kept waking up in the middle of the night and we thought its because he kept hitting his head because his bed was too small when he rolled over. So far all is going well. Although, there have been a few nights where he has asked for his tiny bed back so I can rock him. We had to put his glider downstairs because it doesn't work upstairs in his room with his larger bed.
• Knows his Mom, Dad and sister's name and his last name: It's fun watching his pronounce his last name. And sometimes he will even call Dave and I by our first name when he can't seem to get our attention. Hey, it works!! 

His big boy bed, minus his new John Deere sheets. 

Little-C:

•  Knows how to write her name: She's been doing really good about writing her name, but some of the letters need to be clarified a bit. Daycare has been aswesome in this aspect - they taught her this!!
• Knows and recognizes letters: She loves when Dave or I wear shirts with letters on them because she will tell us what letters are on them. When we are driving down the road she will say that sign had the letter S on it or whatever letter it may be. The first letter recognition on a sign she had was Casey's and the letter C. She always said that sign has my name on it.

She can write her name pretty well if she has a guide to go from. 

New things they've learned and/or do:
R-man:

• He is talking like a grown adult: It's amazing when we see friends we haven't seen in a while because they will ask how old he is. He talks clear and says full sentences just like his sister and Dave and I.
• Loves to play farm: He prefers to visit Grandpa and Grandma's farm, but when he can't he has plenty of cows to feed. 
• Driving his gator: He's learned how to push the pedal down on his gator, but the steering is another story. He thinks it's going to steer itself. 
• Has to do everything himself: This must be a two year old thing, but he is insistent on doing everything himself lately. Even dumping his own potty out of his tiny potty. 

He's got quite the farm set-up. 

Little-C:

• Knows how to count above 20: She will often lay things out on the floor and count as far as she knows. Usually it's to 25.
• Cares for her babies: We often have to take her babies to the grocery story so she can assure they get taken care of well. 
• Driving her brother on the gator: It's usually a fight on who is going to drive, but she loves being the driver. 

Delivering goodies to the neighbors via Gator. 

Favorite Things:
R-man

• Books: He loves books especially his CY one. Him and his sister get several books before bedtime each night. 
• Farm: He loves anything farm related. He often has to sit his cows out and assure they get plenty of corn and hay.  
• Gator: He loves when it's warm enough so he can drive his gator outside. 
• iPad: We try to limit screen time otherwise he'd watch it non-stop. 
• Cheering on ISU: Both kids absolutely love attending ISU games. And even when they see basketball or football on TV, R-man thinks it's ISU playing. 
• Playing in the snow: He has no fear at all, which worries Dave and I at times. He loves sledding down our hill and loves going faster and faster each time. 

They both love to check out Grandpa's cows. 

He fell asleep watching his iPad while Daddy was cycling in the basement. 

Can't go to an ISU basketball game without getting a Clone cone. 

Little-C

• Shopping: She loves shopping and often say's Mom don't you think that is cute. 
• Dance: She looks forward to dance every Thursday night. Let's hope she participates in her recital in June. 
• Taking care of her brother: She often tries to be the teacher and makes R-man be the student. She instructs him to sit by his locker if he's naughty and pick a different center because the one he choose was full. 
• Cooking/Baking: She loves helping me in the kitchen and often says she wants to decorate cakes like I do one day. 
• Playing in the snow: Both kids could play in the snow for hours, if we let them. They love sledding and making snow angels. 

Can't go anywhere without her baby in tow. She even has them named - this one is baby Charlotte. 

Helping bake goodies. 

Her winter mini dance recital, she didn't do any of it. She just stood there, but her outfit looked cute. 

Dancing at Kelsey's wedding.

Making snow angels.

Sleep:

• R-man goes down around 7:30 and 8:00. He is usually a lot more difficult to put down than this sister. He loves to play with hair so usually I have to lie with him until he falls asleep so he can play with my hair. 
• Little-C goes around 7:30 every night. Dave pats her back for a little while and she's usually out.  

Both regularly sleep through the night. R-man usually wakes up between 6 and 6:30, but little-C is terrible about getting up. Around 6:30 we turn her nightlight on and it's still tough to get her up.

Health:

• R-man has had several ear infections this winter. After he takes antibiotics he's usually okay, but we are all ready for summer. 
• Little-C also had a terrible cough and a constant runny nose, but we are hoping warmer weather in the near future. 

Both kids also visit the chiropractor every quarter to assure their back is in line. Little-C doesn't mind the Dr. Renze, but R-man screams the entire time. Little-C has been going since she was 3 months old and R-man has gone since he was 1 week old. Natural birth is hard on a babies back so it's good to keep them in alignment. 

Little-C getting adjusted by Dr. Renze. 

That concludes the update, but I also thought I'd share a few family photos from this fall! Thanks to Kari Bruck Photography. She always does an amazing job.