Eli: 3 1/2 Years Old

Dear Eli,

You are becoming quite a fine young man. It's funny because I definitely don't consider you a toddler anymore. You are a little boy. You're always surprising me with the smart and funny things you say and the creative things you do.

You are becoming a lot more affectionate than you used to be. You've recently started telling me that you like me and love me without any prompting. It is the sweetest thing in the whole world to have you look up at me with your sparkly blue eyes and say "Mommy, I love you!"  You say it out of the blue pretty frequently and it makes me feel like a million bucks. I love you too, buddy. I've also taught you that three hand squeezes means "I love you," so you love to hold my hand and do that too. After years of hating to sit still and snuggle with us, you've started to realize that it feels really nice to be snuggled up against someone. You frequently snuggle with both me and your dad.

Since you were potty trained, you've been doing awesome.  You never, ever have accidents, day or night.  But the annoying thing is that you're not very responsible about telling us you have to go. You have a bladder and bowels made of steel, and are capable of holding it forever.  Unless we nag you every four or so hours to go, you won't go. You'll hold it until you are dancing around, practically wetting yourself, and you still won't admit you have to go. When we tell you it's time to go potty, you almost always put up a fight even though it's obvious you have to go. I don't understand it. In order to get you to go poop, we have to threaten to do an enema on you. One mention of that, and you'll go.  We never actually have to do it but just threaten it. It's sad and weird and I wish you would be more responsible about your peeing and pooping.  But at the same time, I'm grateful that you never have accidents, so I can't complain too much!

You have recently started asking for me and your dad to tell you stories before bed every night. The more elaborate they are, the better. You always have to be the main character and they always have to start with "Once upon a time" and end with "And they all lived happily ever after." You've recently started protesting when we finish by saying "You didn't tell me the whole story!" I think it's an effort to stall longer. It's hilarious. It's like, "How can you know that that wasn't the whole story, Eli? I made it up!"  So we'll always have to add more.

A few months ago, I came up with the genius idea of "The Food Fairy" to help you try new foods. The Food Fairy is the diaper fairy's sister, you see, and she flies around in the sky, watching little kids try new foods. She can see through the ceiling and when a kid tries a new food, she is so happy that she rings the doorbell and drops off a small present (from the dollar store) and a note for the brave kid. Every time I convince you to try a food you've never had before, even if it's just a bite, she visits our house. You are so excited every single time. This method works off and on. You'll get really excited about it and I'll push you to try new foods and you will for a few days at a time, but then you start to really resist again.  When I can tell that you're hating it, I try to back off and give you some time. We'll go a week or two without talking about the food fairy, and then when I mention her again, you seem to get more excited and be more willing to try. I don't want to push it or overdo it.  I want it to remain a fun, magical thing for you.

Your dad and I had an epiphany about you a few weeks ago. You don't listen to your body.  When you're hungry, you don't ask for food. When you have to pee or poo, you don't tell us. When you're exhausted and clearly need a nap, you refuse to even consider it. It's hard to teach someone to listen to their body! After you've eaten, I try to say things like "Don't you feel better now that you've eaten, Eli?" Or "I bet your tummy ache is gone now that you went poop! Doesn't that feel better?" You'll always agree with me, but I wish you would learn to recognize these things on your own.  I'm sure it will come with time.

You talk non-stop all day long. From the moment you wake up to when you finally crash at the end of the day, you are talking. It ranges from a running commentary of your life to questions about anything and everything. I absolutely adore this about you, but I'm not going to lie. It's exhausting! By the end of the day, sometimes I just want silence. I want to sit in a dark room and not speak to anyone because I am just plain tired. Your brain is like a sponge and you're trying to learn as much as possible every day. You speak very clearly and pronounce words very well. I've even had strangers comment to me before about how well you speak. I'm so proud of this.

One big accomplishment that has occurred over the past few weeks is that you've stopping sitting in your high chair at meal times. Finally! You actually came up with a system of your own to keep yourself sitting in your chair and it works like magic. You "turn" mine or your dad's ear at the beginning of the meal and say, "The buzzer is on!" If your feet touch the floor before you're done eating, we make a loud buzzing sound that "scares" you. You don't want us to make this sound, so you always stay in your seat until we excuse you from the table. Before you get down, you switch the buzzer in our ears to the "off" position. It's so funny. You completely made this up on your own and we haven't had to push it or enforce it at all. You enforce it yourself! 

Your imagination is really taking off and I love watching you make believe. You've recently started having conversations with your stuffed animals. You do both sides of the conversation and the stuffed animals always has a really high-pitched voice. It's hilarious. I secretly hope that someday you'll have an imaginary friend. ;) 

Eli, you bring so much joy into my life. Thanks for making me a mother three and a half years ago and for being a part of our family. You are such an incredible boy. I love you so much!

3 1/2 Year Stats:

Weight: 38.8 lbs (87th percentile)

Height: 41 inches (89th percentile) 

Ho Ho Ho!

Oliver: 19 Months Old

Dear Oliver,

Your incredibly sweet disposition continues. You are calm, smiley, sensitive, and extremely cuddly.  You love to cuddle and want to do it all day, every day. You will literally cuddle with anyone. Last week when I left you in nursery, you had a meltdown and took comfort in the arms of the nursery leader whom you'd never met. When I came to get you, I saw your whole body snuggled up against her, your head lying on her shoulder with tears and snot running down your face. The same thing happened today when I came to pick you up. You were on the lap of a man that you'd never met before. He told me you'd been like that the majority of the class and that instead of playing with the other kids, you just wanted to snuggle. Everyone loves this quality about you. In this man's words, you're "a lover." If I had the time, we could sit on the couch and snuggle all day long. You even know the command "squeeze." My absolute favorite is when you squeeze me over and over.

Your obsession with plain white burp cloths also continues. You sleep with at least 3 or 4 and love to carry them around the house with you. They're your security object, I guess. If I ever forget to give some to you when I put you down for a nap or for bed, you'll sure let me know. You'll sob until I come in and give you one, and as soon as you see it, you do this desperate little giggle. I don't understand it, but it's so cute.

I weaned you from nursing this month.  It made me so sad, but I felt that the time was right. The last time I nursed you, I held you so close for so long and I just sobbed. I hate that our nursing relationship had to end, but I loved every minute of the 19 months that you snuggled in my arms and I nourished you. During that time, we formed a strong bond that I know will never fade. I am so grateful that I was able to nurse you so easily and that I never had any problems with my milk supply. I always had more than enough to give you and you were always more than eager to nurse.  I was so worried that you would cry yourself to sleep the first night that I put you to bed without nursing, but instead, you happily sang "E-I-E-I-O" to yourself until you fell asleep. You never looked back, and for that I am grateful. It made it easier on me.

You are a musical kid, Oliver! I can't believe how much you love to sing. Your favorites are "Old McDonald" and Katy Perry's "Roar." Whenever we're at church and the music starts, you stop what you're doing, perk up, and join in. You love to bring me hymn books and pretend to follow along. I'm always surprised how in tune you are when you sing.  I'm excited to get you into piano lessons and choir when you're older because I know you have a gift.

Recently, you've started putting up a fight when we put you down for a nap and even at bedtime too. I don't know what the reason for it is, but the past week or two, we've had to let you cry-it-out quite a bit. I hate it, but it must be done because nothing else works. If we go in to comfort you, it just makes it worse when we leave the room again. But once you're asleep, it's very, very rare for you to wake up in the night. Your brother, on the other hand still gets us up a few times a night. :(

This month, we've discovered that your favorite food is cheeseburgers. On a few occasions, you've put away an entire adult-sized cheeseburger in one sitting. It's pretty gross actually and we try to not let you do it very often, but it's awesome too and at least you're getting a lot of protein! Overall, you're a great eater. You don't usually eat a lot, but you will try almost anything, which is all I ask. We are so relaxed about your eating and after what we've been through with Eli, I am so thankful that you're adventurous. It's a big blessing in my life.

When we ask you to blow your nose, you hum. We'll hold a tissue up to your nose and say "Blow, Oliver." And you go "Hmmmmmm" in a little sing-song voice. It's so funny. You love to cook and any time you see me at the stove, you drag a chair across the kitchen, climb up on it, and insist on standing there and "helping." It makes it hard for me because I can't leave the stove for even a second or turn my head, but you know to not touch. Sometimes I'll let you sprinkle ingredients into the pot so you feel like you're involved. You love when I give you tasks like throwing things away in the garbage or putting toys in the hallway drawer. I think it makes you feel important.

You are cutting all 4 of your canines this month and it's been brutal. They've all broken through your gums but they're still tiny and have a long way to go. I give you ibuprofen occasionally to help you feel better, but you're pretty tough.

Oliver, you are a rock star. You're a bright, shining light in our family and to everyone that you come across. I am completely smitten by you. I feel so blessed to be your mom.

Love and kisses,
Mama

19 Month Stats: 
Weight: 26.0 lbs (45th percentile)
Height: 33 inches (55th percentile)
Head Circumference: 19 inches (56th percentile)

So Long, Moisturel.....

I have been using Moisturel on my skin for practically my whole life. Since I started washing my face as a tween, anyway. I've been a loyal, faithful customer and haven't ever used anything else. I've always bought these giant 16 ounce tubs that last forever and seriously only have to reorder every year or two. Because I've been scraping the last little bits out of the corners of the container the past few weeks, I got online tonight to reorder. I was horrified to discover that it's been discontinued. It's unavailable. It doesn't exist anymore.  I did frantic google search after frantic google search that kept telling me the same thing. I really can't buy it anywhere. 

I seriously don't know what to replace it with! I have the driest skin ever.  After I wash my face at night, my skin feels like it's going to split open unless I slather it with glorious Moisturel. Those days are gone and I'm oh so sad.... 

I need recommendations for a new moisturizer. What's your favorite?

Oliver: 18 Months Old

Dear Oliver,

You're a year and a half old today! What a big boy!  For some reason, I still feel like you're younger than that. Maybe because you're my youngest, I'm trying to hold onto your babyhood. It's like I still haven't accepted that you're a toddler now and not a baby. I can't believe that you're 1 1/2...... sniff..... sniff.......

Your dad and I went on 2 different trips without you and your brother this month- one for a work conference in Las Vegas and another to see Uncle Andrew and Aunt Trisha in Portland. You stayed with Ama and Grandpa in St. George during the first trip and then with Grandma Janie and Guelito during the second. You did great without us, but you were definitely more clingy to me when I got back. I think you were afraid that I was going to leave you again. I can't even tell you how much I missed you while we were gone. During lunch on the first day I was away from you, I sat at the table and sobbed. I couldn't stop looking at pictures of you and calling to check up on how you were doing. I can guarantee you that I missed you more than you missed me. Our reunion was very sweet. You wouldn't stop smiling, giggling, and snuggling us.

All 4 of your canines have broken through your gums and are gradually making their way out. You've been pretty tough about it. Either they haven't been bugging you much or you're totally tough and pain means nothing to you. ;) Once they're all the way in, the only teeth left to come in are your 2 year molars. Then you'll have a full set! You hate when we try to help you brush your teeth. You want to brush them yourself, but the only problem is that your "brushing" mainly consists of sucking on the toothbrush and drooling. Not the most effective method, if you ask me. So I have to admit that we don't do it as much as we should because you put up such a fight. Your dad usually pins you down on the ground and I do the brushing while you sob. You're so dramatic.  I promise I brush really softly!

You are a great eater when you want to be. If we can catch you in the right mood, you can wolf down food practically like an adult. While we were in St. George over the weekend, we went out to dinner and ordered you your own kids meal. You ate 3/4 of your large cheeseburger, all of your fries, and drank a huge glass of milk. I was actually getting kind of worried that you were going to throw up because of what a large quantity you ate. It was actually kind of gross. You still don't like to eat in the mornings. When you're not eating, sometimes I'll threaten you by saying things like "Oliver, eat this or you're going to have to go to bed." And it's actually starting to work! You're starting to understand that you need to eat when I say it's time to eat and that I'm not going to try to feed you all day long. You insist on feeding yourself and make such a mess that I usually strip you down to just your diaper.

You honestly couldn't be a better sleeper. You always fall asleep for your naps almost as soon as I lay you down and you sleep for about an hour and a half. You've been sleeping straight through the night too. I don't think you've gotten up in the night once these past few months. Your brother, on the other hand, is another story....

You love to read books. I try to read with you every day while Eli is at preschool or doing something else so that we can have some one-on-one time. You always want to read the same two books- one called "Colors" that is just a picture book and another about diggers. You point and grunt at the same pictures over and over.

You're starting nursery at church on Sunday, which will be so nice. You've gotten really hard the past few months because all you want to do is walk up to the front and do naughty, distracting things. You want to bang on the piano, pull on the tablecloth and centerpiece, and hold onto the legs of the teacher. You're pretty funny and irreverent at the same time. I think you're going to do fine in nursery, especially because you're going to have Eli in there with you for the next two months to help guide you through the transition.

You love to sing. You're still not talking, but boy, you can sure sing! Your favorite song is "Old McDonald" and you'll sing just the E-I-E-I-O part all day long. It's totally adorable and a little annoying at the same time. On the drive back to Bountiful from St. George yesterday, you sang quietly to yourself almost the whole way. It was so sweet.

You're still not talking at all. I don't know what to do about it or what to think. I feel like I'm trying my hardest to teach you words and sounds. I try to have you repeat words back to me all day long. I don't let you get away with just grunting when you want something. I try to make you say the word when you're pointing to something. I don't want you to be a lazy talker. I don't know what more I can be doing to help you. I honestly talk to you from the moment you get up until the moment I put you down. I think you're just a late bloomer and that one day, it will just click and you'll start talking like crazy!

Oliver, you are such a pleasant, happy little boy. You're so much fun to be around and have such a great personality. You're awesome at entertaining yourself and love to toddle around the house making messes. You are smiley and love to give hugs. You worship your big brother and light up when he gives you attention. You bring such a happy energy to our home and I can't imagine my life without you. You're so awesome. Thanks for being such an amazing little man.

With lots of love,
Mama

18 Month Stats: 
Weight: 25.8 lbs (47th percentile) 
Height: 32 3/4 inches (59th percentile) 
Head Circumference: 19 1/4 inches (78th percentile)

Snow Canyon Half Marathon

One of my New Year's Resolutions this year was to run a half marathon. I'm usually not very good at keeping my resolutions, but this was one that I was really determined to follow through with. Adam ran one at the end of July, and as soon as he finished, I started my training. I worked my butt off. I started with 3 mile runs and got progressively longer from there. I also incorporated strength training at the gym and sprinting workouts here and there. 

I was discouraged with how things were going at the beginning but the thing that made all the difference in the world for me was the day I got my water belt. For some reason, my body really needs to be extremely hydrated while I run. I felt like a new woman on my first run with the water belt. I was supposed to be going 5 miles but I actually ended up going 6.5 because I felt so good, I didn't want to stop! From that day forward, I never ran without water and gatorade on my hips, and it really helped.

I peaked in my training a little early and by the time I still had a few weeks to go, I was already feeling burned out. I simply didn't want to run any more. I was sick of it. I just wanted to do the race and get it over with. Plus, the muscles around my ankles and on the tops of my feet were really starting to bug me a few weeks before the race and I was getting worried about injuring myself. So I really didn't run much the two weeks before the half marathon, just to be safe. This made me feel really nervous, like I wouldn't be ready on race day, but looking back, I'm glad I gave my body a rest.

The night before the race, I was really nervous but excited to just do it and get it over with. Because this was my first half marathon, I didn't know what to expect.  I woke up around 4:00 a.m. to go to the bathroom and couldn't fall back to sleep. I laid there tossing for about an hour and a half until I finally dozed off. My alarm went off about 45 minutes after that.

I woke up, ate a little something, and drove myself to Snow Canyon High School, where were would load onto school buses to be shuttled up to the starting line. It was cold out and I was anxious about what to wear while running. The last thing I wanted was to be cold while I ran, but I also dreaded being hot the whole time. I was also really nervous that I was going to have to go pee in the middle of the race and that there would be a line at the port-a-potty's. I met up with my friend Nichole and we rode the bus up together and hung out at the starting line until it was time to begin. It was really nice to have someone to talk to and to help occupy my mind and calm my nerves.

I ended up wearing a tank top with a long sleeved t-shirt over the top, a pair of shorts, and some lightweight gloves. I was really cold all morning until I started running, but then it was perfect. I ended up ditching my gloves at the side of the road at about mile 4 and I took my long sleeved shirt off at mile 9. My family was waiting there to cheer me on, and I threw my shirt to them for safe keeping as I passed.

When the gun went off and all the runners began, I hung back for a minute. I turned on my music and filled up my water bottles. I didn't want to be in the initial swarm of people because it was really crowded (there were over 2,000 runners!). After a minute or two, I began. The first mile or two were annoying because of how crowded it was, but then everyone began to spread out and it got better. 

For some reason, I wasn't that nervous once I started running. I was just having fun! The scenery was breathtaking and because the course was downhill, it didn't seem very hard. I can't believe how fast the time went by. My nearly two straight hours of running honestly only felt like a half hour. It was really fun to look forward to seeing my family at mile 9. I especially couldn't wait to see my boys! 

As soon as my family saw me, they started cheering for me as loud as they could. It was so much fun!!! It gave me a big burst of energy.  Then, I saw them again a mile or two later as they drove by. Then honked and cheered for me again.

I felt great as I came across the finish line. I was tired, but it really wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. Honestly, I've felt worse crossing the finish line at 5k and 10k's before! The last mile was the hardest, but even then, I was fine. I think all of my training paid off. I went running 3-4 times a week for 3 solid months in preparation for the race and I was strong.

I started and stopped my watch on my own, but it's funny because this turned out to be my exact offical time anyway. I'm as accurate as a timing chip, apparently!

Aren't these signs my family made me hilarious?!  I loved them!

The next day, my calves were a little sore from the descent, but that's it. I wasn't sore anywhere else. It felt so good to accomplish such a big goal! I definitely don't think that will be my last half marathon. I'd love to do another one in a year or two--maybe after I have my next baby. The training was really time consuming, but I would love to give it another go in a few years. I had a blast!

Halloween 2013

Halloween was so ridiculously fun this year. Really, it was more fun than people should be allowed to have.  The boys are at good ages where they're finally starting to "get it" and they're actually getting into it. We had a busy day filled with three different places to trick-or-treat.

Our first stop of the day was Adam's office. It's an annual tradition to trick-or-treat there and it's always fun to show off our cute kids to all of Adam's co-workers.

 The boys sure acted like they knew what to do. They said trick-or-treat (even Oliver!), thank you, and Happy Halloween. They were adorable.

Everyone loved their costumes and a few people even took pictures of them.

The next stop was aunt Michelle's school, Edison Elementary.  They had a trunk-or-treat and all of the Alba's were there handing out candy. It was so fun to see where Michelle works and meet some of her students. The boys were so hyper there.

 My little Buzz was very serious about checking out all of the other kids' costumes and getting as much candy as he could.

 Oliver was more than excited by everything around him.

Oliver randomly wouldn't stop dancing. Maybe it was all the sugar?

 Then, we met up with my sisters, aunt, and grandparents and trick-or-treated around our neighborhood. The boys rode around in the wagon.

I was so proud of how well they held up despite all of the excitement of the day. Eli only had one tiny meltdown where he screamed in the street, "I'M TIRED!!!!" It was a successful night! I love this holiday!!!

Oliver: 17 Months Old

Dear Oliver,

I can't believe how fast you're growing up! It seems like you were born only a few short months ago. You are such a joyous addition to our family. One of my favorite things about you lately is how well you and Eli are getting along. Sure, you fight over toys, but for the most part, you two play together really well. I love watching your relationship blossom. My absolute favorite thing in the whole world is when I hear you giggling together in the other room. I walk in to find you getting into mischief together and I can't be mad because it's so cute.

You're still not talking at all, and I'm trying to not be worried. You don't say a single word. Not mama, not dada, not no, not doggie...... nothing! I can't tell if you physically can't talk or if you are just being lazy. One tiny improvement this month is that you learned how to make an "s" sound and will occasionally do it if you feel like it. I've also heard you make an "m" sound a few times. But that's it. I'm looking forward to talking to your pediatrician about it at your 18 month appointment next month. I can tell that you understand what I'm saying a good portion of the time I'm talking to you, but for some reason, you can't talk! I can tell that you're a smart little boy, but I hope there's not a bigger problem that relates to your language development.

Your eating continues to be pretty good for the most part, but is still really inconsistent. If you don't feel like eating, there's nothing we can do to pursuade you. I never, ever push it. If you don't want to eat, I just wait an hour or two before I offer you something again. This is pretty annoying to me though because between you and your brother, I'm pretty much always feeding one of you. It takes you a few hours after you wake up to want to eat. So I have to feed Eli his breakfast and then feed you yours, and then when it's time for Eli to eat his lunch, you're not hungry for yours yet.  So then I have to feed you your lunch separately. It gets tiring and I can never keep the kitchen clean! Oh well, at least you're eating sometime.  You do this funny thing where if you decide mid-bite that you're done, you'll open your mouth and let the food fall out. It's like, really dude? Can't you just swallow that last bite and then be done? Do you really have to spit it out?

You are still breastfeeding once a day, at night time before you go to sleep. I actually don't like telling people this because I feel like people are judging me. I feel like they think it's weird. But guess what? I don't really care! You love and it and I love it, so I don't see a reason to stop. You know how to put yourself to sleep for your naps without nursing and if I'm not home at night to nurse you to bed, you do just fine for the babysitter. I love that time I get with you where there's no one around to interrupt us. I love when you fall asleep in my arms, especially because you're not as snuggly as you used to be. Nursing is really the only time you want to be by me.

You are a great sleeper. I put you down for a nap between 12:00-12:30 and you usually sleep for an hour and a half or two. You always fall asleep within just a few minutes of me setting you down. Putting you down at night is easy too. I nurse you, sometimes you fall asleep, sometimes you don't. If you don't, it's not a big deal. I just set you in your crib and leave and you fall asleep within a few minutes. It's rare for you to wake up in the middle of the night, and if you do, we usually just ignore you and you go back to sleep within a few minutes. I know that sounds rude, but if we go in there, it makes you more upset, especially if you see me but I don't nurse you. Sometimes we give you ibuprofen but we mostly just ignore you. Sorry! :)

You're getting really steady on your feet and are basically running now. You love to follow Eli around, although you are also pretty independent too. You're a little bit of a loner by choice. You can totally entertain yourself. It's not uncommon for me to find you in a corner of the house by yourself just quietly playing with toys. It's darling.

A few weeks ago, you were playing on our bed and I left the room for a minute to wipe Eli's butt. I turned to check on you and you were standing on the bed, reaching for the ceiling fan with all your might. You lost your balance and fell off head first. You had the biggest goose egg I've ever seen, and I hate to say it, but your head is still swollen weeks later. I'm actually kind of worried about it. I hope it's not permanent! I feel sooooo guilty for letting that happen! I wish I could be with you every second to make sure you never get hurt, but that's just not possible with two little kids.

This month, you've become quite a daddy's boy. When he gets home from work, you get the hugest smile on your face and do this funny little giggle. Last night, you were so excited to see him that you did a little tap dance and started hyperventilating. He loves it, of course. You two have a really special relationship. One other thing that's super adorable is how reverent you are for prayers. Anytime you hear us even mention the word prayer, you fold your arms in a big, exaggerated fashion, bow your head, and close your eyes. It is the cutest thing in the world. You love to pray! I hope that will continue throughout your life and that you will always have a close relationship with your Heavenly Father.

Oliver, I love you so much. Thanks for being my son.

Love forever,
Mama

17 Month Stats:
Weight: 25.4 lbs (47th percentile)
Height: 31 3/4 inches (40th percentile)
Head Circumference: 19 inches (67th percentile)

Eli: 3 1/4 Years Old

Dear Eli,

You are a fun, sassy, hilarious, energy-filled little boy. You keep me laughing all day long.  I can't get enough of you! I truly realize that being able to stay home with you every day is a privilege, and I try my hardest to be grateful for the opportunity every day. Of course there are moments when I dream about how nice it would be to go to an office to be intellectually stimulated and to have adult conversations, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I can't imagine missing out on all of the cute things you say and do. I'm so grateful for how hard your dad works for our family and for the chance I have to be a stay-at-home mom!

You started preschool last month and you've been loving it. You go on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 12:30-3:00 p.m. On your first day of school, I was a total baby and sobbed all day long, but you marched right in without even a glance back. Even though there's a tiny part of me that wishes you were a little more attached to me, I really do love the fact that you're so independent and don't have any separation anxiety. I've been thrilled with your preschool experience so far. Your teacher, Ms. Amy, is amazing. She is very organized and does the funnest activities with you. She actually teaches you instead of just having it be a 2 1/2 hour long play group.  It's been fun to hear you come home and talk about things that I didn't teach you. You're constantly surprising me with things that you've learned there.

I have to brag about you a little. After you'd only been going to preschool for about a week, Ms. Amy came up to me to tell me that you had already learned how to write your name without any help.  You were the first kid in the class that was able to do it! Granted, I'm sure it helps that your name is only three letters long, but I'm still totally impressed with you. You are such a smart boy. I have no worries about the kind of student you're going to be. You love to learn and I'm sure it will carry you through the rest of your schooling years.

Lately, you have started telling me you're going to do something naughty before you do it. You'll say things like, "Mommy, I'm going to push Oliver." And when I ask you to please not, you'll say, "But mommy, I need to! I need to push him!" You know that you shouldn't be doing it and you're just testing the waters to see how mad I would be if you actually did it. You're pretty smart. You want to know how severe the consequences would be.

Since I last wrote to you, you've stopped napping. You stopped around the end of August. For some reason, you started thinking I was punishing you when I'd put you in your room for a nap. I'd try to explain to you that you weren't in trouble but that you just needed to lie down, but no amount of bribing would get you to do it. I tried everything. When you started throwing things around and crying hysterically for the entire time you were in there, I started leaving your door unlocked so that you wouldn't feel like you were in prison. When you figured out the door was unlocked, you started coming out on your own and I couldn't stop you. I gave up on naps completely and started trying to implement a "quiet time" where you'd read books so that both of us could get a little break during the day, but you didn't want to have that either. So now I just don't do anything. Most days, you are still super crabby towards the late afternoon and evening, and I know you still need a nap, but I don't know what else to do. If we drive somewhere, you fall asleep in the car 90% of the time.

After so many years of agonizing about your eating problems, I'm happy to report that I'm finally learning how to let go. I don't stress about it very much. I'd say a better word to describe your eating is frustration. I get frustrated that you eat the same few foods day after day and that you refuse to try anything new, but I'm not sobbing about it all the time like I used to. I'm not worried about your growth or development because you're a healthy, happy little boy, but I know that a lot of growth needs to happen and I just don't know how to help you. I know that you need to be pushed and challenged a little to try new foods, but I know that you have to think it's your idea. It's definitely a control issue and I don't want to push you too hard because that will make you even more resistant to change. It's a hard balance.  I don't let you just eat carbs all day like you want. I try to get some form of protein into you at every meal and get you to eat something fresh twice a day. If I can manage that then I feel like things are okay.

Potty training was a nightmare, but thankfully, it's over. You're 100% potty trained! Pee was easy for you. You got that basically on the first day. But pooping was another whole issue. It took 7 weeks before you pooped on the toilet willingly.  For some reason, you had an irrational fear of the toilet and refused to poop in it. After trying to force you for the first few days, we decided that we needed to take it in smaller baby steps. We used kind of an unconventional method to train you, but it worked. We would give you laxatives and glycerin suppositories to make you go and help it be soft. After a few accidents on the carpet and the hardwood floors in various rooms, we convinced you to poop on newspaper that we laid down on the bathroom tile. We let you do this for a few weeks and tried to take the pressure off. Once you learned how to recognize the feeling of needing to go and went on your own willingly on the newspaper, we just took the newspaper away one day. We told you that the diaper fairy came to take it away and that you were too big to be going on the floor anymore. From that day forward, you started pooping in the toilet. It was a miracle! It's been so nice to not have two kids in diapers at the same time.

You are majorly into potty humor.  You add poo poo, pee pee, bum, and penis onto the end of most of your sentences. You'll laugh your head off while looking at us for a reaction. We try our hardest to just ignore it or let you know that we don't think it's funny. It's such a typical three year old boy thing to do.  I'm sure you'll grow out of it eventually and I'm not too worried about it.

I continue to be impressed by your language skills. You speak so clearly and enunciate your words so well. I literally never have a hard time understanding what you're saying. You always remember new words that I teach you. I swear, I'll teach you a new word one time and you'll remember it weeks later, even if it hasn't come up since. You are so smart!

Eli, you are so much fun. I love spending time with you. You're kind of a wild man, but I love your energy. I love how spunky you are and how determined you are in life. You are a great big brother to Oliver and nothing melts my mother heart more than when you two play well together. You're already setting a wonderful example for him. I can't wait to see you grow and develop even more. I thank Heavenly Father every single day that He gave you to me.

Love,
Mama

39 Month Stats:
Weight: 37.4 lbs (92nd percentile)
Height: 39 1/4 inches (81st percentile)
Head Circumference: 

Oliver: 16 Months Old

Dear Oliver,

You are now 16 months old. You're getting to be such a big boy and you definitely have a big boy attitude to go along with it. You've started shrieking at the top of your lungs when you want something or want attention. It is extremely high-pitched and ear splitting. I thought it was funny the first few times you did it but now I'm totally over it. I wish there was some way you could communicate with us without doing that!

I'm still breastfeeding you, but just two days ago, I dropped your nap time feedings. Now I'm only nursing you at night. It was really hard for me to put you down for your naps without nursing you because I cherish when you fall asleep in my arms so much. I love when you're all warm and your cheeks are rosy. You never look sweeter than when you're nursing. Surprisingly, you didn't have a very hard time falling asleep without me. You fussed in your crib for a few minutes and then fell into a deep sleep. I had a lot harder time letting go of these nursing sessions than you did. I cried and cried.  At least we're still nursing once a day. I plan to continue this for as long as you want it.

The good part about nursing you less is that you're eating a lot better. I think my milk must be extra fattening and keep you full for so long that you don't want to eat any real food.  I always joke that it's like the Jack in the Box of breast milk. I'm so thrilled with your eating lately, I can't help but laugh and grin like a fool at meal times. You're usually eat anything we offer you. You'll at least try almost anything. Last night, you even ate a piece of salad.  SALAD! Are you even my son?!?! I was so happy!

You still aren't talking. At all. You literally can's say any words on your own. You'll occasionally parrot a word here and there if we ask you to, but even then, it's pretty indistinguishable. Like we'll say, "Oliver, say 'juice..'" And you'll says something that doesn't even have the same number of syllables like "gee gah." I'm not going to lie. Your dad and I are getting a little worried about it. Most kids your age can say about 10 to 15 words all on their own. However, I talked to Dr. Reese about it at your last appointment and he seem unconcerned. He says that you're probably just a late bloomer and that it will come.

Your naps have been all over the place this month because you're trying to transition from two naps to one. Two naps seems to be too much for you, but one isn't enough. When I try for two, I put you down around 10:00 a.m. and you almost always fall asleep right away.  You sleep for an hour and a half or two.  Then, I'll try to put you down again around 3:30 because we seem so tired again, but you rarely fall asleep. So over the past few weeks, I've slowly started putting you down for only one. I typically put you down around 11:30 or so and you'll sleep for a few hours. You're totally exhausted and falling apart again by bedtime, but hopefully you'll get used to this new schedule and be fine.

Your relationship with your brother continues to blossom.  You two play together more than you ever have, but you always fight more than ever too! The most common fight is when Eli snatches a toy from you that you're playing with and you hit him back and start crying. He can be pretty domineering and bossy, but you can certainly be dramatic.  Sometimes I feel like I don't know how to get the fighting under control because Eli doesn't listen to me and you're too little to understand still. It gets exhausting by the end of the day. But there are times when you'll play together really well and share, and for that I'm grateful.

You are getting really steady on your feet and are practically able to run. You still hold your arms up a little for balance while you toddle around, and it is all kinds of adorable. You still love music and love to dance. You can hum almost the entire tune of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and I'm not sure, but that seems pretty advanced to me. I have a feeling that you're going to be a musical kid.

Oliver, you are hilarious. You make the cutest faces, do the funniest things, and have the sassiest attitude. I am completely obsessed with you and would do anything for you. I love seeing you every morning when you wake up and after you go to bed at night, I miss you like crazy. I feel very blessed to spend my days with you and to be your mother. I wouldn't have it any other way. Thanks for coming into my life and for being such an incredible son.

I love you,
Mama

16 month stats: 
Weight: 25.4 lbs (53rd percentile) 
Height: 31 1/2 inches (44th percentile) 
Head Circumference: 19 inches (72nd percentile)

Doxey Family Photos

While we were in St. George for our family staycation, we had my friend McKenzi Felt take some family photos for us.  She is amazing and did such a great job, as usual. She took some of just our little family back in 2012 shortly after Oliver was born and we loved how they turned out so much that we were dying for us to do more. I just got them back today and am so happy with them that I wanted to share them on this little blog for posterity.

I can't believe how much our family has grown since we were the original Doxey 6! And I'm sure in a few more years, we will be even bigger. I can't wait for this family to take over the world!!! ;)

Doxey Family Staycation

My side of the family was supposed to get together for a vacation in Newport Beach this summer, but it turned out that we didn't get into the Marriott even though we had requested it a whole year in advance. Plan B was to stay in Palm Desert, but when we really thought about it, we realized that it was going to be way too crazy with 5 grand kids barely 3 and under.  Between coordination all of their naps, we realized that we were barely going to be able to go out and do anything anyway, so instead of driving all the way to California to sit around together, we opted to sit around together at my parent's house in St. George instead. There is plenty of room for all of us there and it was going to be a lot cheaper and a heck of a lot more convenient. We are so glad we went with this option! We had so much fun!

The best part is that we got babysitters to come over 4 or 5 times to take care of our kids while the adults did a few activities together and went out to eat. It was awesome to have some grown up time together without the stress of the kids around. We all took a night to cook dinner so that way, the responsibility was kept at a minimum. 

Here are a few photos from our time together, if you care to take a look.

 After 7 weeks, we finally got to meet our new niece London Jane. She is a doll! She sleeps constantly and when she's not sleeping, she's smiling. I love her to pieces and wish I could snuggle her every day.

Oliver put these sunglasses on himself and insisted on wearing them for a good 20 minutes.  He thinks he's pretty fly.

 This kid is so squishy! I like him best naked so that I can squeeze his soft skin and fat rolls constantly.

Coordinating the outfits for the family picture turned out to be quite the ordeal. The girls spent over an hour going through every outfit and detail.

My parents bought a slip n' slide for the kids. They have a hill in their backyard, so it was perfect for them to slide down and gave it an extra thrill factor. It took a few minutes for them to warm up to it, but they ended up loving it.

 My cute mom planned a family home evening lesson for the kids. She did an "iron rod" activity and strung yarn around the entire basement. They had to follow the yarn and not let go. There was a prize at the end. Eli was really the only one that "got it," but it was fun anyway.

All the kids did an art project together.

 My parents got matching t-shirts made with a different color for each family. It was awesome and even awesomer was the fact that we got a photo where everyone was smiling and looked cute!  Miracle of all miracles!

One of the activities that the adults did without the kids was go target shooting at a shooting range. I was embarrassingly horrible but had fun nonetheless. I had a big bruise on my shoulder the next day to prove it!

 Our neighbor offered her pool to us and we took her up on it a few times. She has an awesome slide.

 Here's Oliver's classic pointing and grunting. 

 All three of my boys are fish. They sure love to swim! We have to be extra careful with Eli this summer because of his ear tubes. He's not allowed to be completely submerged in water. 

Family shot!

The kids weren't the only ones having a great time at the pool!

 Oliver learned how to walk while we were on the trip! I think he did it because he didn't want to feel left out as his brother and all of his cousins were running around the house without him. As soon as he got the courage to do it, he took off and was quick! He had the cutest new confidence and would walk around the house with a mischievous little look in his eye.

I wakeboarded! And got up on my first try! The water was smooth and gorgeous.

Eli loved holding his new cousin London. He was very gentle with her. He loved to go in and watch her while she was taking a nap in her swing. He'd even change the music and the pace for her. It was very helpful, I'm sure. 

My parents had some leftover fireworks from Pioneer Day, so we set them off in the cul-de-sac. Eli wanted so badly to be brave but would take off running as soon as one was lit.

 Here is our attempt to get a picture of our boys with my parents. Haha.

Here is the best shot of my parents with all of their grand kids. Ridiculous, I know, but what do you expect?

On the last day of the trip, we went bowling. My dad was the first to go, and on his first frame, he stepped slightly over the foul line and slipped and fell on the oily lane. He went down pretty hard and hit his head. He was out of it for a second but then got up. As soon as he got up though, he realized he had shooting pain through his back and knew it wasn't good. He laid on the floor of the bowling alley for an hour while we bowled and tried to evaluate how he felt. 

Adam and my brother-in-law helped him out to the car when we were done. The poor guy could hardly walk. After a lot of pain and stiffness, he went in for some x-rays the next day and found out that he had hairline fractures on two of his vertebrae. We all couldn't believe it! A broken back! We're so worried about him, but as far as back injuries go, I guess it could have been a lot worse. He shouldn't have any permanent damage and will hopefully just be out of work for a few weeks. 

We had a great trip and can't wait for the next one! I always cherish the time that we get to spend together because it certainly doesn't happen nearly enough. I love those crazy Doxey's!!!