We have WORDS!

Finally, William is starting to say some words!! Still no mama or dada though.

O-oooh (uh oh)
Duh (duck and dog)
Deh (Della, our cat)
Muh (more, while also signing for more)
Baaa (ball)
At (cat)

He's started all of this in the past week. Keep it big boy...it's so fun to watch you learn!

Will-monster is 15 months!

William had his 15 month well (or, not-so-well) check this week. He woke up with a 101 fever, diarrhea, and congestion the day of his appointment (good timing...just one copay!). Our doctor was concerned with his breathing and wheezing so I gave him a breathing treatment, which turned into an exhausting 7 minute wrestling match, to see if it helped open up his airways. He has been on prednisone for the past 5 days and it has seemed to help a bit, but I'm not convinced that he's completely better. We go back in a couple days...so time will tell. We delayed his vaccinations until he's healthy enough to tolerate them.

He was 25 pounds (50th %tile) and 32.5 inches (90th %tile). I thought his t-shirts were looking short. Now I know why...He grew 2 inches in 3 months!

William is behind in language development because he isn't saying any real words. He does not say mama or dada, ever. Our doctor is going to give it a couple more months before we decide whether any intervention is necessary. He babbles and "talks" all the time, it's just not real words. He's able to communicate what he wants/needs by pointing and babbling or grunting. He does not have any issues with language comprehension because he can follow simple commands like "William, get the ball" or "Bring the ball to mama." He also LOVES to give hugs, kisses, and high fives on command. One of my favorite things to watch is the way he hugs and kisses his sister when she is crying. Ah, what a sweetheart!

Where William is lacking in words, he makes up for in gross motor development. That boy is all over the place. He's been walking for 5 months already and is now running. He can push, pull, climb, lift, etc. In fact, he's even given himself two black eyes from trying to do things he's not quite ready for. He does not have any fear! And that keeps mom and dad on their toes!

I love you, Will-monster! You bring a joy to my life that I cannot explain...and you have your mama wrapped around your finger :)

2010/11 Preschool

Hannah had a FANTASTIC 3-year preschool experience. I still can't believe how much she has learned and how far she came during the course of those 9 months. She started the year timid and shy and somewhat afraid to speak up. But she ended the year confident and able to stick up for herself and speak well in front of her class. She mastered all the typical 3 year old skill and most impressively, picked up sight words. I think she's up to 15 words and is starting to grasp the concept of sounding out simple words. She is so eager to learn and wants to practice her sight words every night during book time. I'm glad to see that she has embraced learning and I pray that it sticks with her. I'm so excited to see how much she progresses this last year before kindergarten starts.

Here is first day of school in August 2010:


And her last day in May 2011:


Hannah, it is such a joy to watch you as you grow up!

Batman!

Hannah has this odd fascination with all things Batman. It's only odd because she is such a girly-girl. There is a little boy in her class at school that talks about Batman all the time and they play Batman & Supergirl together (and I suspect he might be her first crush!). She asked for a Batman toy last Christmas and I figured it would just be a phase and she'd be over it before the New Year. Well, she still loves it! So while walking through Old Navy last month I came across a Batman shirt and thought I'd take the opportunity to match my kids. I've always wanted them to match and if it weren't against Mark's wishes, they'd be in matching smocked dresses and jon-jon's all the time. At least Mark could accept this matching combo :)

Cape San Blas 2011

I'm a bad blogger these days. Life just seems to get busier and busier as the kids get older! It doesn't help that work just gets busier as well (for both me and Mark).

Last month we enjoyed a fantastic vacation to Cape San Blas, FL. We couldn't have asked for better weather...mid 80's and low humidity. The kids really enjoyed the beach. Some of you may recall the beach failure of 2009, when Hannah refused to put her feet in the sand the entire week (see post here). She loves it now, thank goodness. Here are a few pictures from our trip.