Charlotte: three years old!

I know every parent feels the same, but I cannot believe how fast time is flying. I can look at photos from Charlotte's birth, or her first few days of life, and feel like they were taken just yesterday. My baby girl just turned three, and I can't believe it!!

Charlotte is a growing girl. Her shoe size is between and 8.5 and a 9. Her old sneakers (size 8) are too tight but the next size I have (9.5) are definitely too big. We're still needing boots pretty regularly, so hopefully she fits into her sneakers come spring. She weighs 30.5 pounds and is 40.5 inches tall. She's very thin; her pants are either 3T or 4T, but they are often too big on her waist. Big pants don't pose a problem, though, because she needs to be able to take them off to use the bathroom. She potty trained very easily back in August. Her independent personality and three days of hardcore training made for a quick and easy adjustment to no more diapers. She sometimes wakes up at night to use the bathroom, but usually goes right back to sleep. She's very capable of doing the whole process herself, but recently started wanting one of us to "help" her with the wiping and pants and the like. 

We love to chat with Charlotte, and to listen to the things she says. Her brain is always working, making connections and wanting more information. She's begun asking "why?" many, many times each day. Though it can be exhausting, her curiousity is wonderful. She often repeats things (or variations of things) she hears us say. For example, today she told us Bear couldn't go to church because she had sick germs. And later, I offered a used cup of Asher's, to let Bear have a drink. She refused, saying, "No, Mom. That's old. Bear needs a new drink." 

Last night in bed, she asked me: "What do policemen have?"

When I didn't respond immediately, she said, "Do they drive cars? Or ambulances?" 

The cutest.

One not-so-cute thing, is the sleep difficulties Charlotte's been having this month. She's in the middle of a transition to drop her nap, but some days she's too exhausted to go without it. The days she doesn't nap, she goes to bed pretty easily around 7 and falls asleep by 8. If she naps, her bedtime is much. Lster (closer to 8:30) and she stays in bed awake, often for 45+ minutes. Unfortunately, most nights Charlotte wakes up at least once, and many nights this month she has woken up 2-4 times. It's as if she forgot all her self-soothing techniques she used as a baby, and can't get herself back to sleep without Joel or I coming to lay in her bed for a while. Needless to say, we're exhausted! 

Charlotte has so much energy and loves to play. She creates towns and buildings and homes, then lets her cars and animals live their life. She talks to her stuffed friends, and has started to say hello to strangers. She sometimes tells people that she's three now, and will go to school next year. She's growing in her ability to play nicely with Asher, and there have been some really sweet interactions lately. Sharing is still very difficult, as is accepting someone else's idea of how something should be played. She's very independent and very opinionated, but also very nurturing and encouraging. 

We've been getting new books from the library lately, to add to our personal rotation of favorites. Charlotte often gravitates toward 1-2 books we've chosen and wants to read them before every nap and at every bedtime. She really seems to grasp complex concepts in the books, but sometimes makes us giggle with the conclusions she draws from looking at the pictures and putting together things in her mind. 

Charlotte loves to play with stuffed animals and is very careful when she plays with small things such as rice and beads and Pom poms. She's creative and cautious and so much fun. 

Charlotte girl, you are a delight. I'm so proud to be your momma! 

Asher: sixteen months

Growth/ development: Asher's fifteen month checkup was in the middle of last month. That day, he weighed 26 pounds, 6 ounces. He was 30 1/4 inches tall. He's at the very top of the growth chart for height, and average for weight. Since he started walking this month, he's slimmed down some :) If he's wearing a cloth diaper, 18 month onesies are too tight. He can still wear pants in the 18 month size, as well as 24 month. He wears size 5 shoes and has 8 teeth. Still seems to be working on molars, as he is drooling like crazy and constantly putting his fingers in his mouth. He seems extra fussy this month, as well.

Asher is finally walking! I'd say he walks 85% of the time, and crawls the last 15%... mostly on unstable ground like playground mulch and garden soil. Or when he's very upset or exhausted. He is pretty steady on his feet these days, and can carry things while walking and turn around to walk another way. He gets this proud look on his face. It's the cutest!

Communication: Asher has a lot to say. He babbles a lot, and when he talks to his grandparents on FaceTime, he goes on and on as if he's been wanting to chat with them! He will point and gesture with his hands, and raise his voice to make a point, though we rarely know what that point might be!

He still has the same signs, but the number of words he says seems to be multiplying rapidly. I can't even keep track of how many words he knows. The ones he says most frequently are: Noooooo, Daddy, ba-ba (ball, bottle), car-car, baby, Hiiiii, Bye-bye, choo choo, and Mama.

Sleep/ schedule: While he's doing a solid job on his one nap (2-3 hours daily), Asher's night sleep wasn't great this month. He rarely sleeps all the way through the night, often waking in the 2-5 am range, fully awake and fussing. If we give him a warm bottle and put him back to bed, he will usually sleep until 7 or 7:15am. It's a bad habit, but I'm using the excuse that our whole morning is better if he sleeps until 7, as opposed to waking for the day at 6am. His nap is almost always at noon, but we adjust it slightly based on his morning wake time.

Food: Asher's kind of unreliable about his eating, still. He LOVES to drink whole milk from a bottle, which kind of drives me crazy, though I'm not willing to go cold turkey on the bottles because I know the comfort helps him settle for sleep and I'm too exhausted to mess with his sleep.

Some of his favorite foods are black beans, cheese, steamed baby carrots, bread (and pizza!!!), yogurt, smoothies, meat sauce, and all kinds of fruit.

Activity: As always, this little man stays busy! He adores being outside, and just started liking to swing again. He will whine at the door, saying "Wheeee" and pointing at the swing until we take him out to play. He likes to be pushed fast. He also loves to explore the yard and open the doors and windows on our play house. If Charlotte is nearby playing, Asher will be happy to hang out and do his own thing. He also loves to wrestle and snuggle and read books. He's such a sweet, communicative guy. We adore him!