Favorite things

So everyday we are learning the favorite things of Joe and Libby. It's amazing what these kids love. For instance, Libby LOVES to feed Joe. I let her help one day when we were leisurely eating breakfast (not our normal insane rush to finish so I can get back to work). She was great. Granted Joe was covered in the food, but both kids were happy and enjoying their meals. I used bribery to get Libby to finish hers. "If you take a bite of pancake you can help me feed Joe." So now a monster has been created and she wants to feed him every meal. She'll see me bring over his food and say "Mommy, help you Joe?" It's great and awful-great that she wants to interact with her brother and awful because it makes every meal a marathon and a mess!

Joe is also discovering his favorite things. One of which is the vacuum cleaner. He will crawl right up to it and pat it. He can push it while he is crawling. I thought the noise would frighten him, but it doesn't. He happily crawls along while I sweep. He desperately loves his sister and tries to be wherever she is. It is not reciprocated most of the time.

Other favorites:

Libby loves the CD player and the farm songs CD I found in her closet. She loves Yo Gabba Gabba and can sing almost every song on the show. She loves to be pretty "like a princess" and dress up. She loves to play with her doll house especially with the Daddy who often goes to the potty and takes a shower! She loves walking around (to the glee of everyone who has ever known her or heard about her).

Joe loves baths. He is psycho in the tub-splashing and laughing. He loves Yo Gabba Gabba too. He loves Peek-A-Boo and his Daddy's silly faces. He watches the cats every move when he decides to come around. HE loves people and wants to be around them all the time. He loves food and Baby Mum Mums.

We are growing and figuring out what being a family of four is all about. Joe is a great sleeper and Libby is doing ok these days (although she is being a bit of a pain to put to bed lately). Corey and I are "storing" my mom and dad's pool table for them-it is a hard job! And are excited to watch the Steelers in the Super Bowl. We've been busy and tired, but we are enjoying watching them both grow and change and develop. More later!

Better

This week brings less snot-which is a wonderful thing when it comes to kids! We are getting along much better despite the VERY COLD weather. We haven't been out much-mainly because of the snow and extreme temperatures. Pappy visited on Saturday and that was fun. Libby was laughing so hard that no noise was coming out of her at all. Pappy tends to have that affect. While he was here, Corey got in some ping-pong time and I was watching/talking from one of our recliners. I managed to tip it all the way over and Libby was SO concerned. She kept saying "Mommy, you ok?" The funny part is that everyday she reminds me of the story. "Mommy fall in da chair. Are you ok Mommy?" And then she kisses my head and says "All better now." Too cute!

Libby and Joe are able to play more together which is fun. Joe is getting around better and better-he is even starting to pull up onto things-my leg, the bouncy chair, the stairs (thanks mom for showing him that one!). Here is a video of the kids playing in Libby's room. As soon as Joe gets close she references the times that he pulled her hair and also when her cousin Sami pulled her hair (I think she is slightly traumatized).



As for milestones, Joe is racking them up quickly. He can crawl with his belly off the floor now. He can get himself to sitting and pull up on some objects. He makes a lot of noises, but nothing like Mama or Dada yet. He can eat biter biscuits and Baby Mum Mums. Libby is doing great as well. She is walking alot of the time now. She chooses to walk to her destinations without prompting. She loves to color and climb, to sit on the counter (bad habit) and play her keyboard. Her vocabulary is ever-expanding and she is easier to understand. Here is her rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star...

Tagged

My other mother (aka MeMe or Becky) tagged me.

Anyway, here are the rules.

1) Choose the 4th folder where you storeyour pictures on your computer.

2) Select the 4th picture in thefolder.

3) Explain the picture.

4) Tag 4 people to do the same.

Here is my pic

This one is from Libby's 2nd birthday party. She had just woken up from her nap and was ushered downstairs to see her slide and a room full of balloons. She was WAY more excited about the balloons than we expected and we had some of them still blown up until November I think.

I tag Ashley Iliff, Casey Vanderbilt, Danielle Taylor, and Ashleigh Burdette

Sick

Our poor kids have been sick all week and thus no posting. It's just a cold, but they are both pretty stuffy and unhappy about it. Last week, we took Joe for his 6 month check-up and he was 20.5 lbs (87th percentile) and 26 inches long (50th percentile). He is definitely evening out after that major burst of gain. But since then, both kids developed a cold that they can't shake.

With their snuffles, we haven't really been out of the house except to go to MeMe and Pappy's and Grammas. At Meme and Pappy's the kids got to open some belated Christmas gifts from Aunt Nancy and Uncle Chris-Libby's favorite being the GIANT crayola crayon bank. It is 3x as big as she is and she likes to carry it around everywhere.

Yesterday a couple of my friends came by to watch the football game and Liz brought her puppy Max. They came last week too, but I didn't post any pictures so here are some. Libby LOVES Max and is really gentle and playful with him.

A New Year in so many ways

Happy New Year to everyone out there. Our new year was very uneventful and wonderful. Corey went to a conference for 5 days and returned on New Years Eve. Libby welcomed him home by walking ALL over the place. We have video of her up on her feet for over a minute. She could kick a ball, pick up a ball and throw a ball without falling down. It was absolutely AMAZING! Corey said it was the best welcome home gift ever. Second only to Joe being able to sit up on his own most of the time.

Corey pretending to be mad about putting the bed together

Corey was exhausted and I was exhausted so our new year was boring-we went to bed early and slept 10 hours! For us that was a wonderful celebration. The day brought some changes to Libby's room-we transitioned her to a toddler bed. She was excited during the process and when it was complete she laid down on the pillow. However, at the end of the day she was MUCH less excited. She is an easy put-to-bed child. Reading a story and saying our prayers and then into bed without a fuss is a typical night for her. The new bed must have been a little unnerving for her though and she cried. Corey went in first and she said "No white pillow" which sounds like "No wipe piwoah". So Corey ditched the pillow and rocked her for a bit. She still cried a little and we decided if she was not asleep by 9:30, the crib was resurfacing. But at 9:25, she was asleep and slept straight through. Her nap the next day brought a few tears, but she slept again. Finally last night she waved nigh-night to Daddy and went to sleep with no crying. The only strange thing is that she rarely tries to get out. In the morning I still find her sitting with her blanket in her bed.

Libby and Joe both got to sport their wintry duds to go to MeMe and Pappy's house on New Years as well. They kept the kids so Corey and I could go to lunch and piddle at the mall and Town Center. The kids got Mickey and Minnie hats from Corey's Aunt Deedee and Uncle Danny since they just visited Disney Land (or World) over Thanksgiving. Libby loves it and it looks great with her new coat and boots from Gramma Candy.

Finally, a few pics of Libby today. She let me braid her hair and she walked for the camera!