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Finn decided I needed a birthday interview too, so he conducted one... or part of one. He accidentally hit the "stop" button on the phone while I was still talking. Possibly it was a subconscious desire to go play basketball instead of sit and talk to his mom. I considered editing it so that it had a more appropriate ending but really, this is pretty telling about my life so it feels like it should be left in its original form. No one listens to a word I --

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Mr. Finn turns 8!!

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Favorite food: orange juice, noodles, waffles, anything with whipped cream, muffins, cereal
Favorite book: Firefighter Gil
Favorite stuffed animal: Baby (but not really fond of animals in general - not like his brothers were)
Favorite show: Bubble Guppies (the only show he'll watch)
Favorite toy: whatever Finn is playing with
Favorite hobby: whatever his brothers are doing, tackle, peeing outside, washing dishes, making "dinner" with play doh
Favorite time of day: all day
Favorite thing to say:  "Uppy", "play tackle!", "check for amers!"
Likes: being with his brothers, doing big boy things, being naked, being superman/batman in his pajamas all day long every day, tackling
Dislikes: nap time, bed time, clipping nails, shower time
Milestones: totally potty trained - out of diapers during the day and night and nap because when he goes he goes all in
other: every night he makes us check for animals ("amers") outside to make sure they won't come get him while he's in bed, he would play tackle all day every day if he could, he will not walk anywhere ever and is always carried, sometimes Ryan and I will wake up in the morning and he'll be in bed with us and we have no idea when he came upstairs

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Height: 35" (65%)
Weight: 25 lbs 10 oz (16%)
Favorite food: orange juice, chocolate chip pancakes, cinnamon bread
Favorite book: Bedtime Peekaboo
Favorite stuffed animal: Hippo, Puppy and Scout
Favorite show: Bubble Guppies
Favorite toy: whatever Finn is playing with
Favorite hobby: whatever his brothers are doing, reading, catch, biting, hide and seek, racing
Favorite time of day: play time, waiting at Buttercup for brothers
Favorite thing to say: "bad Mama!" (see also: "bad Daddy," "bad Doe," "bad Minno."), "Uppy," "I do," and "I fine."
Likes: being with his brothers, doing big boy things, running, giggling, taking off his shirt, letting Clio outside, stickers, "uppy"
Dislikes: nap time, shower time, sitting on his own chair at dinner, diaper changes

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Weight: 9 lbs 5 oz (75%)
Height: 21. 5" (75%)
Head: 36 cm (50%)

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March 1, 2012
3:02 PM
8 lbs, 13 oz
20.5 in

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Height: 33.5" (24%)
Weight: 27 lbs 3 oz (40%)
Favorite food: chocolate chip pancakes, grapes
Favorite book: Dora Helps Diego
Favorite stuffed animal: Floppy, Bobo, and Diego
Favorite show: The Music Man - the first scene where the credits are made by little marching band guys, "Seventy-Six Trombones," and "Goodnight Ladies"
Favorite toy: wooden train tracks and Talking Emily
Favorite hobby: dancing, marching, blowing the zebra whistle, hiding, singing
Favorite time of day: bath time. marching time
Favorite thing to say: "Cael!" (in a very, very whiny tone)
Likes: trains, instruments, baths, washing dishes, washing hands, blue cups, helping cook, helping make coffee, vacuuming
Dislikes: nap time, shampoo time, sitting still for dinner, dropping Cael off at school
Milestones: This photo was not doctored to remove his hideous rash!  After a month of Desonide, he's almost completely cleared up.  Hooray for modern medicine!

Password: Allie

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Height: 50th percentile
Weight: 25th percentile
Head: 70th percentile
Favorite food: cheese, cereal bars, yogurt
Favorite treat: yogurt covered raisins ("Ree! Ree! Reeeee!!!")
Favorite book: Baby Beluga
Favorite sport: running really fast
Favorite toy: stacking robots
Favorite hobby: coloring, running, singing, hiding and popping while yelling "surprise!"
Milestones: two nights spent in his big boy bed
Newest word: "rawbries" (strawberries)

He knows a ton of words now. Some of them are easy to understand (ie: "no", "mommy", "daddy", "down", "apple") and others need a little translation. I'd say probably 80% of the time he's babbling and the rest he's using intelligible words. If you're talking with him directly the babble percentage is much lower.

He knows most of his body parts. If you ask him where his mouth is, for example, he'll point to it and repeat the word.

If you say, "One..." he'll say, "Two, three!!"

He still wakes up at six every morning, and he thoroughly enjoys using drumsticks on Cael's head, so he's not entirely perfect - but he's close :)

This is what he has to say about being 1.5 years old (Okay, that's a lie. This is what he has to say about yogurt covered raisins):


password: Allie

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I did a check in for Cael when he was sixteen months and I was looking at it today to compare to Finn, who will be sixteen months in two weeks. I guess having an older brother really makes helps you develop faster!

Finn already says five words: hi, bye, da, mama, car (more like "ca"). And he says, "Bye, Da!" in the morning when we stand at the door (while waving enthusiastically) and watch Ryan drive to work. He also makes a number of animal noises.

He knows the meanings of tons of words. Like Cael did at this age, he knows when you say "diaper" that it's time to go to the changing table. I can't even write down everything else he knows because it's so expansive. His comprehension is great.

He's got ten teeth that are fully in and two more that are currently piercing their way through the gums. (Cael had eight.)

He starts every morning off with a banana. After that, he eats what Cael eats. Where Cael had just started using a spoon, Finn is an expert. I don't even remember when he started - it feels like he's always done it himself.

He adores anything Cael-related and tries to be like him in so many ways. Much to Cael's chagrin, Finn's favorite stuffed animal is actually Meow.

He loves to read, and a lot of the time he likes to read by himself. He just sits with a book open and flips through the pages looking at the pictures. In the car Cael insists on having his stuffed dog with him - Finn insists on having Go, Train, Go!. He's a huge Thomas fan. At bedtime we always read three stories. Mama picks one, Finn picks one and Cael picks one. Finn always picks Stop, Train, Stop!.

Ryan and Cael and I have this thing that we do where we pretend to fall asleep (close our eyes and make fake snoring sounds*) and then in order to be woken up Cael has to give us a kiss. A few weeks ago when Ryan was fake sleeping, Finn ran over and gave him a huge kiss to wake him up. Ever since it has become a race between Finn and Cael to wake up the sleeper. And now Finn has really gotten into it and he'll pretend to be asleep too. He lies on his belly and makes the cutest little fake snoring sound (but he doesn't close his eyes). Then, when he's kissed, he pops up with a squeal. It's pretty adorable.

Here's a picture snapped as a sleeping Cael is woken by Finn:

*The sounds ensure that we do not confuse fake!sleeping with fake!dead which is not allowed, omg.

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Since Cael is turning 3 next week and Finn just turned 1 last month, it's time for another check-in!

Favorite food: chocolate chip pancakes, quesadillas, broccoli
Favorite book: Babybug
Favorite stuffed animal: Hop Hop, Meow, and Monkiki (pictured above)
Favorite tv show: Dora the Explorer
Favorite sport: football, baseball
Favorite hobby: dancing, playing music, taking pictures, hiding in forts
Favorite time of day: bath time
Favorite thing to say: "No, Finn! You don't do that!"
Likes: blocks, music, cooking, doing dishes, hugs, Clio, phones, airplanes, swiping credit cards at the store
Dislikes: nap time, water in eyes, getting out of the bath
Favorite letter: C
Favorite number: 2
Can draw: circles
Can spell: Cael
Can read: Cael, Finn, Dad
Milestones: just switched over to 2T sized clothes, potty trained (except when sleeping), knows most of the letters

Favorite animal: dog
Favorite food: cereal bars, yogurt
Favorite book: Guess Who Adventure Time
Favorite stuffed animal: Floppy (pictured above)
Favorite sport: catch with a football
Favorite toy: Potsy
Favorite hobby: reading by himself
Favorite time of day: any time Dad's home
Words: "Uh oh!"
Knows how to: give kisses, blow kisses, wave bye-bye
Likes: baths, playing with cael, alone time with his toys and books, phones/remotes/cameras, drums, sticks
Dislikes: diaper changes, fingernail trimming, nap time, shopping, when the phone is taken from him, shoes
Milestones: self-feeding with spoon

Favorite food: gummy bears
Favorite reading material: Google news, Vanity Fair
Favorite tv show: Man vs. Wild
Favorite sport: football, baseball, anything he can cheer loudly for
Favorite hobby: playing with Finn and Cael
Favorite time of day: when he walks in the front door after work
Favorite thing to say: "Hi guys!"
Likes: cooking, hugs, noses, building forts, making "nuffin" runs
Dislikes: weekdays, when the Irish lose
Milestones: potty trained (yay!)

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Favorite color: orange, blue
Favorite animal: duck
Favorite food: Goldfish, cheese
Favorite book: Farm Kisses
Favorite stuffed animal: Bunny
Favorite shape: circle
Favorite tv show: The Colbert Report, anything involving copious amounts of clapping
Favorite sport: football (aka: "ball ball")
Favorite hobby: dancing, turning things "off!" and "onnnnn!" (lights, computers, phones, etc.)
Favorite time of day: any time Dad's home
Newest words: baby, choo choo
Likes: baths, snacks, hats, grandparents, Aunt Lauren and Uncle Andy (aka: "The best babysitters ever"), musical greeting cards, coloring
Dislikes: diaper changes, messy hands, being denied Goldfish, fingernail trimming, nap time

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I don't have a baby anymore - I have a little dude. He's incredibly mobile and becoming more and more vocal and independent. He's an expert at walking, running and dancing (thanks to Grandpa Paul, Cael prefers to dance to bubble gum music and is especially fond of "Do[ing] the Freddy").

His new favorite trick is to bring Ryan or I our shoes and make us put them on, then grab us by the finger and drag us to the front door so we'll take him outside. Since he discovered he could pull on a finger and take someone wherever he wanted them to go, I've covered a lot of ground.

He's not saying words yet, beyond "hi." He also says "sssshs" for shoes.

Though he's not talking, he's very much aware of words and their meanings. If you say the name of something, he will bring it to you (his stuffed animals, books, shoes, blankie) or he'll point to them (belly button, dad). And if you tell him it's time to change his diaper, he'll find his way to the changing table and wait to be put on it (which is incredibly compliant for someone who still squeals and wiggles like a greased pig when he's being diapered).

He has eight teeth in front and more coming in - including molars. Pretty soon he'll be able to chew through that raw steak we've been giving him without choking.

Eating has become messier, as Cael has decided that he would like to hold his own cup and spoon. I'd say he's got a 50/50 chance of making things into his mouth on each attempt. Plus, he hasn't figured out that spoons have to be right side up or everything in them falls onto his lap.

Things are about to get even messier. On the schedule today is a trip to the craft store to buy some finger paints. Be afraid, be very afraid!

(Pictures of the Sunriver trip to come at a later date.)

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Cael turned one last Wednesday, and so we check in with his stats!

Cael @ 12 months:

His percentiles haven't changed, so he's still a runt with a big head. He's actually so small that he can't use his new car seat. It's designed for "one year or 20 lbs" and he's too little. You'd think his big head would count for something!

Due to his excessive drooling (Really, it's ridiculous. It's like he has a hole in his chin), he's on prescription cream for his chin and neck. Be sure to file that away so that you can all tease him about that when he's a teenager.

He's accomplishing a lot of things and is very proud of these accomplishments (and rightfully so). He's figured out what makes us applaud him and likes to applaud with us, usually anticipating it and starting the clapping for us. Sometimes he starts clapping for himself even before he's finished the task.

Walking is coming along. He will walk and run if he's got a hand hold, but is afraid to let go - even though I'm sure he could take a few steps on his own. He doesn't really use the hand for support so much as comfort.

He eats everything. Loves veggies and cheese and Cheerios. He's not nursing anymore and likes water more than milk, but he'll drink the latter. He had his first treat on his birthday, an overcooked carrot cupcake (one day I'll figure out how to use an oven - one day!) with cream cheese frosting.

He still doesn't know "no" (if his constant eating of pine cones is any indication).

Clio likes Cael's toys, but only when they're in his hand. Luckily, Cael is big on sharing. He likes to give her what he's playing with and watch her chase it.

Once a week Cael goes to the library for their "Brainy Babies" bilingual class. It's a lot of singing and chewing on rubber balls. So, not that different from when he's at home. "La Araña Pequeñita" is his favorite song.

Right now he's figured out that his dad is on the other side of the closed door, so he used his walker toy to haul himself over and has started banging on the door and crying. We'll all be glad when Ryan's finals are over!

Off to rescue him...

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Cael is nine months old today, and to celebrate he went to the doctor. Boy, does he know how to have a good time!

The stats:

Height: 25th percentile
Weight: (17 lbs) 10th percentile
Head: 50th percentile

So, nothing's changed. He's still a runt with a huge head. A smaller, skinnier runt, but a runt nonetheless.

Food:

He's still nursing and eating solid foods. He was strictly an oatmeal man, but this morning he had his first batch of Cream of Wheat for breakfast. Ever the adventurer.

Bread for finger foods (he failed at rice cakes).

For dinner he has veggies, stews or quinoa. We tried meat earlier this week, but he would have none of it. I can't say that I blame him though - I wouldn't want to eat watered down ground turkey either. So, as of today, he's still an herbivore.

He's a huge fan of drinking water from a cup/glass. He can't hold it himself yet, but he tries valiantly.

Motor skills:

Still not even the least bit interested in creeping or crawling (or anything to do with being on his stomach). He's a big fan of standing and assisted walking/running/chasing Clio. Cruising is coming along gradually.

He can lean to get something that's fallen out of his reach, but if he leans too far he falls onto his stomach and can't get back upright (usually with his face smashed into the stray toy). He sits like a champ, but isn't able to get into a sitting position by himself. Nor is he able to pull himself up to standing.

His fine motor skills are well honed. He can even pick a sprout out of my hand.

Talking:

He says things that sound like "mama" and "dada" but it's totally random. Words at this point still have no meaning. He doesn't know what "no" means.

Teeth:

Two on the bottom. It looks like there are four on the top about ready to burst through (very swollen and red today).

For fun:

He is learning to "clap, clap, clap!" his hands, adores the itsy bitsy spider and is working on waving bye-bye. Peekaboo is also a hit.

Other:

He's done with the pacifier. No interest at all. He has gotten himself very attached to his green blanket, and always clings to it while sleeping.

First swimming class on Saturday. That should be terrifying fun.

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