My Kiddos (Luke 3 yrs. 11 mos., Blake and Jade 11 mos.)

Luke (3 yrs 11 mos)

• Luke is our little engineer. He asks a million questions, loves to know how things work, and is constantly building things!
• Luke has been telling us that he's going to be a fireman when he grows up.
• With Mom, he loves to read stories (funny stories and stories with happy endings are his favorite), play board games, go for walks and bike rides, and bake.
• With Dad, he loves to play cars and trains, wrestle/have tickle fights, build anything and everything (lincoln logs, car and train tracks, tinker toys, erector sets, legos, etc.), and play video games.
• Luke LOVES water activities: boating (his current favorite part of which is swimming), pool time, slip n' slide, splash pad, beach, water rides, even baths!
• Luke is all about cars! He LOVES them - the toy ones and the real ones! He knows tons about them and is always excited to learn more.
• Luke says Jade is his favorite girl, so he's going to marry her. Haha. Yep, he definitely still favors her over Blake, but he loves and is protective of them both.
• When Luke gets frustrated, he tends to take it out on Blake, but he does it so subtly that it's often hard for me to tell what his intentions are and Blake usually just laughs (he can't tell the difference between playful and frustrated rough housing). So sneaky!
• Although lately, he seems to be testing the rules more and getting frustrated with his limited power over me and everyone else, he is still so sweet and sensitive to others' feelings. As soon as he realizes he has hurt someone's feelings or hurt them physically, he hugs them and apologizes over and over and he'll ask me things like, "Mommy, what can I do to make you happy?"
• I'm a little conflicted about his increased stubbornness and argumentativeness lately. He can be quite frustrating at times, and yet I am proud of him for his confidence in expressing his opinion, even if it's different from mine or anyone else's. We're just working on doing so respectfully. And I try my best to respond to him with the same respect, because it was a bit of a wake up call to realize that the rude way he was talking to me was almost a direct quote of what I had said to him in the past!
• If the babies cry, Luke comes running. He even beats me to them sometimes. And on more than one occasion, he has been the one to notice when one of the babies was going to hurt themselves and stopped them just in time, like the time when Blake climbed out of his high chair and was balancing between the trays on his and Jade's chairs, while Jeff and I just kept eating lunch and chatting with each other, completely oblivious to the impending ER visit! Luke ran and grabbed Blake before he could plummet to tile floor below. Thank goodness for this observant and protective little boy!
• Luke loves to laugh. He tries to make his friends laugh with silly little jokes, but he can barely get them out because he's laughing so hard at himself. And he acts like a silly little weirdo just to get a giggle or two out of the babies.
• Up until about a month ago, I could not keep clothes on this boy! He would strip down to his underwear first chance he got; he was always "too hot." But I finally made a rule that he at least had to keep his shorts on so he would stop running outside and answering the door in his underwear, and so I wouldn't have to hunt down ALL of his clothes when it was time to go somewhere. That has been working pretty well. Hallelujah!
• Luke is very logical, so if I give him explanations for rules (that make sense to him), he follows them to a T (and tries make sure others do to).
• This boy never stops talking. EVER. He has a lot to say, and he uses plenty of words to say it!
• Luke can't stand to be alone! He wants to be wherever I am at all times and brings whatever he is doing to wherever the people are. If he could have friends around all the time, he would. Everywhere we go, he is so excited when other kids show up, even if we don't know them, he assumes they are there to play with him and calls them his friends.
• He can count to 29, usually with a couple of mistakes.
• He knows all of his letters and can write them, along with a his name and a couple of words, like "Mom."
• "All of the colors" are Luke's favorite, but especially pink and green.
• Luke loves animals and babies and all things cute and tiny.
• His favorite show is still Kipper the Dog and I love when he temporarily adopts a British accent because of it. He still insists that the name "Arnold" is pronounced "AW-nold." He also loves Clifford, Dora the Explorer, and Peep and the Big Wide World.
• He is very sensitive to others' feelings and wants everyone to be happy. He really feels what others feel. He gets upset when they are upset and is happy when they are happy.
• Luke loves to dance, but he has absolutely no rhythm. It's hilarious and adorable.
• He is a little accident prone and always seems to be hurting his poor little feet and ankles by stepping on and tripping over things.
• Luke hates loud noises. His biggest fears are thunder, hand driers in public restrooms, and the dark.
• Luke loves going to the doctor and the dentist (as long as no shots are involved) because of the prizes he gets afterward, and he does really great at both. They are always impressed with him.
• Luke is very creative and imaginative. I'm often amazed by the things he comes up with and builds.
• He is very smart and I love the way his little mind works. He is always trying to figure out and understand things. And we are always impressed to hear him repeat the explanations we give him, often using our exact words, later on.
• I just adore this boy and I am so happy that he is my first-born! He is such a good example and such a sweet, caring big brother.

Jade (11 mos.)

• Jade's 10 month stats:
• Height: 28.5 in. (64%) (up from 26 in. and 52% at 6.5 months)
• Weight: 17.4 lbs. (13%) (from 14.4 lbs and 15% at 6.5 months)
• Head Circumference: 17.3 in. (40%) (up from 16 in. and 5% at 6.5 months)

• Jade cracks me up! She is the most hilarious little weirdo.
• She is constantly talking and making all kinds of silly little noises. She is very animated when she "talks." Her face is so expressive and she uses her arms and legs a lot to get her point across.
• Jade has the most hilarious, exaggerated cheesy smile. She scrunches up her eyes and nose, turns her face up and grins as big as she can.
• Jade is LOUD. She loves to just yell. She babbles loudly and she yells, "AAAAAAHHHH!! OOOOOOHHHHHHHH!!!"
• And she amuses herself with all of these antics, so they are often followed by little giggles and fake laughs. She has a whole array of goofy fake laughs.
• When Jade gets really excited or happy, she puts her arms straight out in front of her and kicks her legs like crazy.
• Jade spends the vast majority of her time very sweet, smiley, and laid-back, but she has this little intense, angry streak that comes out of her sometimes when she gets frustrated! It seems to almost always be because she is being contained when she doesn't want to be (strapped into her car seat when she was busy doing something else, held still to get her clothes on when she is trying to go somewhere, etc.). She suddenly gets really mad and tries to pry my fingers away while her face gets really red and she makes desperate whiny/growly noises. It's kind of hilarious, and only a teeny bit alarming.
• Jade gives big, wet kisses, but they usually end with a bite, so watch out!
• She always has something in her mouth, from Nerf bullets to kazoos (which she happily "plays" while she crawls around), it's always something.
• She and Blake both are constant choking hazards! They put everything in their mouths! Luke was totally abnormal in that he never put anything in his mouth other than food. I almost didn't even have to worry about it! These two are definitely on the opposite end of the spectrum. It's a wonder we've made it almost a year and they've yet to swallow any foreign objects!
• Jade loves her Daddy the most. Luke is a close second.
• Jade was a really fast crawler right out of the gate! She even kept up with Blake, who started crawling more than a month before her, for a while, but in the past month or so, he has started approaching warp speed.
• Jade has been pulling herself up to stand for the past month or two, and she's getting more and more steady as time goes on. Now, she will sometimes stand without holding onto anything for a couple seconds.
•  Jade is highly offended if anyone goes through a door and shuts it in her general vicinity. She does NOT appreciate being shut out, even if she had no intention of following you before you closed the door. Bathroom door, garage door, front door; me, Jeff, Luke; it doesn't matter. How dare we shut her out!
• Jade is super tough! She doesn't cry very easily when she gets hurt. She even endures Blake trampling her like a champ! And that hurts, I know! She only cries because she is mad at Blake for pushing her down, climbing on her or taking her toys, but as soon as that situation is taken care of, she immediately stops crying. She even skinned her little knees and toes crawling around the splash pad a few days ago and didn't make a peep about it!
• She is tough when it comes to being sick too. She still sleeps and eats like nothing is wrong and is her usual happy little self.
• She gets lots of comments about how happy she is while we're out because she smiles at everyone and is generally very sweet and content wherever we are. Blake gets that a lot too. They're a cheery little duo.
•  Speaking of that little duo, they are ALWAYS together! I tend to do a sweep of whatever floor of the house we are on, making sure there are no dangers or objects to be choked on and that all of the gates and doors that should be shut are, and then let them loose together. They roam around exploring and playing and they are always side by side. I check on them regularly if they're out of my sight and if I find one, I find the other: rooting around on the floor of the pantry, playing with bags of chips; standing at the bathtub or the window sill babbling to each other and giggling at each other; digging through Luke's toy boxes when he forgets to close his bedroom door; standing at our toy piano pounding on the keys in a noisy duet. They take each others toys and bottles, and cry in frustration, but they just can't seem to quit following each other around! They do a fabulous job of keeping each other entertained. When one is awake and the other is still napping, the lone twin doesn't know what to do with him/herself! I do enjoy the one-on-one time when that happens though. :)
• Jade has 6 teeth. The most recent one to start coming in was one of her top front teeth. Before that my mom likened her goofy little grin to a jack-o-lantern smile because it looked so funny with 3 teeth on top, 2 on bottom, with a tooth missing right smack in the middle of her top teeth!
• On the official record, we claim that Jade's first word was "Mama," but "ma ma ma" is just one of the many sounds this girl makes while she "talks" all day long. It was just one that she said consistently, and seemed to direct at me. So we're counting it! ;)
• My mom gave Jade the nickname Jadey Bug (like lady bug), and now Luke says it all the time, and even I say it sometimes. It might be here to stay!
• Little Miss Jade has come a long way since being a 3 1/2 pound preemie in the NICU! She's actually even pretty chubby these days! But she still has the dent/scar on her little nose from the oxygen tubes she wore for her first week of life to remind me of what a special blessing she is. I'm so grateful to be this sweet, silly little girl's momma!

Blake (11 mos.)

• Blake's 10 month stats:
• Height: 30.75 in. (95%) (up from 28 in. and 90% at 6.5 months)
• Weight: 21.6 lbs. (52%) (from 18.5 lbs and 63% at 6.5 months)
• Head Circumference: 17.9 in. (46%) (up from 17 in. and 27% at 6.5 months)
• Blake is a fearless, reckless, giggly ball of endless energy.
• This boy has the most infectious smile and laugh! And it is so easy to get him to do both! He smiles and laughs all day!
• He is SO ticklish! And he laughs especially hard if you chase him down before you tickle him. He crawls SO fast giggling like a maniac the whole time.
• Blake is determined to get to where he wants to go and he will trample anything and anyone in his path. He is far from gentle and he pretty much just charges ahead without thinking about it and figures it out as he goes.
• Blake has always reminded me of a big puppy, from his huge hands and feet and the way he used to get so excited and wiggle his entire body and bury his face in his blanket when we walked into his room after he woke up from his nap, to the way he just romps over everything and you just do not feel safe lying on the floor when he's around! He just adores everyone, and he shows them by injuring them.
• Thankfully, as reckless and rough as he is, he is also the most coordinated baby I've had. With all of his crazy climbing and speeding around, he rarely falls or hurts himself.
• And when he does get bumps and bruises, it rarely fazes him. He is a tough little guy! When he first started crawling around 7 or 8 months old, he used to crawl under our coffee table, but he was too big and he would bump his head over and over as he made his way from one side to the other under the table, and yet he wouldn't cry, or even slow down; he'd come out the other side and just keep crawling! Sometimes he even laughs when he falls down.
• Blake is RIDICULOUSLY strong! And I mean RIDICULOUS! I literally use all the strength I have to pin him down while I change his diaper and he still usually manages to twist and muscle his way out of my hold! I have never had a harder time changing a diaper! Since he has started crawling, Blake has traded in his chub for muscle. It's amazing to watch all the muscles in his back while he tears around the house in just a diaper. The boy never stops and it shows!
• Blake loves to crawl around holding something in each hand, especially things that slap the ground and make noise as he goes. Flip-flops are his favorite! And if he didn't look funny enough crawling around like that, Blake spends almost as much time "bear crawling" as he does crawling traditionally, probably to spare his knees from the hard wood and tile floors in our house. It's pretty entertaining watching him crawl around slapping two big flip flops on the ground with his little rear-end stuck way up in the air!
• He has been pulling himself up to stand for a couple months now and transitions so quickly and seamlessly from crawling to standing and back again. He pulls himself up on everything and everyone (he's been known to pull out leg hairs on some poor, unsuspecting men in shorts), and if he can manage it, he won't stop there. He'll climb on top of things and just keep moving up as high as he can. He climbs our stairs in a flash (Jade is his accomplice and moves the baby gate for him; we have since secured it better) and he doesn't hesitate to climb up onto the seat of our boat and launch himself over the side into the water (not to worry, we watch him like a hawk, so he never does this without someone there to catch him). Jade follows him in these activities, but she is much slower, more cautious, and easier to catch.
• Blake gets into everything and is quite fond of destroying things if he can get his hands on them.
• His little voice is pretty deep for a baby (it's adorable), but when he cries, it is so high-pitched and shrill, I swear it's approaching dog whistle status.
• While Jade will eat anything, Blake is a little pickier. He loves all things sweet (he pretty much just leaves his mouth permanently open if one of us is eating ice cream) and he is my little fruit bat. He loves any and all fruit, but is not as interested in vegetables or plain bread or bready things. He also is not a fan of his high chair, so he usually begs to get out before he's full. And he is always more interested in what's on Jade's tray than his. He reaches over and steals her food even if he has the same stuff right in front of him.
• Blake has 6 teeth. 4 on top, 2 on bottom.
• Blake's first word was "dada." It's his favorite thing to say, "da da da da da ..." and he doesn't have as extensive a repertoire of sounds as Jade does, so he says it a lot. I've tried to convince him to say "mama," but he won't do it. One morning I grabbed Jade, who rarely said "dada" and often said "mama," and said, "Jade, show Blake what I mean. Say 'mama.'" And she just looked at me and said, "Da da da."
• Blake is such a sweet, fun boy! He can always bring a smile to my face. He just loves everyone and his face completely lights up with the biggest grin when he sees one of those people he loves so much. He may not be Luke or Jade's favorite family member (he falls a couple places on their lists on account of all the injuring and destruction), but they are his! He is too excited to see them to even notice if they don't feel the same way! I love this little guy and his enthusiasm for life!

And there you have it. My three awesome kiddos. I'm one lucky momma. :)