Darby 48/52

Dear Darby,

It may seem weird that I am writing you an 11-month letter. Seems like an odd number even to me, but I am writing this because I feel like I lost my baby this last month, and my last baby at that. 

All of a sudden in your 11th month you decided you mean business. You got your 8th tooth and became a real girl! You clap, you wave, you dance, and you walk! At 10.5 months you started taking a few steps and then this past weekend it all clicked - you are walking twenty steps at a time, meticulously keeping your balance, and going from sitting to standing without support from anything. You can't quite keep up with your brother but you are trying. 

You sleep like a champion and eat like a maniac, probably because of all the moving you are doing. If you want what we are eating you wil squeal in our face until we quickly give you a bit to quiet you down. Your cutest habit these days is grunting, and if we grunt at you your response is a huge smile with a huge grunt to match. 

You still give your smiles away for free and the staff at your school are genuinely sad when they don't get to spend any time with you. We miss you all day and love to play with you at night and to see your smiles in the morning. Please do your best to slow this next month down, mama needs this one. 

XO,

Mama

Darby Moira - 11 Months

52 : 3 (part 4)

This week I had an activity for Make-A-Wish that took me away from home in the evening, so I left Ewan in charge, don't tell Barley!

A 3rd Birthday Party for Captain Ewan!

Captain Ewan celebrated his birthday (loudly) with 20 (crazy) friends and their (lovely) parents, plus some much needed treats (beer - Ewan Porter 3 and an oaked IPA). 90 (insane) minutes at the My Gym and then a small (low key) after party with our favorites at home (no pictures taken because too much fun was had)!

Favors and antibacterial, both important with 3 year olds

Always room for balloons

3 years of Ewan

You can never...

...have enough...

...cupcakes!

Circle time!

Popcorn!

The mesmerized birthday boy!

Serious business with THREE candles

Everyone's favorite party girl!

The only picture taken at the VIP after party!

Darby 47/52

Darby and Ewan have started to play together for long stretches of time --- peek-a-boo full of fits of laughter, silly goose tickles, and games of chase. The sudden shift from baby to toddler has taken over and evenings these days are delightful. 

52 : 2 (part 4)

This week Ewan had his 3 year appointment, which was rather different than the others. First off, there were no shots! This visit they checked all the usual things, but also added a vision test, hearing test, reflex test, writing test, and a blood pressure check. Ewan did great and his pediatrician was impressed by how big (41.25in and 42.2lbs, 99%tile on both) and strong he is, and said everything developmentally is on track!

The doctor was also impressed by Ewan's green boxer briefs, it was St. Patrick's Day!

Darby 46/52

It seems Darby was feeling a bit outshined by her big brother Ewan's 3rd birthday. At 10 months and 13 days she started to walk, 2 then 3 then 4 steps!

She also got pinkeye and an ear infection, but neither slowed her down! The baby is gone and the toddling is on. 

52 : 1 (part 4)

The way that Ewan's teachers turn a theme like airplanes in to lessons about letters, numbers, science, and more is truly awe inspiring. In this week's picture you can see a letter activity. Each child was assigned a letter, Ewan got L, and had to align it with the appropriate airplane. 

Amidst these activities the teachers also worked with the kids, and cardboard, to build an airport check-in desk and an airplane, complete with luggage and food trays. Ewan insisted they needed an iPad to fly so his teachers made one out of a box top. Our travel trick, unlimited iPad, was revealed to the delight of his teachers. 

Ewan's 3rd Birthday!

One thing this family doesn't take lightly is celebrating. And even though we had a full blown birthday date with Ewan on Friday, we had to commemorate the big 3 on the actual day (Sunday) with our annual trip to the zoo, and this time we let Darby come along.

We started the day with pancakes, spent a beautiful midday at the zoo, and headed home for presents and cake. When we told Ewan he could have anything he wanted for dinner he went for a quesadilla, which was fine by us because it gave us the opportunity to have margaritas and toast to 3 amazing years as parents. 

So hard to believe he is 3 already!

 

Birthday setup waiting for the big guy to wake!

Pancakes at the Millbrae Pancake House

Enjoying the giraffes at the SF Zoo!

Opening gifts!

The construction gear was probably his favorite gift

He requested chocolate and vanilla cake with red frosting, so we made zebra cake!

3 Year Old Ewan!

When Ewan was a little baby we dreamt about what he would look like as a boy, how he would act, and what his little voice would sound like... It is all beyond our wildest dreams.

EP @ 3 Years!

A letter to my son on this the day of his third birthday...

Love Bug -

How are you 3 already?! It seems like just yesterday I was trying to get your big blobby baby body in to all those little tiny clothes and now you are a 5 year-old sized 3 year-old! Time has gone so fast, you have grown so much, and we are completely enamored with you!

In the last couple of months you have started to ask us why we love you when we tell you we do, and my answer is always the same, "because you are smart, and cute, and kind!" I think these three words describe you the best and when I say them you ask what they each mean. Smart to us means you want to learn and do so rapidly, you have a never ending curiosity and ask question after question and seem to remember answer after answer. Kind to us means that you worry about others and always want everyone to be happy, which you tell us often, "I happy, want you be happy," this quote especially comes out when you are being bad. And last but not least, you are cute, that awesome blond mop, those big blue eyes, and that killer grin make us crazy, and we often look at each other and wonder out loud how we made someone that is just so damn awesome.

This year you became a big brother and you handled it like a champ. Your sister is your best friend and she is finally starting to be fun for you. No one can make Darby laugh like you and watching you hold her hand and walk her places, and dance with her in the hallway, makes me so glad that the two of you have each other. The sweetness of your heart and your never ending empathy is so apparent when you are being a big brother.

Your favorite foods these days are pizza, quesadillas, and cheesy noodles. Your favorite drink is apple juice, luckily you do not notice how much we water it down when you get it with your dinner. Your favorite treat is anything chocolate, specifically chocolate rolos. You love pajamas and have become opinionated about what you wear so each night we discuss options for the next day and you select your attire. You wear underwear every day now, which completely freaks me out, because I worry about accidents and how darn big you are. Your most used phrases are, "we watch something now", "what treat", "I-dunno know", "why", and "where you taking us". You sing along to a lot of songs now and I think that your favorite is "5 bottles of juice on the wall". Your favorite show vacillates between Paw Patrol, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Penguins of Madagascar. Your favorite movie is definitely The Incredibles, with Big Hero 6 as runner up. We love watching your preferences change and like that you can now express them. 

Every year you are more fun, Ewan. We are looking forward to an amazing fourth year and all of the adventures, learning, and love it will bring our family.

Love you so big!
Mama

A Birthday Date for Ewan's T-H-R-E-E

A look at Ewan's special birthday date as documented on Instagram, #EwanTurns3!

 

 

 

 

Darby 45/52

Aloha from Hawaii! Two pictures are required this week --- one to show Darby's love of the beach (sand is such a great snack), and the second to show that this lady and her brother have reached a whole new level of love that must be documented.

We spent 8 days in Kauai, and while the sun may not have been its brightest it was an amazing week!

52 : 52 (part 3)

Not every almost-three-year-old gets to spend his last week of two in Hawaii. This kid was lucky to spend 8 days in Kauai and he loved every minute of it.

Our hotel had a water slide, the beaches were prime for castle building, and the luau had fire dancers... we will be lucky if we can get this guy off the island.