14 Months!

~Abigail continues to enjoy walking and is getting even faster!  After her brief break, she has returned to climbing stairs.
~She cut two molars and, based on the look of her gums, we expect more soon.
~Abby loves to eat!  She's a meat and carbs kind of gal, but will eat most veggies and some fruits.  She loves to drink from sippy cups.
~They say that kids often focus on one developmental skill at a time.  It was nearly overnight that Abby switched from motor development to language development.  She consistently says "Mama" and "Mommy!"  She'll typically repeat them when asked and will say "Mama!" repeatedly when she wants something.  She's also said "Dada" a few times!  We've also heard "nana" (banana) and she babbles often.
~Abigail has improved her "please" sign to rubbing her chest/belly.  This is exceptionally cute when she is asking for food.  She occasionally signs "more", but, being polite, "please" is used more.
~She puts her hands in the air to indicate that she wants to be held.
~Abby loves baths!  She's at the bathroom door almost immediately after she hears the water running.  If she's not in the bath with her brothers, she attempting to touch the water from the side of the tub.  She enjoys splashing, playing with toys and watching her brothers.
~While she still likes to play with Brennan and Gavin's cars/etc., she's starting to show her feminine side.  She enjoys walking around with her "babies", appearing to hug them with her arm.  She also has a particular baby that she likes to take to the babysitter's house nearly every day.  Abigail also enjoys playing with her purse and gets a kick out of wearing a toy bracelet.

First Day of Kindergarten!

Brennan has been very excited to start kindergarten!  He is in Mrs. Boose's full-day kindergarten classroom at Furry Elementary in Perkins Local School District.  He's going to love it and will do great!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Gavin!

Happy Birthday, Gavin!!

Happy 3rd Birthday to our sweet, smart and silly Gavin!  He brings us so much joy and we're so proud of him!

A few highlights:

~Gavin has made tremendous progress with his expressive language skills!  He speaks in full sentences and is consistently intelligible.  

~Gavin adores his siblings.  He is Brennan's shadow and enjoys playing with him.  He loves to help Abigail and will stop what he's doing to give her hugs and kisses throughout his day.

~He identifies all letters and numbers 1-10.  He can count to 19 and backwards from 10.

~Gavin enjoys books, especially silly books or look and find books.  He also enjoys describing what is happening in the pictures.

We celebrated his birthday with a basketball themed party at a local park with some family and friends.  The kids had fun playing on the playground and throwing water balloons.

Current Stats:
Height: 37" (38th percentile)
Weight: 28 lb 8oz (17th percentile)

While he's our little guy, the doctor explained that his growth is on track.  The doctor also wondered if he would be a "late bloomer" and hit his growth spurt later.

13 Months!

~Now that Abby is walking, it seems like she never stops!  Her new favorite activity is to walk around the house, usually carrying an object and dropping it when she finds another object to carry around!  Most desired object include books, remotes, toy cars, and sippy cups.  She is able to move from sitting to standing without difficulty and navigate around obstacles.  She's quite sturdy and can walk lengthy distances without toppling over.  She is also picking up speed!
~Abigail is officially weaned from day time feedings.  She nurses briefly at bedtime, giving a chance for extra snuggles with Mommy!  Instead of nursing before naps, we read a story and sing a few songs.  She puts herself to sleep easily without a peep!
~Abigail loves drinking from sippy cups!  She is also able to drink from straw cups.  She gets very excited when she sees one and will gladly take any cups left around the house.
~She is a great eater!  She is willing to eat new foods and definitely wants what her brothers have.  She is not a huge fan of several fruits.
~Abigail has modified her "more" sign and it is now more similar to the actual sign.  She also continues to sign "all done".  She has added a modified "please" sign, which is rubbing her hands on her arms, rather than rubbing a palm on her chest.
~She easily climbed the flight of stairs from the basement twice in one day!  She hasn't shown much interest in doing it again, although she has climbed the two steps from the garage to the house.
~Mimicking her brothers eating warm food, she frequently blows on a piece of food and/or holds the food out towards us while blowing.
~Abigail loves giving open mouth kisses, giggling after giving her smooch.  She also likes to kiss characters in her books.
~She loves to cover her face with her hands and play Peek A Boo!
~Abigail takes two naps a take at approximately 8:30am and 1:00pm.  It's difficult to know how long she is sleeping because she'll contently and quietly play in her crib for a while.  She stays in her bed for 2-3 hours per nap.
~We suspect that she may be getting her molars soon.  Her gums are quite large and she frequently puts objects in her mouth.
~Her happy, giggly personality continues!  We love the twinkle in her eyes!

She Walks!

We've made the official call--Abigail is walking!  For the past few days, she has taken several consecutive steps.  Then, she started taking even more consecutive steps!  She is very proud of herself! 

Happy 1st Birthday, Abigail!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY, MISS ABIGAIL!

~Where has the last year gone?!  Our sweet Abigail is 1!  We celebrated her birthday with a fun ice-cream themed birthday party!  The weather was beautiful, allowing the kids to have fun in the pools and on the swing set.

~While we haven't made the official "call" yet, Abigail is starting to walk!  She has taken up to 8 steps independently several times a day.  She isn't extremely confident, but she is determined and will continue trying.  She appears more confident cruising and will travel around a room, barely resting her hand on furniture or walls along the way. 

~Abigail independently signs "more" and "all done".  However, don't ask her if she's "all done" or wants "more" at the end of a meal, as she'll sign both upon hearing the words!  She waves and blows kisses.  She also nods/shakes her head upon hearing yes/no.  Abigail also likes to continue "singing" while tapping her mouth with her hands.  She'll also give open mouth kisses.

~She will occasionally state "Mo" repeatedly when asking for something.  She has several babbled sounds, pitches and inflections.

~Abigail is doing a great job eating table food!  She wants what her brothers are eating, so don't try to give her anything else! However, it is acceptable to dip her spoon into two bowls -- one with her separate food and one with something they are also eating.  Some current favorites are toast, any meat, french fries/tator tots, pretzels, cereal, green beans, spaghetti, pancakes, apple sauce and yogurt.  We haven't given her whole milk yet, but she's able to drink from a sippy cup and is getting better about drinking from a straw cup, although she wants to tilt it up.  She is able to finger feed herself.

~Abby becomes quite the ham when she notices that we are taking her picture!  She'll flash a beautiful, sometimes cheesy grin!

~She loves peek-a-boo!

~She has such a wonderful personality!  She's a happy, smiley, easy going gal!

Abigail had her 1 year appointment the day after her birthday!  She received a clean bill of health and charmed the doctor with her giggles and grins.  She also received four vaccinations. She wasn't pleased about them, but calmed down quickly.  

Current stats:

29 3/4 inches    72nd percentile

22lbs 13.5oz     88th percentile

18 inch head     72nd percentile

Graduation for Gavin!

Gavin has officially graduated (exited) from Help Me Grow services! 

Help Me Grow services discontinue when children turn three.  In preparation for this transition, families and Help Me Grow providers meet with their residing school district to determine if a student may qualify for preschool services.  At Gavin's transition meeting, we discussed the great progress he has made with his communication skills.  We all agreed that he would not qualify for speech services in preschool.  Just to verify, we met with the SLP for a play date.  She agreed that he has age appropriate language skills, including his vocabulary and articulation skills.  We're so proud of him!  He has many, many words, speaks in phrases, and is intelligible!  We're planning for him to attend preschool in the fall, which should only continue to help his language skills progress!