15 Months!

~She shakes her head yes and no appropriately to questions.  Her "yes" is more of an upper body nod.
~She says Mama, Daddy, bubble and baby!  When she wants something, she frequently states "Mamama" or "Mamame" while pointing to the object.  The babysitter reports that she clearly says "Logan", the name of the babysitter's son.  She smiles and giggles when we try to get her to say it.  Abby babbles a lot and uses great inflection and a variety of sounds.
~Abigail is the proud owner of her front 8 teeth, 4 molars and 2 top canines.
~She's an eating machine!  She's starting to self-feed with spoons.  She doesn't have a scoop action  mastered, but she's able to get the food.  She has a sweet tooth and gets excited when dessert is offered.
~Abigail loves to climb on Brennan's platform bed.  She also enjoys standing on his bed, making Mommy and Daddy nervous.
~She's showing knowledge of many different routines.  She immediately goes to the basement stairs and starts to climb when she hears the washing machine lid close.  She rubs her hands together when we're putting lotion on our hands.  She goes to the door when told it's time to leave or go outside and will go to her highchair when told it's time to eat.
~Abby is great at following directions! When asked, she puts her clothes in her laundry basket and will deliver items to people.  She also likes to pick up, including putting toys away and putting her shoes on the shoe mat.
~She makes an adorable pig noise, although it sounds more like a cat clearing a hair ball!

Preschool!

Gavin started preschool today! He is attending Little Blessings in Fremont, Ohio three days a week.  He's going to love school!

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!