Andrew & Leah

Leah has a few words in her vocabulary... Her first word was "hi" and she says it to people she knows and doesn't know.
Some of her other words:
Daddy
Andy (but hard to tell the difference between Daddy)
Mommy
Bear
Doggie
Ball
Baby

She is starting to communicate in other ways as well. Leah will nod yes and no for things she wants or doesn’t want. She will also use some not verbal communication, too such as asking for more with the sign language as well as pointing and gesturing to things she needs or desires.

Leah is a pretty happy girl, but she has her moments when the diva attitude comes out. Usually when she gets in trouble or doesn’t get her way. She just can’t seem to forget and pouts about it. Uff, hope this doesn’t continue until the teen years.

Leah is also in the process of leaning steps... Up is no problem, but down can be tricky. She really likes to walk down holding on to the railing although I would rather she sit down. Of course, she has her own ideas about how she should do it.

She is a little snuggle bug and likes to cuddle in when she’s tired. She will lay her head down on your shoulder or her blanket. I love that I have a snuggly little girl, but the downside is she seems to like the snuggles in the middle of the night best. This leads to her waking up during the middle of the night and not wanting to go back into her crib. Even if she falls asleep right away, she wakes right up when I try putting her back down. She prefers mom over dad as well which is very tiring, but it’s so hard to break her of the habit of being held while she’s sleeping. I hope this phase will pass quickly.

Andrew is getting ready to move to the 4 year old preschool room already this fall. He will also be starting gymnastics in September. He will go with other kids from his pre-school as part of the morning. Awesome! He is getting along well at Sanford Daycare and talking about some of his friends as well. He has a lot of boys in his group, so he really enjoys all of the boy playtime, although one of the little girls is his favorite friend -- probably because she's a tomboy and as cute as a button.

Andrew is very active guy still with baseball, basketball, football and soccer being his favorite activities. He really likes movies, too and really follows along not especially with the humor and laughs at the funny parts now. He is very interested in maps, especially the United States. He has a puzzle of the U.S. and he will put that together with some help. The western states are easier for him.

Being three, he has a mind of his own now. He will get frustrated if he is told “no” and is always trying to negotiate. One day he didn’t like the response from mom and dad and out of frustration said, “Stop staying that to me, you make me use my mean words.” He has so many funny expressions. He often brings up Santa now. He really wants a baseball catcher’s mask and a catcher’s mitt. He asked me if I would tell Santa for him, and I was explained how he could sit on Santa’s lap and let him know about what he wanted for Christmas. His bottom lip started quivering... “Mom, I don’t like his beard!”

We decaled a yellow helmet to look like a Bison football helmet. Andrew brought it into his preschool to show the teachers since he had been talking about it nonstop. One of Leah’s teachers asked if he was going to be a football player one day, and he said, “No I can’t. I’m going to be a daddy.” Awww. He thinks he will be just like his daddy, so he will be in the pressbox, therefore he can’t be a player. It’s hard to explain how he can do both in his life. :)

Figuring out the concepts of work, money, age and time are difficult. It’s always, “I will do that when I’m bigger… when I’m 4 years old.” Although it is often something that is will take a lot more waiting such as driving the car or going to college.

Thanks for checking in... busy times coming up, but some of the best times of the year. We love Bison football and volleyball seasons as well as the nice fall weather Septemeber brings.