Nikki, David, William, Elliott, and Layla: November 2011

23 Months!

Believe it or not, William is 23 months! That means he's only one month shy of his 2nd birthday! He is getting so big, and independent! At 23 months, William is learning more and more words. He knows lots of animal sounds. The funny thing about the animal sounds is he'll say all of the animal sounds, but won't try to say the name of the animal. For example, if you point to a dog and ask him what it is, he says "ruff ruff" instead of "dog." Oh well, I'm sure he'll figure it out eventually! William LOVES trains and balls. He gets really excited about football and is actually really good at throwing! We are still working on catching :)

David and I haven't really started the whole potty training thing just yet, but David will put him on the potty if he shows interest in it, and the first time this happened, William actually pee-peed in the potty! He hasn't done it since, but I think this is a good sign. Hopefully we will be able to take some time and really focus on potty training while I'm out of work on maternity leave.

William also loves Layla these days. First thing in the morning before getting out of his crib, he asks where Layla is. I know we had our bouts of hitting Layla, but now he usually just wants to hug her and kiss on her. It is very sweet. He also tells her night night before bed, and loves giving her snacks!

A few more things about his morning routine. He's always so happy first thing in the morning. When we walk in, he usually lays back down and pretends he's asleep. He thinks playing opossum is hilarious. Usually I'll say something like, oh I guess William is still going night night, and start to walk out...that's when he pops up grinning from ear to ear! He then hands me his paci and points to the shelf because he knows he can't have his paci once he gets out of bed. That's when he usually points to the hall and says "Layla?" Usually she's right there in the hall waiting for us. Then I pick him up and he gives me the sweetest hugs and kisses! I just love my sweet baby!

William has also learned some new dance moves! Not sure where he learned this one from, but it is hilarious!

Here are a few things William's been up to lately - loving his sock monkey!

Riding the animal train! It's kind of funny - it's definitely not a toy he's supposed to ride!

He's eating peanut butter now! Thanks to his Daddy - he's not supposed to eat peanut butter until he's 2 according to the pediatrician, but I guess David figured what was one more month.

Wearing Daddy's work boots!

Eating Oreos! He is definitely our son!

And "sharing" Daddy's milkshake. He actually took this one hostage! Shortly after this picture, he threw his sippy cup in the floor and put the milkshake in his cup holder. You'd think David would learn that William doesn't share milkshakes so well! He must take after his mother :)

Happy Halloween!

This Halloween, I didn't put as much effort in William's costume because for one, David was going to be working on Halloween night and I didn't really want to take William trick or treating by myself being 8 1/2 months pregnant, and two, I thought there would be a good chance I'd have a newborn by Halloween. But then we were invited to Clarkson and Campbell's preschool Halloween Carnival. So, we had to come up with something quick for William to wear. Turns out, he makes a pretty good pirate too - like father, like son! We also took William to our church's Trunk or Treat. He had a great time playing the games at the carnival and getting candy at the Trunk or Treat. He did not enjoy passing out candy with me at home - he wanted a Dum-Dum every time I handed some out to our trick-or-treaters!

At my work, they were holding a costume contest on Halloween, so I decided to come up with something really quickly the night before. I came up with the idea, and David put it together at about 10:30 that night! I think it turned out well, and it got a lot of laughs at work! By the way, we put this together using orange duct tape.

Wow! Now, that's a big Jack-O-Lantern!

Baby Shower!

On October 30th, my sisters and mom threw me a Diaper Shower! It was so much fun, and I am so glad we got so many of the necessities! You can never have too many diapers or wipes! Everything was decorated so beautifully! Thank you to my sisters and mom and for everyone else who was able to come!

Congratulations!

To my little sister, Beth, and her boyfriend, Joseph, on their recent engagement! Joseph proposed at the top of the Ferris Wheel at the State Fair! It was perfect for Beth - she's always loved the Fair! We can't wait for the wedding, and for Joseph to officially be a part of the family! Congratulations again!!! We are so excited for you!

37 & 38 weeks

William was born at 37 weeks, 1 day gestation. So, I was actually getting pretty anxious about my 37th week with this baby. Everyone thought he would be early as well, but he is definitely showing that he will come on his own time, and doesn't plan to follow in his brother's footsteps! The same "night" that my water broke with William, I ended up getting no sleep because I was just so anxious the same thing would happen - I know it was silly to think this pregnancy was going to be EXACTLY like my last, but up to this point, they had been very similar.

At my 37 week appointment, the doctor checked me and I was 1 1/2 cm dilated, 50% effaced, and -2 station. I asked the nurse practitioner if there was any concern with how big this baby was, and first she looked a little puzzled and said I was measuring fine. I then reminded her that he was measuring big at the 33 wk 3D ultrasound we had. Apparently they don't think to look at this ultrasound because it is an elective ultrasound, and my belly measurement was right on. She said I must have a long torso, and she decided I should have another ultrasound next week to check on the size of the baby.

The next week, at my 38 week appointment - I still can't believe I've made it this far - they check me again, and I'm the same as the week before - 1 1/2 cm, 50%, and -2. Well, at least I get to see the baby again today :) David actually had training for work, so he couldn't be there. During the ultrasound, Elliott was moving a lot, and she said everything looked great - fluids, baby was head down, etc. After doing all of his measurements, the computer spits out a number of how big the baby might be - a whopping 9.5 lbs! This could be off up to 1.5 lbs in either direction, but the ultrasound tech said if she had to guess, he was already a good 8.5 lbs! I believe her! Look at those chubby cheeks! Apparently this isn't big enough to induce yet, so we are still just waiting :)

Happy Birthday LG!

I am very late on all my posts, but wanted to make sure to wish Mrs. Jackie a Happy Birthday! Her birthday was October 23rd. She was hoping that maybe Elliott would make his appearance as early as William, but apparently he needs more time to cook :) Hope your birthday was great! We love you!

Love a Fair!

We always look forward to going to the State Fair in October. It was especially fun this year because William was actually old enough to enjoy it! We went on Wednesday, which was probably the worst day as far as weather - it sprinkled on and off most the time, but I actually preferred it over the crowds! The ladies accepting tickets were so nice to let William and I hang out under the shelter while we waited for David to park and pick up the car. We ended up staying at the Fair much longer than I had anticipated. Walking around the Fair for hours was almost too much for this pregnant lady! We had a great time though. We got to watch a really cool pumpkin carving demonstration, William and David got to ride some rides, and mommy got her favorite thing at the fair - NC State Ice Cream! William surprised us at how well behaved he was the whole time. We were there from 10am to after 3pm, and no nap! We were in the car probably 2 minutes before he fell asleep :)