Museum of Life and Science in Durham

We decided to have a family outing at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham because we had never been before.  We were also hoping to ride the train they have there, but turns out it was closed for maintenance that day :(  Even though we didn't get to ride the train, we had a wonderful time, and William loved seeing everything.  

Elliott is ready to go!

Looking at the owls - William loved seeing all the animals.

Playing the drums was a lot of fun! William made us do this 3 different times.

He enjoyed looking at the bugs more than I thought he should :)

Very excited about the dinosaurs!

Five minutes after we left...it was a long, but great day :)

Campbell is 3!

Campbell turned 3 at the end of January, and we had such a great time at her Scooby Doo Birthday Party!

Looking pretty in her tutu!

As always, Kristy did a great job decorating and making Campbell's outfit!

 

Beth and Elliott

 Blowing out the candle!

Pinata time!

William enjoying the only piece of candy he wanted out of the pinata.

Opening presents - William didn't understand why he couldn't open the presents...not happy.  Campbell did let him help a little though :)

Pop-Pop and Clarkson being silly.

It's hard to believe Campbell is already 3!  She's got a lot of sass for a 3 year old, but she is also very sweet...and we wouldn't want it any other way :)  We love you, Campbell! Happy Birthday!!!

Big smiles!

LOVE this last one!

Outside

Here's Wilby taking advantage of this not-so-winter weather we've been having lately :)

Super William!

Here are some super things William's been up to lately :)

Flying! Aunt B gave him this cape for his birthday, and sometimes he wears it all day long!

Being stylish!

and Rocking out! He loves to sing and play his instruments.  He thinks David and I should join in the band.  In this video he's using a whisk as his microphone, but a hairbrush or golf club will also do.  He also loves drumming, playing the xylophone and his guitar.  Sorry this video is sideways.

Pullen Park

David and I took the boys to Pullen Park in Raleigh a few weeks ago.  I had never been before, but David remembers going as a kid.  Well, it has been recently renovated, and I just loved it!  William did too!  We rode the train, boats and carousel!  What a great place to spend the day!

Elliott is two months old!

Elliott turned two months on January 14th and had his 2 month checkup on January 16th.  And the numbers are in...

Weight: 11 lbs 8 1/2 oz. (44%)

Length: 25 in. (98%)

Head: 15 3/4 in. (44%)

Yes, he grew 4 inches in 2 months!  The doctor said he didn't gain as much weight as he thought he would have based on how much height he gained, but that he doesn't expect him to have that kind of growth in height over the next 5 or 6 months.  Everything else was just perfect - until it was time for shots.  This time I was alone because David stayed home with William who was napping :(  Elliott had to get the oral vaccine which he loved (I remember William really liked this too), and then he had to get 3 shots - 1 in the left leg, 2 in the right leg.  He cried big time, but was ok before I got to checkout.  He also did fine the rest of the day.  I remember William had a pretty rough time all day after his first shots. Here is picture of those big bandaids!

The day before his doctor's appointment I saw a faint, but kinda large brown spot on Elliott's left leg.  The doctor confirmed that is was just a birth mark and that it is totally normal for them not to show up until a couple months after they're born.  Not sure if you can see in the picture, but here it is...

Elliott has always been a pretty good sleeper, and at two months will sleep for about a 6 hour stretch!  Yay Elliott!  He also is on a pretty nice schedule as far as feeding - he eats every 3 hours during the day.  I've been so blessed to have such good babies!  I tell everyone that my babies are "fixable," meaning if they are crying, I can usually figure out why.  Elliott is more of a snuggle bug than William was.  He wants to be held most the time which is great sometimes, and a real hassle at others.  I'm definitely still learning to juggle two children!

So at two months Elliott...

likes:

to be held

to be walked around

loud consistent noises (like the bathroom fan or running water)

to be talked to (he smiles and tries to talk back - so cute!)

eating

kicking his legs

to rock with Daddy

dislikes:

getting the hiccups

William's sudden loud noises

mommy to put him down once he falls asleep

is unsure of:

his paci (he definitely doesn't take it as easily as William did, but it will calm him down sometimes)

bath time (doesn't scream the whole time, but doesn't act like he's loving it)

Here is a video of me and William trying to get Elliott to smile and talk :)

How can you not love that smile?!