Happy 3rd Birthday, Caylin!

Three years ago, today, this amazing little ladybug entered our world!

(Caylin @ 2 days old)

And as she grows....

(Caylin's 1st Birthday Picnic)

we are constantly amazed

(Caylin's 2nd Birthday)

and blessed to have her in our lives!

Today, as we celebrate Caylin's 3rd Birthday, I can hardly believe that those pictures above are of my "big girl". She really seems to have grown up a lot over this past year. I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but some where along the way she has lost that "baby face" look. She(finally) has little girl hair and she loves to have "ponies" and barrettes in it! Caylin's vocabulary and understanding of language has just exploded. She has always been a verbal kiddo. But, now there is so much more to what she is saying (usually). And, fortunately for us, her strong will is still softened with a desire to please and help others!

Obviously, one of the biggest events for Caylin this past year has been becoming a big sister. I am often so impressed with how well she has taken to this new role in her life. And, now that Gavin is more interactive, she seems to be enjoying it even more. When he is around, she is always finding ways to engage with him. And, she is usually very gentle and kind to him (so far). She loves talking to him, giving him toys (and a paci when necessary), laying on the floor and letting him "pet" her face and hair, and giving him hugs and kisses. She will even share some of her things with him, which can be harder for her to do with other kids. It really is such a neat thing to see!

Though we are thrilled about how well she has taken to big sisterhood, I think Tim and I are probably the most excited about her potty training progress. There were definitely bumps along the way. However, at this point, we can pretty confidently call her potty trained (during the day). She still wears a pull-up for bed, but that is just fine with me at this point! You can also tell that this is an accomplishment that she is quite proud of as well!



This year we are opting not to do an official Birthday Party. We figure we have many years of kiddy birthday fun ahead of us. Instead, we are traveling up to PA to spend the holiday weekend with my family. We are going take the Birthday Girl to see the Ringling Brother's and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Oh, and in case you are worried that our Ladybug will miss out on bday cake if there isn't a party, I'm already planning to have her highly requested ice cream birthday cake at a famly picnic event. The following weekend, she's got a Birthday trip to Gpa/Gma's and Dave/Joan's boat. I'm sure we'll have lots of Birthday pictures to post in the near future. Below are just a few from our mini celebration, last night. Caylin chose to have chicken fajitas for dinner and then got to open her presents from us and those mailed from Great Grandparents and Aunt Lisa & family!

Stats

Yesterday we got to kill two birds with one stone in regards to wellness check ups. We were in for Caylin's 3 year and Gavin's 6 month check. The long and short of the visit, we have two happy, healthy and well developing kids!

Caylin weighed in at 28.8 pounds and 35 1/2 inches tall. These fall into the 31st and 16th percentile, respectively. Typically, I don't really care about percentiles, but considering these are way higher than any of her previous measurements, it is exciting for us to report. She was eager to tell the dr. all about herself. She impressed him with her conversation, her art work (the drawing that she had been doing while the nurse was asking me questions and getting Gavin's measurements), and her potting success. He informed me that we have quite a precocious little girl. Geee, really? We could have told you that one. And, luckily for Caylin, no immunizations this go around.

Gavin weighed in at 15 pounds, 7 ounces and 25 3/4 inches tall. Gavin showed off his two new mini pearly whites. He also drooled all over the doctor's stethascope. Gavin was not as lucky as his big sister. he got two vaccination shots. He did fine for the first one and quicikly calmed down after I picked him up for a big cuddle after the second one.

Along with his new teeth has come several sleepless nights for mama and daddy. Gavin has NOT been having good nights this past week. Fortunatley, last night things seemed to get back to a relatively normal state. We are hoping this has nothing to do with the drs visit and shots and more with the fact that both of his new teeth are finally through his gums' surface. This stuff is new territory for Tim and I, as Caylin was just under a year old when she popped her first teeth. Needless to say, we are hoping that the teething takes a little break so that we can recover.

Caylin and Gavin stop their playing to pose for a picture

(if you look closely, you can see Gavin's little teeth on the bottom)

What has been most fun for us to watch is how these two are really starting to interact with one another. Gavin almost always smiles when he sees his big sis. Caylin loves to hug and kiss on Gavin. And, Gavin loves it when she does, reaching for her face and playing with her hair. Caylin likes playing peek-a-boo with Gavin, which usually turns into "where's Caylin" as she runs loops around main level of the house. She is even willing to let him have one or two of her mega blocks while she is playing with them. We know this won't last forever (and quite honestly, it would be kind of freaky if it did) so we are trying to enjoy it now while it lasts!

6 months old

Yesterday marked the start of Gavin's 6th month of life. And full of life and energy he certainly is. We don't have his 6 mo check up until next week, so I don't have those stats to report yet, but we have no worries about his growth. He is a happy eater and some days it seems as though he is growing right before our very eyes. He's been eating solids for a little while know (fortunately for us, our Ped. group supports solids before 6 months, or we would have had one grumpy 4 1/2-5 month old). So far, his favorite food seems to be bananas. Though, he is pretty content eating most anything we've offered him to this point. The best is the way he turns his head up and to the side, with his nose wrinkled when he is full, as to say, "no more for me, thank you."

In the past few weeks, Gavin has really taken off in the rolling department, literally. When he wants to get somewhere, he starts tucking those arms in and away he goes. Slowly but surely he works his way off his play mat and usually tries to head in the direction of his big sister. Fortunately, Caylin loves it and encourages him on. Additionally, he has been chattering up a storm as well. Needless to say, Caylin is a great role model in that department. :)

Gavin showing off some of his new moves (and sounds):

Gavin celebrated his 6 month day by revealing his first tooth!!! It is barely above the surface of his lower gums, but it is clearly there. With all of the drooling and finger chewing and toy chewing he has been doing, I'm not totally surprised to see it.

I'm sure we'll have much to report next week, when we head to the peds. Not only will Gavin be getting his 6 month wellness check, Caylin will be getting her 3 year check too. More to come on turning 3 at the end of the month! :)

Fun with sidewalk chalk

Caylin having fun drawing with chalk on this beautiful day!

(Yes, that is chalk all over her face)