An update on Teeth

Logan was very steadily getting teeth, but he seems to have slowed in the last month.  So far, he has all 8 of his front teeth.  If he stays on track, his cuspids and first molars are coming soon!

James quotes

Three year olds say all kind of silly things.  Here are some examples.

"When you pee on the potty, it gives you poopy power in your butt."  Apparently peeing makes you have to poop also.

"We will give the bird some eggs and they will hatch and the baby birdies with be awwwww so cute."  James was discussing a ceramic bird we have on our dining room table.  It has a little nest, but no eggs.

"Its okay, I am here, baby brother." Said to a crying Logan in the bath tub.

"Her is grumpy at me!"  James was very dismayed that Sassy batted at him.  He was rather close to her face.

"I will not play in my room."  James tells me this every night as I tuck him into bed.  

Almost a year

Its been almost a year as a family of 4.  Between two boys, turning 30, work, and everything else life throws our way, this has been the fastest year of my life.  When I really think about it, its been the happiest year of my life.  I know it can only get better, but even through the insanity, I've been so happy with my boys and our little family.
Logan is walking up a storm these days, he took his first steps just before he hit 11 months and hasn't looked back.  He's crawling up the steps a lot.  He startles us every time he does it, the first time he got halfway up the steps, sneaking up on Adam while he was vacuuming them.  A few days ago, I went to wake James up from his nap and while I was helping him in the bathroom, I noticed Logan, hanging out in the upstairs hallway.  He hasn't tried to go down yet, but I know that is coming.
We had an early birthday party for the little guy, right after Thanksgiving.  It was a crazy idea to have his party right after hosting Thanksgiving, but we pulled it off.  Logan enjoyed his cake and both boys were so pleased that Rhonda came.  I am not sure they realized that Rhonda exists outside of her house!
James has had a hard time sharing Logan's birthday presents.  He has never encountered gifts that weren't his and having to share isn't easy for any 3 year old.  But we seem to have moved on, now that some of their newness has worn off.
Pictures from the party:

Pre-party

Delicious vanilla cupcakes

He loves to eat

Surprisingly, he didn't get too messy!

11 month milestones

Mastered Skills
Says "dada" and "mama" to the right parent
Logan only says dada (as of November 3, 2013) so far, but he knows who dada is.  When I asked him to say mama, he looks at me kind of funny, like "Yes, I know who you are" but he won't repeat it.
Plays patty cake
Logan loves patty cake.  He started doing a rolling motion one day and we didn't realize that Rhonda had been doing patty cake with him, so we just thought that he was doing a Conga move.
Stands alone for a couple of seconds
Yes, he likes to stand on his own.

Emerging Skills
Imitates others activities
Logan will wave if you wave and tries to pet the dog, if he is watching someone else.
Puts objects into a container
He certainly knows how to take them out of a container, so I'll say maybe to this milestone.
Understands simple instructions
Yes, Logan will come when you ask him and knows to stop doing something when you say no.  He knows when you ask him to open his mouth for a bite of something, but usually just smiles and opens his mouth when he feels like it.

Advanced Skills
Drinks from a cup
We are starting to work on drinking from sippy cups.
Says one word besides "dada" and "mama"
Logan says "hi" sometimes.  He also likes to say "Bubba" which is what we tend to call the boys.
Stoops from standing position
Yes, he will lower himself slowly to the ground from standing.  He is moments away from walking!

Toy Clean Out

I love cleaning out toys.  No, I really, really love it.  We have far more than our boys will ever play with in one day and since Logan has been playing the last few months, we have baby toys and big boy toys out. all over the living room.
Today, we cleaned out some of the baby toys that Logan doesn't play with anymore, since he's almost one, he think he's a big kid and should just play with brother's toys.  So Adam cleaned out a big pile o' toys.  I looked at them and broke into tears as I started to put them into a big, black trash bag.  My baby is getting so big!  Both my babies are getting so big.  Adam laughed at me and told me I was crazy, then James looked over and asked, "Why are you crying, Mom?"
I told him that he and Logan are getting so big and even though its silly, it makes Mom sad sometimes.  I told him soon he won't need me at all!  Without taking a beat, James looks at me and says, "Soon me and Baby Logan and Dad will leave you here!"
He was very excited about it.  I'm not sure where they're going, but Mom isn't included!  Maybe I should just look forward to the peace and quiet!

10 month milestones

Mastered Skills

Waves goodbye

Yes, Logan recently started to wave, its ridiculously cute, much like just about everything he does.

Picks things up with pincer grasp

YES!  This boy loves to eat pretty much anything in front of him, even if its not food.  He picks things up well and crams it right into his mouth.

Crawls well

Like a speed demon.  He's like American Express, anywhere you want to be.

Cruises

Yes, he moves well when holding on the furniture, I have a feeling he will be walking soon.

Emerging Skills

Says "dada" and "mama" to the right parent

Logan isn't saying much yet and isn't imitating sounds much either.  James was doing both of these fairly early at 7 and 8 months, but he walked super late at 16 months (while still within the typical range).  Logan's gross motor skills are pretty advanced, so I am trying to remember that his brain can only learn to do so many things at one time.  I still feel worried that most of his noises are more "oooohs" and "aaaaahs" and less consonants and vowel combinations.

Responds to name and understands "no"

One of my reasons for not worrying too much about Logan's lack of verbal communication is this, he knows his name well and understands (and fusses) when he hears "no", so maybe I should get my undies out of the bunch they're in!

Indicates wants with gestures

Logan does this some, he will raise his arms to be picked up and will bang his hand to get more food on his tray.

Advanced Skills

Drinks from a cup

He has started using a sippy some and seems to like it, we'll be working on his a lot in the next couple months as we get rid of bottles.

Stands alone for a few seconds

Yes, Logan will stand up for a second or two without holding on before slowly lowering himself back down to the floor.

Puts objects into a container

I haven't seen this yet, but I'm not certain that Logan has even been in a situation to put objects in a container.  One thing is certain, he knows how to take things OUT of a container.

I try to do a monthly comparison photo of the boys every month and every month I'm amazed at how much they look a like.  Throughout the month when I look at them together, I think they look nothing a like.  They have a few differences, Logan's hair is more red and there is more of it.  James has brown eyes and Logan has blue eyes.  But they have the same shape to their eyes, just like their dad and they both love to laugh and smile.  Logan has 5 teeth with 3 more on the way at 10 months and James still had NONE this age.  Looking at the photos, they definitely have the same little nose!  James was almost 2 inches taller than Logan at 10 months and weighed a pound or 2 more.  One day, when I'm ready for this blog to know what a dork I am, I'll post the Excel spreadsheet and accompanying graphs of their height and weight comparisons since birth.  I'm not sure why, maybe its the eyes and the hair, but I think Logan looks like my dad, his Grandbear.  Either way, one thing is for sure, these boys are adorable!

Lots of Teeth

Logan has been steadily getting more teeth, about one a month since the first broke.  I think in the next few days, he's going to have several pop through.  And he certainly uses them, for biting his mother and for eating.