Counting

Ellie thinks every number is "numba 9" or "eighteee." She copies Eric a lot lately. Eric knows all his numbers and letters and will be going to his preschool open house in a couple weeks.

Tough Girl

I took Ellie for her 15 month checkup and the doc asked me how she was doing. I said fine, except she had a runny nore for about 4-5 days. Well he checked her out and she has a double ear infection!! No fever, cring, sleeplessness or anything. He said some babies handle it better than others. Now she is on amoxicillin. She is 21 lb 10 ounces and 31 inches long.
The kids had macaroni for dinner and I love making that for them because Ellie calls it "maca-bunca-bunca-bunca"

I'd Be Happy To

I asked Eric to help me put his books away in his room and he said "I'd be happy to." So sweet.
He is getting smarter by the minute. The other day we were driving and he said " we have cans and bottles?" because we were driving on the same road where we always return them.
Ellie is a chatterbox these days. Some of her words are: duckadee (just her favorite word), biddee=banana, appida=applesauce, ducky, doggie, puppy (most animals) beeba (zebra and giraffe)

Numbers

Eric is 29 months.. he can count to 10. He calls 12 "two teen". He notices the numbers everywhere we go and carries his number puzzle with him.

We've Got Another Walker

Ellie started walking! She is taking steps, turning corners and getting into everything.
We are having such a fun summer that there has been no time for blogging.
Eric is such a chatterbox and loves it when anyone visits. Tonight he visited 3 neighbors and ran into one of his little friends on a walk.
He calls his sister Ellie Belly or Ellie Boo and moves quickly from kisses to sibling rivalry.

Happy Birthday Baby Ellie

Ellie Rose turned 1 year old today! She celebrated with a party on Sunday with a lot of friends and family. She liked the cake but didn't get too messy and she crawled around and played with all of her gifts.
Today we went into the North End and to see the USS Constitution with Grandmom and Pop Pop. Ellie and Eric behaved so well. They loved riding the train. Ellie entertained everyone by screaming ba..ba..ba...ba...ba the entire time! We had a funny time at the restaurant when Eric wanted a binky but refused to use Ellie's purple one. When Pop Pop produced a "new" purple one a little later Eric took it, no problem. Too funny! They both loved eating pasta and Italian bread.
Ellie is surprising us every minute with new words. She can say Daddy, Mum Mum (the cracker, not the person,) Eric (Ikey), Ellie, dog, duck, bike, baba, yucky. She is getting braver and leans over and lets go and stands for a few seconds. She took a step the other night.
Tonight we ate brownies and sang to Ellie again. We even had to sing a sound of "Happy Ellie's Birthday to Eric."

First Big Boo Boo

Eric has been so lucky to not have been injured at all yet. Today we went to the Sprinkler Park and he came running over telling me he got a bump. I asked where and he said "my ankle" and I kept looking but didn't see anything. So he sat on the bench wrapped in a towel looking very sad for about 15 minutes and then jumped at the chance to go home when I asked. When we got to the car his shorts pulled up a little and I saw he had skinned his knee which was hiding under his shorts. Poor little guy was so brave!

I'm a Red Sox

So much has been happening lately.
Eric has started calling Ellie Baby Elle. They are doing good. Already a few sibling moments like Eric pulling her down when she is trying to stand and Ellie laughing hysterically whenever he cries. They love each other so much. Eric invited her outside today, saying "Come outside Baby Aya, eat the grass."
We went to Chicago for the weekend and left them with Nannie and Papa for the first time. They had fun going to Castle Island and South Shore Plaza. It was time to have some time alone and the wedding was great!!
The cutest thing Eric has been doing is swinging his bat very seriously and saying "I'm a Red Sox." He winds up to pitch and pretends to slide into the bases. He wants to watch the Sox every night. Definitely a sports enthusiast.
Ellie's first word seems to be "Hi," she says it all the time. Maybe a social butterfly!

Baby Aya

I know sometime Eric will stop calling Ellie Baby Aya but I hope it's not any time soon. It is so cute to hear him say it. Whether it's "No Baby Aya" or "Love you baby Aya" it makes me laugh all the time.
Eric finally got outside with his friends today after 8 days of rain. He loves the sandbox and the swings. Ellie was trying to eat the grass so there is no way she's going in the sandbox for a while. She'll probably be walking by her birthday, now she is crawling everywhere and pulling up on everything. No teeth yet..

Upwords

I jumped in the shower while the kids were watching a DVD and came out to see that Eric found our Upwords game under the bed and had the tiles spread out everywhere!!! Now the game is his favorite toy. He stacks up the letters, lays them out on the board, recites the ones he knows. He even knows Ellie can't have the tiles and says "only on the bed" when he takes the box out. So far he can recognize A, B, C, O, U, Q, W, E and I. He can also count 1-4 now which is an improvement from 1-2-9-10.

Standing Up

Ellie can stand up in her crib now. It is still such a surprise to see her standing when we go in to get her. Today I heard Eric say "Good Morning Baby Aya" and the response I heard was her jumping up and down on her crib mattress. So sweet!

2 Year/9 Month Doctor Visits

Eric- 35 inches tall weighs 28 lbs. low iron but otherwise fine
Ellie-27 inches tall weighs 18 lbs. 10 oz. perfectly healthy

Uh Oh Milk Mama

Eric made a long sentence this morning "Uh Oh Milk Mama, Eric Gregory did it."
He said this after spilling his cereal milk all over himself and his chair.
In other kitchen news, Ellie is eating Cheerios, pieces of bread, crackers, and baby food fruits. She will not eat any veggies!

Laughing Together

Today in the car, Eric was kicking his legs and moving his head side-to-side singing and Ellie started laughing. So he kept doing it and they were cracking up laughing together. It was so sweet because it was really the first time that they really paid attention to each other without anyone else involved.

Happy Birthday to Eric

Eric had an awesome 2nd birthday. He wore his special green shirt with a car on it that he picked out himself. He had 5 friends over and they ate cupcakes and played with cars. Eric got Wiggles, Thomas the Train and basketball balloons.
We had his family party today and he was so excited! He ate more cake and clapped and sang along with everyone. He got so many presents but he seems to love his remote control car from Auntie Julie and his basketball from Auntie Carole and Roger!

True Love

True love is when a little boy falls asleep clutching a mini basketball and a mini football. Soooo sweet.

8 months and Almost 2

Only one more week until Eric's birthday! He is getting very excited. Ask him how old he will be and he says "one for baby Aya" and "2 Eric." He is starting to sing Happy Birthday and Ring Around the Rosy.
Ellie is 8 months now. She is starting to talk saying da, da, da, da. I guess Mama is never a first word! She has a little personality now.
Lately the kids have been playing in the pack and play together. I know Eric is a little old for this but he is jealous when she is in there so now they go in together.
Eric's latest phrases are: By the way, oh man, don't do that, please, thank you, welcome, and my favorite "love you" which he said for the first time on Valetines Day!

Talking Machine

Yes, Eric is a talking machine!!! He repeats everything and is chatting every minute. Some of our favorite words of his are lambourghini, fire truck, mango, basketball, snow shovel, tuna. We just like that he can answer a question... or do we? (no, no, no, and no)
Ellie is the sweetest baby ever. She just sits and watches Eric all day and is never demanding or fussy unless she needs a bottle. Her favorites these days are the jumper, exersaucer, and her new highchair. She can roll over both ways now and is getting dangerously close to crawling. She grabs anything in sight to chew on, especially matchboxes, gotta watch out. No teeth yet. One more month until we have a two-year-old!

Holidays

The holidays were a blast. We spent Christmas day at Gay Street and at Auntie Carole's for dinner. The kids were both so good all day. Eric definitely has the hang of opening gifts. He hopefully says 'car' as he rips each one open. He pulled the tree down a couple weeks ago. He was just too mesmerized by it.
We drove down to North Carolina to visit Tina, Mike and the kids. We had such a great time. We went hiking and went to a nature conservatory. We walked through Asheville downtown in the pouring rain. Eric loves spending time with his cousins and the dog is still talking about them. The kids took a bath together while we were there and amazingly Eric joined them. We have Marley and Allysun to thank for teaching Eric that baths are fun, he practically jumps in with his clothes on now. We miss them already.
Not much else new, may be a quiet few months. The countdown to the Terrible Twos begins.

Time is Flying

So much has happened since my last entry. Ellie is 5 1/2 months now. I have weaned her onto formula because she was eating a million times a day. She now eats baby food and oatmeal or rice cereal. She loves her Exersaucer, Jumper, and just lying on the floor playing.
Eric is 21 months. He is so active. Still into cars along with trains, scooters, and anything that moves. He is talking so much now and repeating a lot. He calls his sister "Baby Aya." His milk is "nookie." The two things closest to his heart, binky and blankie, he can say very clearly.
Eric got to play out in the snow for the first time. He wasn't too sure at first, but soon he was following Daddy around trying to get the shovel. The Boston Globe will be publishing a picture I sent in of Eric reaching up for the snow shovel.
We all went to Disney World while we were down in Florida for Thanksgiving/Jerry and Lisa's wedding. Eric got to go on the Indy Speedway with Daddy and Ellie was most excited about It's A Small World. Eric is obsessed with his grandparents' dog Chloe. He longing calls "Chlope" everytime he sees a picture of a dog.
In other news, Eric pulled down the Christmas tree the other day. He was shocked himself and stays away from it now for the most part. Aside from a few broken ornaments there was no harm done. (Next year tabletop tree!)
The kids are both sleeping in their room now. When Ellie waked up crying Eric either sleeps through or sits up in crib and says "Aya" over and over to alert us of her crying. What a sweet brother already.
At Ellie's 5 month appointment she weighed 15lb 7oz and was 26 inches tall.... which is the height limit for her carrier. Yikes! How will we carry two kids out of the car without the carrier...we'll see.
Everyone is getting excited for Christmas!