Three!

Our sweet (yet sometimes bossy) baby girl is three years old! How can that be! We celebrated Natasha's birthday on the 24th with family and then on April 6th we had a party for her with her friends. A couple months leading up to her birthday, all she talked about was turning three. Natasha also practiced holding three fingers up, when asked how old she was turning. Zac and I thought we were pretty lucky that we had escaped the infamous "terrible two's" with Natasha, but it has reared it's ugly head at age three. The whining and the tantrums are no fun. And the little attitude has me scared for her teenage years... I am seriously considering boarding school (okay, maybe not, but a two to four year vacation for mom might be the answer).

Now that I got the challenges out of the way, I will tell you all about the fun and loving qualities this little girl has that brings smiles to our faces and warms our hearts. Whether Natasha is dancing, singing, jumping, making funny sounds and faces at her brother or storytelling, she is a little entertainer. Being the center of attention is no problem for Natasha and we got a glimpse of this when we sang "Happy Birthday" to her... she loved it! I used to cry when people sang to me at my birthday. I did not like the attention, but I am glad that Natasha is so comfortable with it. Natasha is also a great hostess. She loves having play dates with her friends and makes sure we have snacks out for her and her friends. Just recently, she went into her snack cupboard and pulled out an assortment of snacks and bowls and filled them up (by herself) and brought them out to her friend, Noelani. It was the cutest thing to watch. She also made sure they played with everything so no one would get bored.

Besides being a rambunctious social butterfly, she is bright too. Natasha is an auditory learner, just like her dad. It is amazing to hear her recite books that we read to her on a regular basis. Just when you think she is not listening, she will surprise you with that great memory of hers. She is learning how to count and she also loves to spell out words in books or on signs when we are out walking. I can't wait to see all the things she will learn at preschool in the fall.

And let's not forget her loving spirit and kind heart. Natasha loves people... and Cooper. She loves spending time with her family and friends. Natasha is gentle with her cousin, Brooks and her baby brother, Nikolaus. In fact, Natasha loves all babies. She is such a little mommy. I have even caught her breastfeeding her dollies and singing them to sleep.

Everything went well at her three year well check and here are her stats:

Weight: 32.8 lbs. (65-70th percentile)
Height: 37 1/2" (55th percentile)
Head Circumference: 49 1/2 cm. (65-70th percentile)

Natasha has been a great daughter overall and has shown little to no jealousy towards Nikolaus. She does want to cuddle more and be carried time to time, but I am more than happy to hold her, even if it kills my back.

The Birthday Girl!

Fun with the birthday balloons

Birthday Breakfast

Yum... Pink and purple birthday cake (with sprinkles, of course)

Opening her presents

Nope, not shy at all

Look at that smile

I wonder what she wished for

Nikolaus wanted in on the celebration

Tasha Tells It All

Tasha: Come on Shaunna, work with me.

Tasha: What you said?

Zac: What are you watching?
Tasha: Come see, you will like this one.

Tasha (to me): What are you doing to daddy's son?

Tasha: This is my dude! (referring to Nikolaus)

Tasha: What was that noise?
Me: Your tummy made that sound
Tasha: I think there is a turtle in there.
Me: How did a turtle get in your belly?
Tasha: Through my belly button.  And the turtle is going fast fast fast.  But the baby turtle is going slow.
(such a little story teller)

Tasha: I'm so excited about the future!

Pictures of Tasha from the past month:

Swinging at the park

At Pretend City

Making a craft

Giving Nikolaus some love

Taking her baby for a stroll

3 Months Old

Morning Smiles

Smiling at daddy

"What's Up?"

Nikolaus loves bath time

Sissy loves to give Nikolaus a bath

Love this face!

3 Months old!

Starting to get some chunk on him

Not too sure what to think of his sister

Our mister man is 3 months old and smiling and cooing constantly.  He is still nursing like a champ and he is an awesome sleeper.  For the past week he has given me a 5 to 6 hour stretch followed by another 2 to 3 hours before waking up for the day.  We have a pretty good night time routine for him, so I think that helps.  And since he enjoys bath time so much, we will be adding that into our daily routine before bed.  Nikolaus still takes cat naps during the day (usually when we are on the go), but will have a longer afternoon nap at home... just wish Natasha would nap too!  Besides cooing and smiling, Nikolaus loves to watch his sister and does a pretty good job putting up with her constant smothering.  And he is starting to get chunky, which I love.  We will find out how much he has grown at his 4 month well check on the 28th.            

What's cookin, good lookin?

 

 

Pizza Night

 

 Panini and Soup

 

Since Nikolaus was born, Natasha has become a great helper around the house.  This past month she has taken interest in helping me cook.  I love the one on one time that I have with her (even though it takes us twice as long to get dinner on the table).  She loves to roll out the pizza dough for pizza night and also stir the pasta or whatever I am sautéing on the stove.  Yes, I let her stir food on the stove.  It still makes Zac nervous to see her do this, but I have faith in her (or I'm constantly reminding her to pay attention to what she is doing).  This has also been a great opportunity for Natasha to try different foods.  Although, she still sticks with the usual hot dog, chicken nuggets or spaghetti for dinner, I have seen her snack on cucumbers, snap peas, avocado and even bell pepper.  It has been a step in the right direction!

2 Months

 Sissy and her baby bro

 Already sporting the UCLA gear

 Napping babies

 My handsome boy

 

 Winter swim

 What's up

 He is going to be a tummy sleeper

 Our viking is 2 months old

 Daddy and his son

 Ice cream "cheese" face

 How you doin'

 His "Al Bundy" pose

 Bumbo time

Nikolaus is getting stronger

I guess he is closer to three months old by the time this post gets published, but here we go anyways. Nikolaus is doing great and has been a pretty easy baby.  He is getting stronger everyday and has started to coo and smile at us.  Nikolaus especially loves to track Natasha... Probably more out of fear of her falling on him.  Nikolaus has been sleeping really well at night, still waking up for a middle of the night feeding, but he can usually go four to five hours.  And during the day, he is going three to three and half hours between feedings.  That has been nice since we are venturing out more for sissy's (Natasha) activities.  And Nikolaus is quite the trooper to put up with her social calendar.

 Last week, Nikolaus had his 10 week wellness check and here are his stats:

Weight: 11 lbs 14 oz. (25th percentile)
Length: 23 1/8" (25th percentile)
Head circumference: 39 1/2 cm (50th percentile)

The doctor said he is growing consistently and doing really well.  Nikolaus also had to get shots, poor baby.  He cried for about 20 seconds, then he was fine.  Unfortunately, he did develop a slight fever that evening, which made this mama nervous and worried all night.  But, by the next day he was back to normal.  Next up will be his four month check in March.  Thanks for checking in on our little peanut.