19 Months & 3 Months!

Goodness time is flying! I thought that it went fast with Harrison and it is going even faster with Douglas! The combined growth in my boys makes we swell with pride and break my heart at the same time! I love to watch them grow and change with each day, but I also want to pause time and just enjoy every second. It is so easy to let one frustrating moment ruin your day, but they are so few and far between compared to each and every happy and amazing moment. It just takes ALOT more patience and grace to deal with the hard moments than it does the frustrating one. Anger, frustration, temper, those things come out very quickly and are so easy to throw out. But also so much harder to reign in. But so much more important to control. That has been a goal of mine, not to react to quickly when Harrison does something. I am trying to put myself in his little shoes. I try to picture the world from where he is, picture the "bad" thing he did, how does he see it? why does he do it? how can I be the best mentor to him? how can i teach him the right way? When I take the time to think this through and speak to him, not at him and help him not punish him I see so much better results in how he responds. As with anyone, positivity is always the key! I would much rather be spoken to then hollered at... And honestly Harrison seems to be encouraged (read: little toot toot jerk face) if he notes that what he does riles you. I honestly think he is too smart for his own good. I am glad he is smart, don't get me wrong, but boy this mommy is constantly kept on her toes!

19 Month Stats:
- Harrison is definitely cutting the bottom 2 year molars... there are starting to break through. He has had quite a bad diaper rash too. Poor thing!
- Seems he is affected by waking around 545. Most days he goes back to sleep though!
- At his 18m apt the dr told us he is .5 an inch shorter than the average 3 year old
- His info at 18m apt was: 30.6lbs & 36 1/4 inches long
- He is in 2T/3T clothes and size 8 shoe
- He has begun to have quite the vocab! Some of our favorite things to say are: "num on" (come one) "no" "Dougoo" (Douglas) "Daddy" "mommy" "puppy" "boca" "well" (samwell) "seesa" (Celia) "asshole" (outside) "ball" "i 'tuck" (Im stuck) "help" "pease" (please) "up" "on" (for on and off) "a lovey" "a binky" "mishpah" (Mickey Mouse) "wawa" (water) "brush" (hair brush/tooth brush) "Cheech" "Chong" "Rainey/Raine" "iyaaaa!!!" (very loud and screaming - Liuzza. Very often followed by No) "Cawkee" (Coffee) "pup" (pump) "book" (fork/milk/book - must decipher in context) "train" "Carrrrr" "truck!" (the truck is always blue when you ask him what color) "A 'nack! (snack) "rat-a-tat-tat" (this is his word for a drum as well as the action of drumming. Chong taught him to rat-a-tat-tat on his belly). "stinky-pee-yew" (holds his nose. Chichi taught him this).
- almost everything is "A insert word" or "Eh insert word" He likes to put A or Eh infant of everything
- He can mostly get you the letter W (W for wawa - Raine taught him this) when asked, and is starting to be able to get the S. He randomly will tell you a letters name when he finds it. I cannot decide what is just smarts and what is luck. He also knows that H says "Huh"
- He will tell you his name is "Hiss" or "AHin" depending on his mood
- He love to read. Loves cars and trains. Loves balls. Loves water.
- He is starting to like wearing hats (A Hat!)
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3 Month Stats:

This kid is a trip! He has the quickest smile I have ever seen and he gives it his all. Eyes get squinty and his mouth gets as wide and gummy as it can. He also wants to be held all the time. The ssecond you set him down he goes, "ahhh" - translate to: why the heck are you putting me down, your soul purpose in life is to carry my chubby butt around! :) 

 - We started seem class. Bath time babies. And he is a champ! H never fussed once and totally rocked it. No one believed he was only 2m due to size and amount of hair.... story of my life! Or really his life!
- My guess is he is weighing about 17lbs right now, but we won't go back until 4m
- We have decided to keep him in the room with us until he is 6m (really agust bc we are traveling so much) & also wait on night weaning until then as well. (more below on my thoughts on night weaning and sleep training Harrison).

Monday June 6th 2016
- Douglas giggled for the first time
- Douglas fed himself his bottle...well he held it for a few minutes

Random Thoughts:

Just in case it is not documented somewhere (because this mommy can't remember), Christopher and I like to choose a song when we bring our babies home... basically we turn the radio on when we turn on to our street and the songs playing currently are what we have to choose from. And then when we pull into the driveway we stick with one!

Harrison: Gives You Hell by the All American Rejects
Douglas: Stand By You by Rachel Platten

Funny enough they could not be more fitting. Harrison does in fact give us hell daily, however he is an incredibly sweet little guy. Most of his "hell giving" it pretty entertaining. Headache bringing, but entertaining.

Douglas on the other hand is a gentle little soul that basically just rolls with it. He just wants to see you and he is okay. He prefers to be held, but will be satisfies as long as you remind him you did not leave him. :)

A glimpse into the past:hindsight
Looking back at our forcing Harrison to be done night nursing at 3m, I wish we would have waited. It is amazing that he stepped to the plate and did what we asked of him. But that poor baby needed a little bit more time to night nurse and he wasn't quite ready. I am so proud of him for following through, but seeing Douglas not and knowing what I know, I wish we would not have gone about it at that time. However, you live and you learn and H is amazingly who is is today because of every decision we have made for him and those he has made himself.