The boys had their 1/2 birthday a few weeks ago on 2/25. They take pride now in saying that they're four and a half, instead of just four. ;)
Here's an update as to what they're doing now and what they're currently into.
Stokes
This guy is a fireball. He's full of energy throughout the day, but when he's done, he crashes hard. Play hard, sleep hard. He will even put himself down for a nap on the weekends if his battery gets low and he needs a recharge. Stokes wakes up early every morning and is typically super sweet and happy when he wakes up. I'm VERY happy to report that he is doing great with his potty training! He is still wearing a pull-up at night as he's not at the point yet that he can make it that long, but it's been a while since he's had a #2 accident. I didn't know if we'd EVER get to this point. Seriously. So that's been really good news! He still has his little raspy voice and it's so cute! He's fiercely independent and insists on doing a lot of daily things by himself - things like putting his own clothes on, buckling his car seat, pouring his own milk, etc. He doesn't like getting Mama's help, even on things that he has to have grown-up help with (i.e. I do the final once-over with the toothbrush and he's not a fan of me "helping"). Stokes loves to help cook and will help clean, too! He helps his teachers clean at school and seems to have lots of friends there. He has been working his way to the upper part of the behavior chart at school consistently and is really focused on writing. He writes his and William's names on any paper he can find (and maybe has written on carpet and walls, too - EEK) and is working on developing very nice penmanship. Stokes is focused and is still showing good hand-eye coordination and athleticism. Speaking of, this little guy is all muscle. There's seriously not an ounce of fat on him. We're pumping him with Pediasure to bulk him up some, but he's still so lean. Stokes still loves playing with cars and he really loves watching movies. He has learned how to work the remote and can change out a DVD and get it on and playing totally on his own (this is not necessarily a good thing - ha!). He loves making faces and can get his eyebrows to move at will so he takes advantage of making us laugh with his silly and charming faces.
Ryan
Ryan still has the same sunny, go-with-the-flow, easy, happy disposition. He is truly the sweetest little thing! Speaking of little...he's not so little anymore. This dude is growing! Most people think he looks bigger than his brothers, but he's actually right in the middle in terms of height and weight. He is harder and harder to carry though and getting up and down the stairs is getting more difficult. We are still working on him walking independently, but he continues to struggle with balance. He can walk for short distances if we are holding his hands. He seems to be at a little plateau for developmental progress, but I'm hopeful that it's a short-term thing. He has a best friend at school, and they will laugh together and all of his teachers and therapists adore him. How could you not?!?!? He has recently qualified to get 1:1 music therapy at school, which is a new offering. It's obvious how much he loves music when you see his reaction to hearing a song that he likes. His will start kicking his legs and moving his hands in his pattern that he loves. The school's music therapist did some individual testing on him to see if he would qualify for the therapy and his results spoke the truth that we already knew - he performs better when he has music. Ryan has been in the best mood lately and it seems like every little thing will send him into fits of laughter - which is the best sound in the world. He will get so tickled and can't hardly catch his breath. I never know what's going to make him laugh from day to day, as it changes frequently. Ryan loves hugs and kisses and has gotten good at giving me kisses on the cheek, too. He's an angel on earth. Truly.
William
William is all love. He's so very affectionate. He gives out hugs and kisses to any willing recipient (we may need to tone that down a notch) and is really the most loving boy. Everyone comments on how sweet he is. He's a night owl, and will stay up reading books and playing with cars for as long as he can get away with it. He also likes to sleep in, but consistently gets awoken by his roommate, Stokes. Even still, he usually has a pleasant disposition first thing in the morning. William loves his "dark blue" which is how he refers to all sweatpants or pants made of athletic material. He's not a fan of jeans and prefers to wear dark blue daily. He even went through a phase when he wore dark blue exclusively, with the exception of church, but he's now allowing jeans back into the rotation. He's a voracious reader and will spend a lot of time "reading" books cover to cover. His imagination is a big strength for him and he comes up all sorts of things in his head. He has a fantastic memory and can recite so many of the books that we read at bedtime word for word. He amazes me with his memory and I'm blown away when he remembers things that we haven't talked about in a really long time! He's such a sponge, soaking up all this information. He can also remember song lyrics and will sing along with the radio with his favorite songs. William doesn't appear to be much into sports - he likes going, but I think it's more about the time with friends vs. the actual sport. He's been into playing with the dirt on the field more than anything else at both soccer and tee-ball. William is totally obsessed with his Lego football players that Santa brought him. He takes them everywhere around the house and sleeps with them at night. It's a complete miracle that they're still around because he got them almost 3 months ago and they're tiny - probably about an inch tall. He calls them by their names and tells me all about them on a regular basis. It's so funny and cute! William is getting taller and is a great eater, and has been potty trained for a long time now and is doing so great with it.
I'm so proud of my boys. Each of them is so different and they have all their individual strengths and unique characteristics. They keep us entertained constantly, and although we have our rough moments, the vast majority of our time is spent laughing, playing and enjoying our family time together. The next big milestone will be when they turn FIVE. I can't even believe that is on the horizon!!!!
Here's an update as to what they're doing now and what they're currently into.
Stokes
This guy is a fireball. He's full of energy throughout the day, but when he's done, he crashes hard. Play hard, sleep hard. He will even put himself down for a nap on the weekends if his battery gets low and he needs a recharge. Stokes wakes up early every morning and is typically super sweet and happy when he wakes up. I'm VERY happy to report that he is doing great with his potty training! He is still wearing a pull-up at night as he's not at the point yet that he can make it that long, but it's been a while since he's had a #2 accident. I didn't know if we'd EVER get to this point. Seriously. So that's been really good news! He still has his little raspy voice and it's so cute! He's fiercely independent and insists on doing a lot of daily things by himself - things like putting his own clothes on, buckling his car seat, pouring his own milk, etc. He doesn't like getting Mama's help, even on things that he has to have grown-up help with (i.e. I do the final once-over with the toothbrush and he's not a fan of me "helping"). Stokes loves to help cook and will help clean, too! He helps his teachers clean at school and seems to have lots of friends there. He has been working his way to the upper part of the behavior chart at school consistently and is really focused on writing. He writes his and William's names on any paper he can find (and maybe has written on carpet and walls, too - EEK) and is working on developing very nice penmanship. Stokes is focused and is still showing good hand-eye coordination and athleticism. Speaking of, this little guy is all muscle. There's seriously not an ounce of fat on him. We're pumping him with Pediasure to bulk him up some, but he's still so lean. Stokes still loves playing with cars and he really loves watching movies. He has learned how to work the remote and can change out a DVD and get it on and playing totally on his own (this is not necessarily a good thing - ha!). He loves making faces and can get his eyebrows to move at will so he takes advantage of making us laugh with his silly and charming faces.
Ryan
Ryan still has the same sunny, go-with-the-flow, easy, happy disposition. He is truly the sweetest little thing! Speaking of little...he's not so little anymore. This dude is growing! Most people think he looks bigger than his brothers, but he's actually right in the middle in terms of height and weight. He is harder and harder to carry though and getting up and down the stairs is getting more difficult. We are still working on him walking independently, but he continues to struggle with balance. He can walk for short distances if we are holding his hands. He seems to be at a little plateau for developmental progress, but I'm hopeful that it's a short-term thing. He has a best friend at school, and they will laugh together and all of his teachers and therapists adore him. How could you not?!?!? He has recently qualified to get 1:1 music therapy at school, which is a new offering. It's obvious how much he loves music when you see his reaction to hearing a song that he likes. His will start kicking his legs and moving his hands in his pattern that he loves. The school's music therapist did some individual testing on him to see if he would qualify for the therapy and his results spoke the truth that we already knew - he performs better when he has music. Ryan has been in the best mood lately and it seems like every little thing will send him into fits of laughter - which is the best sound in the world. He will get so tickled and can't hardly catch his breath. I never know what's going to make him laugh from day to day, as it changes frequently. Ryan loves hugs and kisses and has gotten good at giving me kisses on the cheek, too. He's an angel on earth. Truly.
William
William is all love. He's so very affectionate. He gives out hugs and kisses to any willing recipient (we may need to tone that down a notch) and is really the most loving boy. Everyone comments on how sweet he is. He's a night owl, and will stay up reading books and playing with cars for as long as he can get away with it. He also likes to sleep in, but consistently gets awoken by his roommate, Stokes. Even still, he usually has a pleasant disposition first thing in the morning. William loves his "dark blue" which is how he refers to all sweatpants or pants made of athletic material. He's not a fan of jeans and prefers to wear dark blue daily. He even went through a phase when he wore dark blue exclusively, with the exception of church, but he's now allowing jeans back into the rotation. He's a voracious reader and will spend a lot of time "reading" books cover to cover. His imagination is a big strength for him and he comes up all sorts of things in his head. He has a fantastic memory and can recite so many of the books that we read at bedtime word for word. He amazes me with his memory and I'm blown away when he remembers things that we haven't talked about in a really long time! He's such a sponge, soaking up all this information. He can also remember song lyrics and will sing along with the radio with his favorite songs. William doesn't appear to be much into sports - he likes going, but I think it's more about the time with friends vs. the actual sport. He's been into playing with the dirt on the field more than anything else at both soccer and tee-ball. William is totally obsessed with his Lego football players that Santa brought him. He takes them everywhere around the house and sleeps with them at night. It's a complete miracle that they're still around because he got them almost 3 months ago and they're tiny - probably about an inch tall. He calls them by their names and tells me all about them on a regular basis. It's so funny and cute! William is getting taller and is a great eater, and has been potty trained for a long time now and is doing so great with it.
I'm so proud of my boys. Each of them is so different and they have all their individual strengths and unique characteristics. They keep us entertained constantly, and although we have our rough moments, the vast majority of our time is spent laughing, playing and enjoying our family time together. The next big milestone will be when they turn FIVE. I can't even believe that is on the horizon!!!!
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