James is 3 and Luke is 1 1/4

These boys are growing up - fast!  They are getting along better these days.  It used to be that if I left them alone together, Luke would be crying within seconds because James would be on top of him wrestling him.  Now they actually play together some.  They play with some of the same toys together (stacking rings / mega blocks / stacking blocks) and actually do well overall.  I'm still usually supervising these activities though to make sure all goes ok.  They like to chase one another around the house.  James likes to follow Luke and copy what he does.  If Luke trips, James will trip.  If Luke makes a noise, James makes a noise.  It's very entertaining to watch.  They love playing together outside and getting dirty... They get so muddy and they love it.  James is mean to Luke at times and we are working on that.  One day last week Luke cried more than he usually does when James pins him down and after further inspection, I saw bite marks on Luke's cheek. Luke is tough, but he's far from invincible.  James does care for his brother at times.  He will ask him "Why you crying, baby?" or he will go over and pat him on his head and say "It's ok baby."  There are glimmers of hope.

James:

- He turned three on December 10.  He understood exactly what his birthday was all about this year and he loved all the attention.  At his 3 year well visit he looked great.  He weighs 29 pounds and is in the 5th percentile for both weight and height.  I'm not sure how he went from the 95th percentile in weight at birth to the 5th now... but he's happy and healthy.

- He wakes up at 7am and goes to bed at 7:30pm.  Sometimes he talks for a little while before going to sleep.  He naps almost everyday from 1-4ish.  About once a week he won't nap for whatever reason.  He is still sleeping in his crib.  He doesn't know he can climb out and we are trying to keep it that way as long as possible.

- James loves to swim.  We have been doing swim lessons since June and he really loves it.  He smiles during the whole lesson.  When he jumps in, he can swim to the top and then swim to the wall.  He still has a long way to go before being independent, but it's fun to watch him enjoy swimming.

- He loves being outside.  He digs in the garden, moves mulch around, explores, or helps Ray with whatever he's doing outside.

- He is so independent in every area of life.  He wants to do everything himself. 

- He doesn't like clothes.  He wants to wear a diaper and a shirt and that's it.  As soon as we come home, he insists on taking off his shoes, socks, and pants.

- He has come a long way and does very well these days holding my hand and walking with me.  He still runs away from me occasionally at a playground, but for the most part, he's listening better and knows to come when I call for him. 

- While he for sure can be constructive with his toys, his favorite mode of playing is being destructive.  He likes to knock over towers he builds, crash through streets, push cars out of the way, and basically make a mess.  He does alright with cleanup.  He doesn't always want to help, but I make him even when he's not in the mood.

- He loves Curious George. This is the only TV show he has ever watched.  He watches too much of it for sure, but that's where we are in this season.  He usually watches it for an hour each day but that's because I'm pregnant and I just need him to be entertained by that sometimes so I can have a moment too. 

- He loves to look at pictures.  His favorite pictures are pictures of himself eating doughnuts.

- He has a new attachment to a stuffed elephant toy that was actually a gift for Luke.  James has never had an attachment to any of his stuffed toys that have been in his bed since he turned two.  But about two months ago, he started loving this elephant.  He likes to have him with him in the house and when we go on walks.  We don't let the elephant go other places with him.  He isn't allowed to sleep with the elephant at nap time because it distracts him.  So James gives his elephant a hug and a kiss and puts the elephant down for a nap in a different room of the house.  It's really funny and sweet to see him care for something.  If he treated his brother as nice as his elephant, that would be awesome.

- Here are some James quotes:

- An example of him being demanding: "Mommy! Get off your chair.  Get down.  And go get those orange peels!"

- On Thanksgiving, Ray says, "James, do you like Turkey?"  James responds, "No,  I like cake.  I like cupcakes."

- When James gets in trouble he says "My elephant disobeyed God!"

- Talking to Luke about dinner. "I like beautiful rice.  You like beautiful rice, baby?"

- Every night when he says goodnight to his brother: "Night night baby!  See you again when the sun comes back up!"

- Calling to me from his crib when he was supposed to take a nap: "Mommy!  I have a surprise for you!"  When I walked in the room, he said, "I pooped!"

Luke:

- Luke is almost 15 months old.  He's so sweet and at the same time independent.

- Luke is a good walker now.  He will occasionally crawl, but it's rare. It's so cute to see him toddling around. 

- He has become quite the book worm recently.  When he was younger, we had to make him sit in our laps to read books.  He didn't want to sit still and he didn't want us to read to him.  We would hold him forcefully in our laps and make him read at least one book at a time because we knew that reading was important.  I guess that persistence has paid off because now, if we are sitting on the floor or the couch, he always goes to the bookshelf, bring a book to us, and sits in our lap.  It's so cute to see him come to us and want to read.  And who can say no to a babbling baby bringing you a book?

- He has a few words now.  He says: Hi, ball, no, cheese, home, mama,  and dada,  He says these very well and in context.  He can sign: more, all done, bye/hello

- Luke is a good sleeper.  He started sleeping through the night consistently soon after I got pregnant.  If he did wake up, Ray would go in and comfort him because I didn't want to nurse him at night while pregnant (it makes me feel very sick).

- Luke is nursing 4 times a day and thankfully my supply is still good, but I do think it will decrease drastically in the coming weeks.

- He eats well overall.  He eats eggs, cheese, and fruit each morning with James. His favorite fruits are blueberries and blackberries,  He also loves applesauce.

- Luke sleeps well overall too.  He goes to bed at 7pm and wakes up at 7am.  He takes a morning nap from 9-10 and then naps in the afternoon from 1-3:30 or so.  I keep hoping he will transition to just an afternoon nap, but he still really needs his morning nap. 

- Luke is daring and fearless.  We were at the playground the other day and he was hanging off the side and almost fell.  He makes me nervous.  James is like this too, but James couldn't walk at this age, so he wasn't as much of a danger to himself. 

- Luke is tough.  He's sweet.  He's smart.  It will be so interesting to see what he becomes. 

I can't imagine life without either of them.  I'm so thankful for each of them! We love them to pieces.