Growth Statistics

Drake and Evie both had well doctor's visits this week. Both appear to be growing steadily and reaching all developmental milestones. Evie will go back in six weeks for her 6 month check and Drake will not see the doctor again for a year. Amazing to me that Drake has never had a sick doctor's visit in his three years...hopefully we are able to continue that trend!

Drake (3 years):
Length: 40.25 inches (96th percentile)
Weight: 32 lbs, 6 oz (58th percentile)

Evie (4 months):
Length: 24.75 inches (54th percentile)
Weight: 13 lbs, 11 oz (37th percentile)
Head: 41 cm (38th percentile)

Drake and Evie with their cousin Ellie in their Valentine's pj's.

Birthday Bash

If the number of stains on a shirt is any indication of how much fun a birthday boy has at his party, Drake had an absolute blast last Sunday at his 3rd birthday party. It was so nice of our family, friends, and neighbors that were able to attend and help us celebrate.

With a February birthday, we never quite know what the weather will have in store for us. I had actually tried to have his party this year at the University fire station, but they suspend all parties and tours during cold and flu season in order to protect the fire staff from illness. Lucky for us, after an epic (for South Carolina) snow storm earlier in the week, the weather turned warm and we had a beautiful day.

Thank you to all that helped us celebrate and for everyone that is part of Drake's life. He is growing into an amazing young boy because of the people that surround him. Speaking of growing, Drake moved into the three year old class today after visiting for the past couple of days. He was apprehensive of staying there this morning, but I know when we pick him up this afternoon he will not be ready to go home.   

Look Who's Three

Safety first...the Olympics has taught Drake that he needs to wear a helmet while sledding and snowboarding

Drake turned three years old this past Tuesday and while I was out of town on his birthday, with the snow, we had two extra days to celebrate. We spent a little time outside with Drake playing in the snow,sledding, and trying to make and throw snowballs. For his birthday, Drake got a Sponner Board, which is a balance board. It can be used in the snow, although we needed a bigger hill to make it work. He was prepared though with his helmet since he has seen that the Olympians wear helmets when participating in snow sports.

Drake has his three year old well-check at the doctor next Wednesday but by unofficial measurement, he is 40 inches tall. That would put him in the 97th percentile for height. He is still waring 3T clothes, but the pants (especially jeans) are getting a little short on him. I just hope spring gets here soon and we can start wearing shorts!

Drake is still in the "older two" class at school and Mrs. K as his teacher. It is likely that he will soon move-up to the three yea old class, it is just a matter of when they have space for him. He is doing really well with counting, shapes, and his alphabet. He does a very good job of seeing a letter and knowing who's name begins with that letter (so when he sees a "M", he knows that it is for his friend Marcos). Drake also has a memory, well, like me. He remembers everything that he has done, directions to various locations, and anything else you can think of.

Drake is a very silly boy and especially loves to make his sister laugh. She thinks he is hilarious with pretty much anything that he does, so it is not a difficult task. He is also a great helper and will, generally, help me with the little tasks that I ask of him, like getting a tissue, burp cloth, or throwing a diaper away.

Drake is also a bundle of energy that does not stop from the moment he gets up in the morning to the moment we force him to go to bed. He jumps, runs, does forward rolls, frog jumps, and anything else active throughout the whole house. He especially likes to stand on David's shoulders while he's sitting on the sofa and yell, "timber" while falling into the sofa. He still goes to gymnastics once a week (now is with the 3-5 age group) and especially loves the trampoline and to hang from the bars.   

We are exciting to see what this next year brings with our little buddy (he would say, "I'm not your little buddy, I'm Drake Bishop!).

A South Carolina Snow

It does not snow too often in South Carolina; the last time that I actually remember a true snow event was January 2011 when I was 9 months pregnant with Drake. Last Tuesday morning, it was predicted that we would get around an inch of snow and by noon, it was starting to fall. Schools starting closing at lunch in anticipation of this event, which accumulated a total of about an inch and a half.

Drake has been asking for snow for weeks, so I am glad we were able to deliver on his request. I think they had been learning about snow and his biggest desire was to play in the snow and build a snowman. We told him that if he took a good nap that day (he always takes good naps at school), when he woke up, the snow would be falling. Drake was able to play in the snow and build a snowman...only after David swept up the snow from the deck and used a bucket to pack the snow. Evie was less than impressed by the snow and slept through most of the falling...and melting. We did have one happy dog though that enjoyed every minute of the snow.  

The best part about snow in South Carolina, it melts so fast that it does not have time to get gray and gross. 

4 Months

Evie is 4 months old today and continues to grow and change almost on a daily basis. She is now grasping for things and playing with the toys on the toy bar. She is able to make the music play that's on the toy bar of her chair. On both her front and her back, she is able to roll over onto her side, so I would imagine that in the next few weeks she will figure out how to roll all the way over.

One of her newest tricks is laughing. She has been smiling for about a month now, but she has just started laughing in the last couple of days. Usually it is when I tickle her belly but today she started to laugh at Drake. She is also constantly talking and Drake has been having fun interrupting what she is saying.

As far as her sleep patterns go, she is still not in a consistent nighttime routine. She goes to bed around 9:00 every night but her wake-up time varies greatly. Some mornings we make it all the way to 5:30 or 6:00 while others she wakes up at 1:30 or 2:00 wanting to eat. I much prefer the 6:00 mornings but know that we will eventually make it through the night on a consistent basis.

Evie is still the youngest baby in her class at daycare (by about 3 months) but I heard on Friday that they will be getting an 8 week old soon. All of her teachers love her because she has such an easy temperament and smiles for them all day long.
 

We do not go to the doctor for her 4 month appointment until February 19th, but if I were to guess, I would estimate her weight to be around 15 pounds. We are starting to move into 6-9 month clothes now, mostly for the torso length in the onesies. It will be interesting to see her two month growth when we do go to the doctor later this month. We have been lucky in that I have continued to be a great producer of milk, so she has had exclusive breast milk since her birth. I do have quite a stockpile of about 600ounces in the freezer but I am paranoid and feel like I can never have enough! Hopefully we will continue on this trend and make it to my desired year mark.