Make new friends but keep the old...

It's my first time on the swings!

Make new friends,

but keep the old.

One is silver,

the other is gold.

A circle is round,

it has no end.

That's how long,

I will be your friend.

-Scout song

We had record-breaking warm (and sunny) temperatures in February and so we have been outside a lot. I go with Mommy for lots of walk and runs around Green Lake and to pick up Theo from daycare 10 blocks away. We had some out-of-town visitors, Jenni and Miranda, Mommy's friends from when she lived in Peru. Mommy and Daddy left Theo and me with a babysitter so they could go out for happy hour and sushi for Jenni's birthday. Mommy slept most of the next day - something about a hang over? I'm not sure what that is but Daddy calls her a light weight. 

Last night, Theo and I had our friends, Siri (4) and Kel (1), over and the big kids made pizzas for us. I wanted to help but they wouldn't let me! "Maybe when you're a little older," they say. But I'm always going to be the baby... Anyway, I found one perk of being the baby is that I got to go to my first soccer game today and Theo had to stay home because it was past his bedtime. It was the home opener for the Seattle Sounders and they beat the New England Revolution 3-0. It wasn't cold and rainy (like every other year) but it was a perfect night to watch soccer with over 39,000 of our friends. I slept through most of the game and wasn't bothered by the cheering or fireworks with my special baby noise-canceling headphones. We are headed to San Diego this weekend so Mommy can present at a research conference and the weather is going to be in the 80s! I can't wait to try out my new swim suit and see Grandma and Grandpa Pastorius.

Mommy running around Green Lake with Theo and I

Rocking back and forth

How to carry two kids down the stairs - one on the front and one on the back

Miranda, Marit and Jenni

Jenni and Theo finding the Goldbugs in the Richard Scarry book

Siri (4) and Theo (2.5) making pizza dough

Working the pizza dough

I want to make pizzas!

Marit (2 months), Theo (2.5 years), Siri (4 years), and Kel (1 year)

PEPS moms with baby #2 - all girls! Jane and Greta (2 months), Annika and Averie (2 days), Mommy and I (2.5 months)

Theo, Lilian and Henry at the park

The march to the game

My first Sounders game

Sightseeing in Seattle - can you spot the Space Needle?

Magnolia trees are blooming!

Grayson (3.5), Theo (2.5) and Elliot (2.5) at Janet's daycare

Marit in the sunroom

First time on the swings

3 month development

I am almost 3 months old now and I'm growing like a weed. I hold me head up very well and can sit in the bumbo seat and play with the spinning toy in the baby bjorn bouncer seat and then Mommy can get some work done. I smile when Daddy comes home from work and coo. Theo is my favorite person, besides Mommy. Daddy keeps forgetting I exist and consistently refers to our family as "the three of us." 

I decided I don't like taking bottles anymore and I typically go on a hunger strike while Mommy is at work. It's not fun for those taking care of me and eventually I just fall asleep and wait for her to come back. I don't take a pacifier either (we've tried a dozen brands of bottles and pacifier and if only someone would make one that looked, smelled, and tasted like Mommy then we'd be fine). 

We've all been sick this week and I've been very congested, too. No fevers and I'm eating ok but I can hardly cry because I'm so hoarse from coughing. I hope we all get over it soon!
Mommy and I walk to PEPS class on Wednesday nights. It is fun to meet other babies and for Mommy to talk about the challenges of having two kiddos (mostly as it pertains to the toddler as babies are easy, we just eat, sleep and poop!). From sleep to sibling relationships, feeding to work/life balance, and parenting styles to marriage counseling, this class covers it all and it's always nice to know someone has it harder than you (and to be able to vent when you need to).

I'm almost too big for my size 6 month clothes and will be in 9 month clothes any day now. I'm sleeping better and am on a more consistent nap schedule with a 2-hour nap around 10am, 2pm and a shorter nap around 5pm and then I go down for the night around 8pm in my co-sleeper bassinet. I wake up briefly around 2 or 3am to eat and then go back to sleep for a few hours.

More of Theo's 2.5 year development, by Mommy

Theo is potty trained!! Yay! One kid out of diapers, one to go! Theo's daycare provider has been doing this for over 20 years and she told us that she thought he was ready and she was right! With the exception of bedtime, he is out of diapers completely and has had very few accidents since she told us to put him in underwear over three weeks ago. He even kicks us out of the bathroom now and asks for privacy and makes us shut the door (but then calls for us to come help him off the toilet). We are very proud of him.

He's very articulate now and we can understand almost everything he says. In the car today he wanted us to turn left and we turned right and he said, "Silly Daddy, what the heck?" It was perfect! He loves to tell us about all the trucks, taxis, buses, forest, fire hydrants, and other things he sees as we drive by.  At home, he is a chef in the making. He can basically make his own scrambled eggs with english muffins, Mac N Cheese, and pizza.
He says, "What's this noise?" to anything he hears and it's amazing how much we learn to tune out but he picks up on, like birds singing or a neighbor using a table saw.
He can count to 10 without any mistakes and know his colors (except black and white). He can sing the "ABCs" (with a little help), "Happy Birthday (to me)," and "Twinkle, Twinkle little star". He knows the nursery songs we sing in swim class and recites them at the dinner table with the appropriate actions:
"Five little monkeys swinging in the tree, teasing Mr. Alligator can’t catch me….can’t catch me, along came Mr. Alligator quiet as can be, and snapped that monkey out that tree." His other favorite is, "Five little monkeys jumping on the bed, one fell off and bumped his head. Momma called the doctor and the doctor said, 'No more monkeys jumpin' on the bed!'"