This Crazy Thing Called Life: Update #2

Okay, as promised, an update on the little people who think they run our household. I'm not even sure where to begin when it comes to those three. They will be 2 1/2 on the 16th of this month which is pretty hard to believe. They are doing really good though. They have some of the best little personalities around and they are really amazing little people. I will go into detail on each of them individually...

Marissa. She is currently 34.75 inches tall and weighs around 23 pounds. She is the oldest of the trio and she often acts that way. Several people who have observed them playing have even asked me if she is the oldest. She is very outgoing and has no sense of "Stranger Danger." She will talk to anyone about anything. Definitely not like her big sister in this aspect! She is a little daredevil and the one who likes to test me the most out of the three. If there is a line I tell her not to cross, she is the one with her foot dangling above that line while looking at me and smiling. She has excellent speaking skills and can say a whole lot for a two year old, some of which I attribute to having a big sister she watches and listens to intently. She recently had to have her forehead "glued" together because she fell on Marley's window and gashed it open. Even during that, she was fearless and was talking to the doctor about cartoons and puppies as he glued her forehead together. She will answer questions other people ask her and willingly go to people she does not know. I don't necessarily think this is a good thing and I make sure to always keep my eye on this social butterfly. It's funny because we used to always say we wish Marley was a little more outgoing and now I am thinking that I wish Marissa was less! She is very smart and picks up on things quickly. She is currently obsessed with Peppa Pig and asks to watch it all of the time. She is the only one of the three who will sit for an extended period of time to watch something that interests her. She loves to be the one to tell me if something happens when I am not around. For example, if Makayla starts crying when they are in their room for nap time and I go in there, Marissa will tell me and demonstrate in great detail on what happened. She has no problem bossing her brother around and often uses him to do things she either can't (like open a drawer because she knows he is stronger) or knows she shouldn't (because she knows he will if she asks.) She loves to run, especially when we are outside and she is very fast. She is a super fun little girl who definitely brings a lot of laughter to this house.

Makayla. This child proves to me almost daily that she did not survive all of the odds stacked against her before she was born by chance. That girl does not back down from anything. She is definitely the little diva of the family. She is currently 34.5 inches and around 22 pounds. She is a small little thing but that certainly doesn't mean much to her. She can be extremely loving and sweet and is the cuddler of the group, but she can be full of attitude and quite dramatic. For the past couple of weeks, instead of just saying "no" to us, it's "no way!" It is just so funny to hear this big ol' attitude coming out of this little girl. She also likes to test me, but not quite as much as her sister. Instead of looking at me smiling to see what I will do after I tell her no, she gets her feelings hurt and runs to her room pouting for a few minutes. She also speaks very well and has a great vocabulary. Makayla is more of an observer than Marissa is and this makes her a little more selective of whom she talks to. She won't go up to just anybody, but she is still pretty outgoing and is always ready to go somewhere. She is very smart and picks up on things very quickly. She is physically very strong for her size and I think she will do really well in sports in the future. She loves to play and have fun and also adores her big sister. She really likes Peppa Pig too and often asks to watch it, though she loses interest in it much quicker than Marissa. She does not sit still for very long and is usually the biggest protester at bed time. She is scared of loud noises and is not a fan of thunderstorms but luckily for her summer time is over so those aren't daily occurrences any more. She talks about puppies all of the time and often tells me we need a puppy or a kitty cat. She also likes to boss her siblings around.

Jack. This boy is hilarious. He is such a little clown and will do just about anything for a laugh. I can definitely see some talks with teachers in the future about this. He is 37.5 inches and around 26 pounds. He is long and lanky and the worst eater of the group, but he is very big on personality. He is a follower and would probably follow his sisters into just about trouble they asked. He is not the one who will lead them wrong, but he definitely will be right along for the ride! At nap/bed time however, he is the instigator and it is usually him I hear egging his sisters on or jumping up to turn the light on and play. He is incredibly sweet and always hugging and kissing either us or his sisters. He does not speak quite as well as his sisters. He speaks a lot, he just does not know how to create certain sounds (like P's or S's) so sometimes his words are unclear. He has the best laugh I've ever heard. It is a true from the belly laugh and it always makes me laugh to hear him. He still has a very big heart and will be quick to help his sisters out if they need it. He is very rough and luckily has Marley who will wrestle with him for hours. They are so hard on each other and I always worry one of them will get hurt, but they both love it. Jack's legs look like one big bruise and he usually has some sort of bump or bruise on his head. He loves sports and can throw a ball very hard! He likes to carry a toy around in his hand, especially in new environments. It doesn't have to be the same toy each day, just something random he grabs and keeps a tight hold of. He is just a very fun and entertaining little boy and so much fun to be around.

As a group, they can be more than a handful. They are currently going thru a slight obsession with poop and I can't even tell you how many times I have gone in their room in the past few months and ended up calling off nap time or delaying bedtime and going in there with a bottle of bleach instead. It is beyond frustrating- and gross- that they do this! They seem to get in the most trouble when they are not tired and all in their room, unsupervised, together. They take the mattress off their bed and turn it upright to climb up it and get things off of their top closet shelf or just to slide down. They can climb just about anything they try. Whoever doesn't think that girls are just as (and if not more) wild and crazy as boys need to come spend a day with my 3 girls. I don't think many boys could hang with them at times. I was really hoping they wouldn't be as fearless as their big sister, but unfortunately that is definitely not the case! They can be the best of friends and play together and have a great time. Some games they really enjoy playing with each other are Tag and Hide & Seek. They also love to dance together and race each other. However, they can also fight like there's no tomorrow and at times they can be overly dramatic over the smallest things. They will yell at each other and hit/bite/pull each other's hair. I often hear, "Stop it!" "No, you stop it!" "No, YOU stop it!" several times throughout the day and I am sure there are many more years of this ahead. They can also surprise me with how good they can be as a group. They are usually very good walking out in public and either hold my hand or each other's hand and they stay by me really well. They all still really love going to the Y and all of the workers there seem to really love them and always comment how well behaved they are. Potty training is going really well and at home they go about 90% of the time in the potty. They will also use the potty at the Y and often ask to use it when we are out somewhere. They definitely keep us busy and on our toes, but they are super fun little people and make life a whole lot more interesting and we realize how lucky we are to have these 4 amazing people in our lives.