Kisses for "Ko"

Amelia now, more willingly, gives her little brother kisses! Usually she kisses his tummy, knees or back but I got her to kiss his cheek one night last week! 

How cute is that? Next? I want to see her hold him!!!

Sweet Siblings

Last week I challenged myself to get pictures of the kids interacting together. I did pretty well!

Amelia received a doctor kit for Easter and she spent Monday evening making sure everyone was ok. Even the blankets had their heartbeat and blood pressure taken. She got a little frustrated at Joe because he kept trying to grab the stethoscope from her!

When I feed Joe I sometimes have to ask Amelia to make him laugh or smile so I can get him to open his mouth. Towards the end of his mealtime I asked Amelia if she wanted to try feeding him and she did. She did pretty well! I did have to put a stop to it just when the food was about to run out because she gagged him pretty bad with the spoon on accident...

The aftermath:

A confused and messy baby Joe!

I wanted them to sit together on the chair but this was the best Amelia had to offer me. I'll take it!

Tummytime :) Amelia is getting better and better at playing with Joey during his tummytime which thrills me for two reasons. 1) they are enjoying each other and 2) it gives me a chance to get one or two things done!

Amelia likes to give Joe baths when he is his baby tub. I decided to take it one step farther:

She was not thrilled at first but she realized that once we washed him he was done and she could have the tub filled up more and play!

I love the pictures that I was able to get and the fact that Amelia is getting friendlier and friendlier to Joe as time goes on. I'm still waiting on the day that she will hold him though! That will be a special day.

Happy Monday!

Sharing

Joe got a new toy today! Well, they each got a new toy but they shared Joe's during tummytime :)

I knew Amelia would like Joe's new toy so when I put him on his blanket to play with it I made sure I explained to her that it was his toy and that she could play with it with him - she couldn't just take it and claim it as her own. That is what she has done with all of his hand-me-down toys. To be fair, they were hers at one point.

I encouraged her to lay next to him and eventually she did!

She showed him the colors and told him, in her own words, what the animals on each key were. She even appeared to enjoy her time with him...

Next, the unexpected happened. She shared her Dora and Boots toys with him! In fact, she went through the trouble of removing all of his toys from the tray to line up her cake toppers.

I do believe we have made some progress! In fact, this evening, after dinner, the three of us sat on the couch for thirty minutes reading books. We did a couple of seek and find books and read a couple of stories from her Disney bedtime story collection.

Once her shower is finished it's time to get ready for bed. We have a big day tomorrow but more on that later this week :)

Shopping and Baths

Last night the kids and I went shopping with my mom and sister at Kohl's. Amelia like to ride in their carts because she can stand or sit down in the basket part. Joe can ride up front.

It would almost be perfect - if Joe would chill out and sit in the seat without crying for someone to pick him up! We had to take turns carrying his big ol' self around the store. It just made looking at anything much more challenging.

(can you believe he is only 5 months old? He is huge!)

After Kohl's we went to Arby's with Nana for a late dinner. At the end I had the camera out and Amelia was in the mood for a picture. She actually asked me to take a picture - a first! It turned out great - bonus!

Tonight, about the only thing that we accomplished was baths. Amelia gave Joe his bath. I was instructed to leave the room. I, of course, stayed but kept a little distance and essentially let her give him his bath.

With a watering can.

I think he was happy with his bath from his sister!

Amelia made her bath last over an hour. She just kept playing and playing and before you knew it it had been an hour. That is when we drained the tub and she got her shower. Yes, she takes both a bath and a shower each night. She requests the shower to rinse off all the bubbles. Her shower is usually around ten minutes - tonight it was fifteen.

Basically, baths took up most of our evening but that is ok. My goal before bed is to clear off the kitchen table. Again. It is a magnet for junk and papers and stuff.

Spring Fever

We have been having warmer weather here in Wisconsin! Dare I say winter is over? Even though it never really came? Seriously, we had a pretty cold winter - with almost no snow! Poor Amelia only got out on her sled one time. She now calls it her boat and insists that you pull her around the apartment in it.

Yesterday we grilled for dinner with my family since it was so nice out (fifties.) Amelia helped Nana and Papa feed their animals.

She even ran to the sandbox and got her own bucket since Nana's was too big for her to handle unassisted.

Joey got his first taste of swinging! I think he liked it :)

Before making dinner we took a short walk and the kids rode in their wagon that Santa brought them! Amelia was not too pleased to have to share. I was insistent that Joey ride in the wagon because it is for both of them and the more that Amelia uses it solo the harder time she will have when they are both using it.

I ran to Babies R Us with my sister and while we were gone Jason and Amelia played with chalk. Jason drew her a Peter Pan picture! From left to right you will see Tinkerbell, Peter Pan and Tick Tock the croc. I think he actually did a really good job. Way better than I could have ever done!

Today we had rainstorms :) I am pretty excited for spring this year. Mostly because the winter wasn't very winter-y to me and I am ready for it to warm up. Below freezing temperatures really aren't that much fun without snow to play in!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

In honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday today I thought I would share these pictures of Amelia and Joe in the same Seuss onesie!

Funny thing about this onesie? It is size 6-9 month. Amelia is pictured at around 8 months in it. Joey is 4 months. You can really tell what a chunk he is! She barely filled it out at twice his age! You can also see a huge difference in their legs in the Bumbo chair... She still fit in there with some wiggle room. Little man? His legs often get stuck. So when you go to pick him up out of the chair - the chair comes too!

Have a great day!

Hewp Ko

Amelia loves to "hewp Ko" (aka "help Joe") lately. Little brother has gotten a touch too large for his swings and they won't "swing" him any longer....usually. You can sometimes get them going if you turn them up all the way and give the guy a push. Then, sometimes, the swing can "swing" him for awhile. I guess that's what you get when you have a nearly twenty pound four month old!

Amelia has taken it upon herself to be Joe's swinging helper. She is a bit rough at times and I am working on that with her. However, it is just so rewarding to see her finally enjoying her role as "big sister."

The camera memory filled up right when Joey was really getting going laughing but you get the picture! He loves when his sister pays attention to him!

Adoration

I love watching this relationship evolve. Joey is growing on Amelia more and more every single day - even though she doesn't want anyone to know!

Then and Now: Bumbo

Amelia (left) and Joe (right) at almost three months old.

There are many similarities but also some distinct differences! Their eyes are what stand out to me as very different. No one can compete with Amelia's big and bright blue eyes!