McDonald kid brag post- Jameson 4 1/2, Delaney 2 1/2, Lorelei 11 weeks

Recently my friend Lynn posted an update about the little quirky things her son is currently doing and it made me realize that I want these posts for my kiddos. They are just growing up SO FAST and I don't want to forget all the little funny things that makes them who they are at this age. I'll warn you that I am going to brag about my kids quite a bit in this post. :)

Let's start with the eldest...

Jameson

• Jameson LOVES to learn. He absorbs every little things going on around him and wants to know how every little thing works. My days are filled with "Mommy, what's that. But how does it do that? Why does it do that? What would happen if it did this? But it can do this... right??"
• He is constantly amazing us with how quickly he learns. He picks things up so quickly, whether it be facts, human tendencies, skills, you name it! He can make inferences based on facts that are certainly advanced for his age. He used to have a slight fine motor skill delay but has now completely caught up. His preschool teachers are very impressed with his abilities.
• He is such a natural leader it is a little scary. When he is playing with other kids, even those older than him, he takes charge. He can be a little bossy (we're working on that) but he actually usually gets them following him. We joke that with his charisma and ability to influence people he will either grow up to be president or a used car salesman.
• He is an amazing big brother. Though he and Delaney fight PLENTY, he is quick to do what it takes to make her happy and takes pride in taking care of her. When put in charge of Lorelei he takes it very seriously and will panic when she starts to make the slightest fuss "Mom! The baby is fussing. Mom, she's really mad! Come quick!" is usually what I hear when she squeaks a bit.
• Current favorite activities dressing up as a knight, narrating for his Thomas trains, going exploring with daddy, being outside, and coming up with on the spot pretend games with Delaney. He has also recently started asking to cuddle with Shaun and me. He never really stopped this since he has always been a very cuddly kid, but it has increased recently. We are soaking up every second of it we can get!
• He is no longer really taking naps more than maybe once a week. He watches movies during quiet time because asking Jameson to sit quietly and play is just not reasonable- he has to get up to get something else for his activity or show us something, and he just plain forgets that he is supposed to stay quiet and still.
• He is really starting to get lippy! He is a very witty kid and is constantly amazing us with the things he says to us! We are working on teaching him to be respectful while balancing it with making sure he still knows that his opinions are important and that he deserves to be heard.
• Food likes and dislikes: Loves pizza, spaghetti, milk, toast or plain bread, chicken nuggets, most fruit (especially bananas, strawberries, and apples), broccoli, corn, peas, cheese, and chocolate in any form. Hates anything that he hasn't eaten before, meat, food with any sort of sauce coating it, isn't super fond of juice but will drink it on occasion (we never have it around the house). Still hasn't been introduced to gum or soda and we intend to keep it that way for as long as possible, thank you very much!
• Sleeping: He starts out the night on his "big brother bed" which is now an inflatable kid sized mattress on our floor. Shaun moves him to his bed and he almost always stays there for the night.

Delaney

• Delaney in a word? Nuts! She is constantly moving, moving, MOVING! She is in no way afraid of trying things unless they involve touching an animal (or something that resembles a living thing) and in that case she shuts down and clings. Bugs FREAK HER OUT. She doesn't mind being dirty and gets down and plays boys games like it is no big deal, but hates having dirt/food on her hands.
• She was my first kid with a lovey. She has a 9 foot long Jeff Gordon blanket that I made for Shaun in high school that she drags around and calls "bank". She can't go to sleep without it and prefers that it ride in the car with us. When she is starting to get tired or just needs a break she will grab her binky and blanket (B and bank) and plop down somewhere to rub bank on her face. We call it "Laney time"
• Based on her speech worker's assessment, her motor skills are rather advanced, probably because she has always been willing to attempt anything that her brother can do. She is able to completely dress and undress herself, do pretty much anything at any park, and stays within about a half an inch of pictures she is coloring.
• She is (technically) no longer considered to have a speech delay, but a delay in intelligibility and annunciation. She has come so far since her problems were first identified a year ago. She is stubborn, so we had to first convince her that talking was easier before she would do it, but once it clicked, she took off. Only a few months ago nobody outside of Shaun and me could understand most of what she said, and it was usually a struggle for us. Now her grandparents, aunts and uncles, and sometimes even strangers can make out what she says. When she is trying to say a word and isn't being understood she will patiently slow down and you can just see in her eyes how hard she is trying to make the word sound right. It makes me smile every time because you can just see the determination and patience she has with herself for getting something just right. When she turns three in August she will no longer be able to continue with her speech worker and will transition into an IEP with the school district. She will probably attend a preschool setting or speech group getting focused time with a speech pathologist. 
• Did I mention she is STUBBORN??? Until Delaney wants to learn/do something, she isn't doing it! Though it can be (very) frustrating, I also know that this can be a very worthwhile quality to have in so many situations. 
• Delaney loves to just sit and observe people. I have to refocus her frequently when we are in public because she just studies what other people are doing (ahem, stares). On more than one occasion at the PAT playroom, Discovery Center, library, etc, she will miss out on doing something because she is too busy observing the other kids. She is definitely more of a follower when she is playing with other kids, but if they are playing something that she doesn't want to she goes her own way without batting an eye.
• I love how she goes from playing with her dolls and having me fix her hair one minute to roaring a dinosaur at her brother the next minute. She occasionally will play dress up, but isn't super in to it yet. She loves to play in her play kitchen and enjoys helping me cook. I have to be sneaky and not let her see that I am cooking if I want to do it without a "helper".
• Delaney LOVES books. It is common to walk into her room and catch her sitting looking at books and pretending to read them. She loves having books read to her. I have a feeling we have a little bookworm on our hands! She loves the Llama llama book series.
• She knows her colors, though she won't consistently name them for us. She knows several shapes and can count to 10 (apparently- she did it one day so I know she can, but I haven't been able to get her to do it since then). 
• She loves to sing and dance. When there is music on TV it is like she just can't help but groove! She'll randomly break out into song and if I am singing she joins me. Her face absolutely lights up when she is singing.
• She recently got moved to a big girl bed after taking a nose dive out of her crib that scared me to death. She gets moved to it after falling asleep in "daddy's bed" (yeah, apparently I am just a guest there). She comes back to our bed most night, but even after moving to her big girl bed she yells for daddy to come get her.
• Food likes and dislikes: Likes almost any food. She loves carrots, peppers, crackers, cheese, apples, berries, spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, nuts, and casserole type foods. Hates: Things that are "ucky" (anything with sauce on them that Jameson has expressed dislike for).

Lorelei

• We are still getting to know Miss Lorelei. She is a very strong baby. When she wasn't even a few hours old she was already holding her head off our chests when laying on us. She is able to sit supported (mostly) and is rolling from tummy to back already. 
• She is a very content little baby. She is perfectly satisfied to lay in her bouncer, her swing, on the floor, or be carried in the Beco and go along with whatever we are doing. She is funny, though, because as soon as she decides that it is time that she be held or nurse, it must happen that second! She goes very quickly from happy to mad.
• She has been smiling for several weeks and tonight started giving us the first glimpses of almost laughs!
• She loves listening to singing and books being read. If she is fussy she calms down for these things.
• My poor girl has super sensitive skin just like her momma. 
• She isn't crazy about the car seat, but once we start going a fast rate she calms down and goes to sleep.
• She is a pretty good sleeper. She wakes several times at night to eat, but nurses and goes right back to sleep. She naps at around 10-11:30, 1-3, and in the evening sort of cat naps depending on the activity in the house. We are still trying to figure out the best bedtime and routine for her, but we currently start around 7 with nursing, massage (which she is not enjoying but I think I just don't know what I am doing so we are going to try for a bit longer), swaddle, and lay down in the bassinet with the white noise machine going. I also sing praise songs to her while I massage, swaddle and lay down. So far this is what seems to be working the best to give her restful sleep, but I think we still need some tweaking. 
• When being held she doesn't like being laid back and cradled but would prefer to be sitting up or looking over your shoulder.
• She LOVES to nurse. At her 2 month appointment she was sitting in the 90th percentile for both weight and length and is already in 3-6 month clothing. She doesn't seem to have any issues with anything I eat. She will take a bottle, but fights it some and after a few will pretty much refuse to eat until she gets to nurse. She is already showing preferences to having daddy or mommy over other people.