The Loves of my Life!

The Loves of my Life!
Brett, Caleb, & Isabella

Sunday, August 8, 2010

My Children's Personalities


Bella is 2 months old. She is gorgeous! 
I absolutely love having a girl. I'm learning a lot about the love that my parents and, more importantly, God must have for me. I never realized how special it was to be a girl until I gave birth to my daughter. What a blessing! 
Bella has been smiling for a few weeks, but her smile has really blossomed into something spectacular the last few days. She smiles with her mouth wide open. Adorable! I haven't noticed any dimples, but the dimple in her chin makes up for it. She loves her daddy. When he talks to her, when he plays the piano, whatever he is doing, she loves him!
She likes when I touch her nose and coo at her. She tries to giggle when I do it. Melts my heart! 
She likes to lay on her play gym and look at her toys. She kicks with her feet and swings her little arms around while starring at the ceiling. It is a joy to hear her toys rattle when I'm in a different room. It always makes me smile. Bella likes to be in the middle of the action. She is not very happy if everyone else is in a different room. She loves when her big brother entertains her and he loves to do it just as much.
She also likes to sleep on her side or her tummy. She has been sleeping through the night for a bit over a week! Thanks to On Becoming Baby Wise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep (On Becoming. . .)! She is the easiest baby of my 3. Her schedule is very predictable. She eats every 3 to 4 hours. In the morning and at night she drinks 6 ounces of milk. During the day she drinks 4 to 5 ounces. It takes her anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes to finish her bottle. After her bottle she plays for a while and when she gets fussy, I know it's nap time. She takes lots of naps during the day, some a lot longer than others. 
I LOVE to dress her up in all her cute little outfits! Another thing that is noticeably different about having a baby girl. I love all the frills and bows and all the pink stuff! 
Bella is getting so good at holding up her head all by herself. A couple people have commented that she looks like me, but the majority think she looks like her daddy and her little brother, Caleb. I think she is a good combination of Brett and Caleb when they were babies. She definitely has her daddy's chin, which Caleb also has. She seems to have a narrow face like Brett had/has. She also has the same eye shape that Brett had when he was a baby, which come from Steven's family. She also has ears like her daddy and Brett. She has her auntie Laura's nose and her auntie Carrie's hands and feet - long and slender. Her eyes are different than the boys when they were babies. Their eyes were a dark grey and then turned brown. Bella's eyes are much lighter. I think they will be a hazel or green color. Only time will tell...


Caleb is 19 months old. He is the son that every parent dreams of.
I don't know that I have ever seen a kid so full of life. He goes nonstop all day long. His emotions are pretty extreme. He is either laughing or crying, not a whole lot in between. He is currently sitting, bouncing rather, on my back as I lay on the floor typing. : ) Never a dull moment. 
Caleb has been a daddy's boy since Bella's birth. I was not able to carry him for 6 weeks. During that time Steven would get up with him when he woke during the night. He cries and throws a fit when he wants Daddy and Daddy is busy or gone. 
He has the sweetest little voice! "Mommy, I want..." fill in the blank. He never asks just one time. He repeats his request persistently until what he wants is in his hands, without a pause between sentences. A few days ago he said, "Hi, Honey" to me when I walked in to his room to get him out of his crib after nap time. : ) Such a sweet kid!
His pediatrician said he is developmentally at the 2 1/2 year age level. This was a month ago when I had him in for his 18 month checkup. What does that mean exactly? Well, his vocabulary is endless. He repeats anything you ask him to say. At 2 years of age, kids start to put together a sentence. Something like "I want..." He has no problem doing that. Usually kids don't start jumping until 2 1/2. He hit that milestone yesterday. He goes up and down stairs on his own while holding someone's hand. Smaller steps he does without any help. Of course, he is feeding himself. His imaginative play is up to par as well. He knows his body parts and is able to point to "Daddy's nose."
Brett and Caleb are the best of friends. They love to play together. One of Caleb's favorite things to do is hide in their closet. The doors slide so they are able to open and close them very easily. Sometimes both boys hide in their. Caleb likes to play peek-a-boo with Daddy. I have a video of them, but Caleb is naked so I won't be posting it anywhere. : )
Caleb is extremely brave and adventurous. He has no problem trying new things. His legs, and often his face, are scattered with bumps and bruises. He likes to jump around on Daddy (or anybody) when he is laying on the floor. He will stand on one side of him by his back and throw himself forward on top of him. Sometimes he overshoots and ends up falling on his head on the opposite side of Steven. His body usually contorts as it falls over him. He thinks it's funny. Of course it scares me! Caleb conquers our living room chairs by climbing up the side rather than up the front like most kids would. He says, "Sit down" and proceeds to stand on top of their large dump truck or their little table (either the top or the bench). Our front yard is on a pretty steep slope. He has no problem running down it. It's safe to say that he gives us many scares!
Caleb is very sensitive. He runs away and hides in shame if he is found doing a "no no" unintentionally. If he is caught doing something intentionally, he is very stubborn and a bit defiant. His feelings get hurt very easily over minor things.
He is a snuggle bug on occasion. He loves to be rough-housed. He loves being chased around the house. It makes him giggle like crazy. He loves being tickled and always begs for more.
If you ask him a yes or no question, his responses are either, "Yeah, K" or "No, K." Very funny. 
Caleb is a big eater. He latest favorites are noodles, grapes, and cheese. He drinks enough juice/water to keep an elephant hydrated.
His favorite toys are little cars and trucks. He generally has at least one if not two in his hands at all times. His auntie Carrianne calls him a mad scientist and our dining room is his laboratory. He is always tinkering around with something. The mad scientist was a very accurate description before I gave him his first haircut! : ) Caleb also loves books. 
One of the funniest things that I think he does is giggle during a poopy diaper change. He thinks it's funny when you wipe his man parts. Makes me laugh too! : )
Caleb loves a lot! I could go on and on about what he loves and doesn't love. He just loves life and is full of it. I hope that never changes! He is a huge gift to our family.


Brett is 3 1/2 years old. He is the sweetest little charmer you will ever meet!
One of my favorite things is watching Brett steal another heart. "Another one bites the dust" is exactly what happens when Brett's warms his way into someone's heart. If you have spent even 5 minutes with him, he probably has a special spot in your heart. Am I wrong? : ) The last heart he stole was the heart of a woman who came to do a physical consult for our life insurance. I don't even know her name. She was in and out in 20 minutes, but Brett found a special way into her heart. He even asked her for a hug! : )
There are so many things I could say about Brett...
He is cautious and careful. He is fascinated by details. He has a love-hate relationship with loud engines. The trimmer, the mower, the blender, the mixer, the coffee grinder, the vacuum, etc. When he was younger he was terrified of them. Now he is obsessed with them. He talks about them all the time, though less and less, now that I think about it.
Brett loves "Toy Story". He loves Woody and Buzz Lightyear and Mr Potato Head, especially his mustache. He randomly quotes the movie, like "The coast is clear!" and of course, "To infinity and beyond!" So funny!
Brett loves Bella. He loves to watch her and play with her. When she is laying on the floor, he will lay beside her. It's so cute.
Another one of Brett's favorite things are his "grandmas".
There is his Grandma Graziano who lives in California, Steven's mom. She was here in Kansas City a few weeks ago. He was with her almost every minute of her week long visit! He wants to fly flew to California to go to Grandma's house. : ) He got a little confused with the tense of the verb, so we just went with "fly flew". Still makes me smile when he says it.
Then there is his Nana, my mom. She is in Illinois and we talk to her often on Skype. Brett loves to talk to her on Skype. He loves to snuggle in her cozy blanket with her.
Also there is his Nana Menna, Steven's other mom who lives in California also. She took Brett to Disneyland over Christmastime. She makes DVD's of pictures and videos of our times together. Brett loves to watch her videos! He loves to hang out with his Nana.
Last, but not least, is his honorary Grandma Janie. She is not his real grandma, but he fell in love with her during our last trip to Illinois. Janie is my mom's neighbor and friend. She is a grandma and loves to love on Brett. He charmed his way into her heart and hasn't forgotten about her. He asks for his Grandma Janie on a regular basis. He likes to tell her he is cold so that she will snuggle him close. : )
Brett is a bit of a picky eater. He doesn't eat meat except for the occasional hot dog or bologna sandwich. He loves noodles, peanut butter and jelly, yogurt, and of course, jello.
Brett is excited to start his next year of preschool. He remembers his teacher, Miss Kelli. He has the memory of an elephant. It's part of his charm because he rarely forgets a name or face. Brett has always excelled verbally. His pronunciation is so clear. He says many big words correctly and surprises people when he pronounces their names correctly.
Brett has turned into a little explorer. He is very curious and has been testing his boundaries as all kids do. He is able to open doors so we have to be careful to keep them locked. He discovered how to get into the cabinet under the kitchen sink which has a child safety lock on it. I'm still not sure how he did it, but he did. It makes me a bit more cautious now when I leave the room. We use vinegar water as a punishment for screaming and talking back. He hates it and so is obsessed with it. It is in a spray bottle under the kitchen sink along with other cleaners. That's what he wanted when he opened the cabinet.
Brett is my little fighter. He and I and Steven have fought hard to get him to where he is. Life does not always come easy for Brett, but every step is worth all of the effort.
It will soon be time to tell him about his birth and heart surgery.... He had a heart checkup recently and liked having pictures taken of his heart. He wanted Caleb to have a turn when he was done. How cute! : )
Brett loves to make people laugh, including his little brother. He loves to be the center of attention. He loves when people call him silly. He does many things over and over in an effort to keep his brother laughing. They are a great pair in many many ways. Where their humor is concerned, Caleb loves to laugh and Brett loves to make him laugh. Brett and Caleb are opposites in many ways and therefore compliment each other. Brett's strengths are Caleb's weaknesses and Caleb's strengths are Brett's weaknesses.

All in all, I think my kids are amazing! They are all very different, unique in their own way. They are all my favorites. They make my life what it is. I love being a mom to them! I wouldn't trade it for the world. Each day is a new adventure and I'm setting my heart to enjoy it all! I want to treat them as the treasures that they are. In a moment they will be grown and gone. I don't want to waste a moment.

Lord, teach me how to train up my kids in the way they should go, so when they are old they will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6


3 comments:

  1. Love this... Made me cry. They are all beautiful but, it is true... Brett stole my heart!!

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  2. Love your blog!
    Brett stole my heart too! He's a little heart thief!

    ReplyDelete