The Little Mandingo and his Big Sister

Josh came up with "Mandingus" but I didn't like the "dingus" part and so I modified it to "Mandingo." Well, the Little Mandingo is doing pretty good. He is such a sweet and smiley boy. If he's not hungry, tired, or has a burp that's trapped he is so happy. I know babies change all the time and this might not be his permanent temperament and I know boys are more prone to ear infections (which can wreck things a little) but I'm enjoying it and I'm hoping he stays this way. Because he is making being his mommy so much fun. At this point he is talking (aka cooing) and laughing. He is also starting to bat at things and put toys in his mouth. We also recently discovered that he is ticklish. It's nice to get an easy laugh out of him. His sleeping patterns are still a little erratic at night but usually his pacifier and making sure he's on his side (I know I'm breaking the rules and not putting him on his back but if that's the only way he'll sleep I'm not going to argue with him) will get him right back to sleep. We just got Christmas pictures taken of him and Emily. They both did great. Color me relieved. As far as how big sister is doing, she is still her crazy little self. She is usually so upbeat and sometimes a little too upbeat. The girl has two volume levels : silent and loud. But she's a sweet child to her core and she says some of the most funny and endearing things. Now if only she could learn how to lower her normal speaking voice so I wouldn't have to constantly tell her to keep it down when her brother is trying to sleep (he does that a lot). She is still fighting us on pooping in the potty. We're now resorting to major bribing and it's not really working. We're also taking away her shows (she LOVES her shows) and that's not really working either. What's the most random of it all is that some weeks she will poop in the potty 2-3 days in a row but go right back to pooping in her pants or underwear. Gross topic I know but it's what's on our minds around here. Aside from Santa of course. This year she is so excited and so that makes me excited. She finally gets it to the point that she can truly get excited about it. She also still doesn't care about getting specific things so she hasn't asked for anything (well except for a big candy cane). But if you give her something she likes she gets so excited about it. So I've been able to pick out things I'm pretty sure she'll like without the pressure of getting a particular toy. I know it'll change but I'm living it up this year. I always have to post some pictures so here they are. They're from the past couple of months so it's got some from the State Fair and Halloween.

Bath Time

I think the expressions on his face say it all. He LOVES bath time.

Baby Brother

We are adjusting to having 2 young ones. Some days are quite a bit harder than others but we're learning. Joshua or as Emily calls him "baby brother" is doing well. He is growing so fast and has started smiling. Nothing is more precious than a baby smiling. Okay, maybe a baby laughing is more precious. But the smiles are pretty cool too. He is still waking up a couple of times a night to be fed most nights. The other nights he is restless and wants his pacifier put back in constantly. This happens about once a week so it's not so bad. But those restless nights are killer. Coffee works wonders on days after those nights. Emily seems to have gotten used to him but doesn't like it when he cries. She shows some concern and sometimes tries to put his pacifier in his mouth to see if it makes him feel better. She doesn't seem to be overly jealous and lives in her own world of curiosity. I think she finds him pretty boring. I'm not going tell her how much he's going to rock her world once he becomes mobile. Anyway, here are some pics from recent days.

Emily's 3rd Birthday in Pictures

We celebrated at my parents' house the day before her birthday and just the four of us the next day on her actual birthday. She had a good time on both days and enjoyed her presents. Though I think her favorite part was when we sang "Happy Birthday" to her and she got to blow out her candles.

Cake from mommy and daddy



Playing with her new easel and finger paints
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Blue's Clues cake made by her uncle Scott






How old are you now?

I just love her

I love how Emily calls her toots "burps." I also love it when she does a little dance for her brother while he is sound asleep or when she wants me to sing "Happy Birthday" to pretty much anything in sight. I also love how she calls "Blue's Clues" "Clue's Clues." I love that she mispronounces simple words like yellow and thunder but can say gargantuan perfectly. When she points at me and cocks her head to the side to get her point across I have to giggle. Her made up songs are giggle worthy too. I also love watching her really get into something so random. Such as buckling and unbuckling something over and over again. I love it when she rubs my arm gently when we cuddle and how concerned she gets for others when they are upset. I love her outgoing and sweet nature. I just love her. I just need to remember this when she's making me want to pull my hair out.

Joshua pics