Jonas - 3 months, Josie - 35 months

Josie's 35 month stats: 39 lbs, 4T/5T in clothing, size 4/5T in pull-ups (no more diapers!), size 8.5 shoes, a head taller than everyone in her class even though she just transferred to Preschool Pathways

Josie's favorite book: a custom book from our friends called Josie and Jonas

Josie's new sentences and vocab. She is completely communicating now using large and small sentences, but these are this month's greatest hits:

• "Mama, babies talk and don't talk at the same time."
• "Mama, your hair is crazy!"
• "I love Baby Jonas. He's the best baby brother."
• Me: "Josie, what are you doing? Let's start painting." Josie: "Mama, I am reading the directions."
• I ask Josie to help me make scrambled eggs. "Okay, mama. I will help with the ingredients. Can I stir?"
• Speaking of potty training, we've decided to look to m&ms for help. We explained this to Josie and shared the rules (2 m&ms for an attempt, whether or not its fruitful). Her response? "I don't like m&ms. They have sugar in them and they are not healthy." Josie's parents: Speechless.
• "Shake your booty butt." I can't even.

Josie's new tricks

She's finally in a front-facing car seat.  Jonathan and I have been "arguing" about this for a year now but I finally won. Josie was skeptical at first but now she loves it!

She is officially obsessed with her birthday. It's all she talks about. She keeps asking if it's her birthday yet, and also keeping changing which cupcakes she wants for school.

Finally, she will only wear dresses. I truly don't understand how I have such a girly girl for a daughter. I didn't wear a dress until after college. Now I love them so maybe...duh. I haven't slept much. I'm going to leave that little aha! moment in there because it's proof I am an idiot and also tired.

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Jonas' stats: 16.5 lbs, 23.75 inches; 6 mos in clothing, size 2 in diapers, blue-gray eyes, male-patterned baldness. 

Instead of vocab we'll review his likes and dislikes:

Likes: The swing, bath time, Grandma Anne, his monkey, the jungle
Dislikes: When he gets too tired, the process of falling asleep
Tolerates: His carseat, being put down if its in one of his approved zones 

Jonas' new tricks

As you speak or sing to Jonas, he is really trying to sing and talk. It's so cute. I need to get this on film - it's just hard to know when he's going to do it!

Jonas has found his feet...and his thumb. He's been working on that thumb via his fist for a couple of weeks now. Honestly he's probably just trying to eat it. Look at him. He's enormous.

He's also started to laugh a bit. I was playing a game with him ("game" is generous - I don't know what I was doing but I digress) and I would swing him back and forth singing "do do do do" and then quickly bring him down with a knee bend and sound effect. He thought this was a riot so obviously I did it 600 times.

Speaking of laughing, I'm not sure who gets the trick credit here but check out our new Bumbo action. Josie was BESIDE herself.

In other Young family news...

Jonathan took me to the Counting Crows 25th Anniversary tour for Mother's Day. I think he learned to appreciate my favorite band a little more, but not a lot more. It was 103 degrees and I think we are still dehydrated from the experience.

We had visitors! Tia Crystal, Sara and Lisa, Alex, and Pauly came as I was on leave. Everyone met Baby Jonas, as he's called in our house.

Having Tia Crystal with us was such a gift. We went on hikes and she helped us with many house projects (in her Chip and Jojo way). We missed Uncle Paul - next time!

Josie was truly in heaven with everyone visiting *her*.

Not that there's EVER a shortage of attention for this pint-sized star.

We had so much fun with everyone!

Speaking of people visiting, there's someone I've been meaning to spotlight in our lives: our Jen (as Josie calls her - really she says "my Jen" but in our family we share great people).

Jen is a Young family VIP and we adore her. Thank you Jen for all of the love, always. We're lucky you're in our lives.

That's about it other than family photos are becoming increasingly...difficult. I'll try to end on one from now on but I can't promise quality.

By next blog we'll have a three year old!!

Until next time!

Xoxo,
J Quad
  

Jonas - 2 months, Josie - 34 months

Josie's 34 month stats: 36 lbs, 4T/5T in clothing, size 6 diapers (thisclose to full-time undies!), size 8.5 shoes, a head taller than everyone in her class (she has probably gotten taller since the 31 month post but the rest is the same)

Josie's favorite book: Potty Book by Elmo

Josie's new sentences and vocab. She is completely communicating now using large and small sentences, but these are this month's greatest hits:

• "Mommy, what is that?" about literally every single unnameable thing she sees; the precursor to "Why? But...why?"
• "Meow" - Josie has found her toddler spirit animal and it's a kitten. I'm not sure exactly when the cat entered our lives but I'll be talking to biped Josie one minute and turn around to find a kitty nuzzling me. Josie clearly takes after her Auntie Ashie whose alter ego was Spot the Dog for some time.
• Josie has our home address memorized, which is impressive because it's pretty long and took me a few months to retain.
• "Give me my space." "You're in my space." The latter often refers to our large U-shaped couch. She has claimed all of it.
• "Dada, this bath is too darn hot." #childofanactor

Josie's new tricks

Josie LOVES to dance to The Letter of the Day on Sesame Street. I could probably capture this at least once/day these days.

Josie likes to dress herself, which has two meanings. 1. She has one million sassy a few opinions about what she should wear (spoiler alert, it's not so coincidentally the orange dress featured in the above dance clip), and 2. She actually wants to put the clothes on...all by herself. This often means she will get trapped in said article of clothing and need rescuing, so for this trick she calls on her lovely assistant, Mama or Dada. 

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Jonas' stats: 14.4 lbs, 23.75 inches; 3-6 mos in clothing, size 2 in diapers, and BLUE eyes! How I have two babies with blue eyes -- I'll never know. Perhaps I misunderstood the genetics lesson in bio class, or perhaps my uterus misunderstood. Either way, I'm not complaining. 

Instead of vocab we'll review his likes and dislikes:

Likes: Bath time, me, swaddling when he's finally acquiesced, being carried in the Bjorn 
Dislikes: Car rides, being put down, changing his clothes, going to the doctor, going to sleep
Tolerates: Josie's kisses, Josie's attempts at interaction, being held by anyone else but me

Jonas' new tricks

A trick of months past included scream-crying for hours on end. While truly impressive, it wasn't exactly the most desirable trick - especially because the author of this blog seemed to be the only antidote. Luckily for Jonas' second trick, we learned he is lactose-intolerant. He became a much calmer and easier version of himself once we got him on more agreeable food. This feels a little like The Gift of the Magi for me, his hopeful food source who is home with him for three months and ready to feed. Alas.

He smiles! It lasts for a nanosecond and is sometimes a half-grin but after weeks of blank stares, I'll take it. He also exhibits baby Superman strength - it'll be fun to see how this plays out.

He plays with toys! If you don't have babies, this seems like a non-trick but it's actually an exciting development. Check out Jonas with the sun toy!

I hesitate to record this trick because he's only displayed it twice but then again - maybe I can will this into rotation...he sleeps! Jonas has done one 7 hour and 15 minute stint and another 6 hour block of overnight sleep. For someone who has only slept in increments of 1-2 hours overnight for 2 months, this feels like Christmas....errr, Hanukkah!

 In other Young family news:
We had an amazing visit from Auntie Ashie and Uncle Adam! Adam basically fixed everything in our house while Ashley snuggled with the babes.

Jonas had his first flight! The flight attendants were tremendous, as evidenced by the note below. We were pretty apprehensive but it turned out okay. This time.

This flight took us to Boston for Mother's Day and Jonas got to meet Super Grammie, Auntie Karen, and Uncle Joe! 

Professional nappers unite!

Super Grammie is an inspiration and it was magical to see her...

                               

...even if the flight back nearly killed us. Well, not the flight but everything related to it. I'll spare you from the details and myself from the PTSD from recounting the experience. Let's just say we're happy for travel to come to us for a while and we just hung a painting in our guest room.

Lacking sufficient transition due to sleep deprivation, Jonathan and I celebrated three years of marriage! He really hit a home run for our anniversary. 

He made reservations at a fancy Italian restaurant and then presented me with a scrapbook of our honeymoon to Italy! He had saved every ticket stub and map, plus printed out all of the photos he snapped with his phone so I saw the trip through his eyes -- many candid pics of well-rested me where included that I hadn't seen before. He also saved the business card of the art shop we visited so I could order a piece for our home as my main gift. What a guy.

Finally, I present with you the last invisible transition: here's a sweet family photo from our newborn session.

Until next time!

Xoxo,

J Quad

Introducing Jonas Robert Young!

And then there were three...plus one! Here's what happened on the night/early morning we met him:

4/7/18, 9:05 pm: Jaimie's water breaks, 2.5 weeks early (Jonas was due 4/24)
4/7/18, 9:06 pm: Jaimie freaks out and enters a state of shock
4/7/18, 9:15 pm: Jaimie and Jonathan rush around the house to pack bags while trying to calmly update Josie that her life is about to change forever
4/7/18, 10:05 pm: Jaimie and Jonathan arrive at the hospital
4/7/18, 10:07 pm: Jonathan complains Jaimie's feet stink and tries to cover up the alleged stench with foot powder as he was concerned for the doctor's welfare 
4/7/18, 10:08 pm: Jaimie gets mad at Jonathan and insists her feet smell FINE
4/7/18, 10:09 pm-4/8/18, 5:36 am: Lots of other things happen, Jaimie eats many cups of Jello
4/8/18, 5:37 am: Jonas is born, but not named
4/9/18, 12:00 pm: Jaimie and Jonathan FINALLY decide on a name for their sweet babe

Jonathan and I proudly present our tiny FINAL addition: Jonas Robert Young. Jonas was named after his Papa, paternal grandfather Robert. He was an eager beaver, surprising us 2.5 weeks early. Thankfully everyone is healthy and doing just fine, albeit wildly sleep deprived.

Jonas' birthday stats: 7 lbs, 2 oz, 21 inches; born April 8, 2018 at 5:37 am; newborn in clothing (a size his sister leapfrogged), size N diapers 

And one month later: estimated 12 lbs, still 21 inches, size 0-3 months in clothing, size 1 diapers

         

His tricks and language are pretty limited right now, although he is fairly strong and can lift his head as well as intentionally move a toy in his jungle. He is also EXCELLENT at staying up all night long. Like potential gold medal excellence.

Josie has been wonderful with Jonas and has earned MANY special treats as a result.

                                           

Jonas has met several other key stakeholders in his life including both sets of grandparents.

Grammy and Grampy from Florida came last week to meet him and help us.

In addition to baby snuggles (pictured above), Grammy also contributed home decor. She made the cool letters for above his crib and painted an adorable llama landscape. Hopefully the next blog will feature a tour of the nursery.

Grandma and Papa from Texas by way of California are at our house almost daily. Grandma has been taking care of Josie and periodically keeping Jaimie sane with daytime walks and Jonas care.

Since then baby Jonas has met many family friends and other family members. 

Here he is at his first brunch!

I've always said it but I truly believe it takes a village and we've been so thankful for all of the love and support we've received from ours.

Until next time!

Xoxo,

J Quad!

31 Months Old!

Josie's 31 month stats: 36 lbs, 4T/5T in clothing, size 6 diapers (thisclose to full-time undies!), size 8 shoes, a head taller than everyone in her class, sass for days

Josie's favorite book: Potty Book by Elmo

Josie's new sentences and vocab. She is completely communicating now using large and small sentences, but these are this month's greatest hits:

"Mama, you be Belle. I'll be Beauty and the Beast. Dada, you be the kitchen stuff."

Jonathan: "Isn't mama the prettiest?
Josie: "Icky!"
Jonathan: "Well then who is the prettiest?"
Josie: "I am!"
Jonathan: "That's called an Electra Complex."

Josie: "My baby is sick. She has a tummy ache in her throat."
Jaimie: "Oh no, that sounds serious."
Josie: "It's not serious. It's ridiculous!"

Josie holding Jonathan's phone in front of her face, as to speak to Siri: "Call my wife."

Josie's new tricks
As you can see, she is OBSESSED with Beauty and the Beast, despite never seeing the actual movie. We met a sweet actress who played Belle in the Georgetown Palace production and Josie couldn't even handle it. After we met Belle and she left, Josie looked up at me and said "I was shy!"

Most of what's happening with our little miss right now involves one of three things: acting, babies, and jokes. Our house is imagination station and every morning she wakes up as a different character who must often care for a crying baby. Perhaps, then, our new trick is learning how to coax Elsa, a boy, baby brother, Belle, Anna, a doctor, and any other number of creatures into clothes and pony tails. What's more, Jonathan has learned to fashion ponies! He can get pretty creative with the barrettes and bows but his work is downright impressive.

In other Young family news:

We had a great month filled with visits from two uncles: Uncle Adam and Uncle Paul! Uncle Adam was in town for SXSW with his record label and we got to spend a night with him before he began working the festival. Uncle Paul flew in for a special visit to basically fix houses (ours and Grandma/Papa's). He is wildly talented and should really have his own home improvement show. Here he is with pictured with Josie at Grandma and Papa's house as they assemble an easel.

We (sort of) celebrated Easter in our secular way. We made our way to the neighborhood egg hunt, which turned out to be a bust. What was not a bust was the petting zoo, which someone clearly LOVED.

Charlotte, Larissa, my mom, and my sister threw us a Baby Sprinkle and it was the cutest! It was lovely and intimate and perfect.

We're getting so close to meeting baby #2 so we went to Galveston for our final babymoon. I love that we live in a time where these are a thing because they are the best and we had a blast. Galveston is a coastal city in Texas with an adorable pier and lots of history. Before the great storm of 1900, it was supposed to be one of the largest and most popular cities in Texas. I couldn't resist creating a little sand art to commemorate the occasion.

We spent the majority of the weekend at our beautiful hotel luxuriating in the sun whilst testing their frozen beverages mixed in the swim-up bar. I also got an incredible facial at their spa. Highly recommend. 

It's bluebonnet season in Texas and it's truly magical. We got some professional pics taken but I secretly snapped this sweet moment.

We've finally decided on a nursery theme: llamas! Stay tuned for a photo of the finished product on the next blog.

Until next time!

Xoxo,
J Cubed

30 Months Old!

Josie's 30 month stats: 36.5 lbs, 4T in clothing, size 6 diapers, size 7 shoes, 38 inches tall

Josie's favorite book: Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

Josie's new sentences and vocab. She is completely communicating now using large and small sentences, but these are this month's greatest hits:

-I'm not sad. I'm not crying anymore. I'm happy!
-I have the vuh-vuhs! *This is something Jonathan onomatopoeia-ed to describe chattering teeth.
-We have to hold hands, otherwise we'll fall down (the stairs).
-It's NOT funny! *Josie does not like the idea of being laughed at, which is fair, but she should serious consider being less funny.
-That's my mama. She looks like a chicken! *She was reacting to the below photo.

This might be the best example of this little lady's imagination and speech:

If you want to learn about Josie instead of Princess Belle, I give you: Interview with a two-year-old

Josie's new tricks
She is potty trained at school! Jonathan asked Josie what kind of big girl panties she wanted and so we have 7 pairs of Peppa Pig. Josie only sometimes remembers to tell us she needs to go potty at home and we're not pushing it. When she does remember, holy CELEBRATION! Maybe by the next blog I'll be reporting full-on Peppas!

She feeds goats! We visited the Zoo and Josie decided to share her snack of goldfish with a giant goat.

Josie officially wants to be the big sister or the kid in our imagination sequences, but no longer the baby. She often wants to create space for baby brother to participate in our imaginary games, which is just the sweetest. Now if we could only make her realize pyers and babas are for babies...

She's intentionally funny. She works hard for laughs and knows the kinds of actions that will elicit the with-you not at-you laughter. Let me tell you what: if this kid turns out to be funny and kind - well, there are few things that would make me more proud.

Speaking of tricks, Josie's discovered magic! We went to a birthday party and met a magician who needed validation - Josie happily pulled that rabbit out of her hat. After every trick Josie shouted "MAGIC!" at the top of her lungs; her ooohs and ahhhhs were equally endorsing. The magician kept saying "Oh, I like you" to Josie. She was probably his biggest fan in all 57 years of his life.

In other Young family news:
We got a visit from Auntie Ashie! Josie is growing fonder and fonder of her sweet Auntie (who lives in Brooklyn) and it was so adorable to watch them play together.

This little fellow is growing and this mama is R-E-A-D-Y. Well, I'm 31 weeks pregnant but I've been ready for 24 of those weeks; I'm only discounting those early 7 weeks because I didn't know I was with child. Also, if you don't have maternity overalls and you're expecting (or frankly, even if you're not and want some extra tummy space for Thanksgiving) H&M makes magic overalls.

Until next time!

Xoxo,
J Cubed