I feel honored to be here this afternoon writing about YOU! I'm literally sitting at the Perc Place with my chai latte thinking about you and smiling. I have yet to be around anyone that doesn't smile when they interact with you. I keep thinking to myself how fitting picking 'Aristotle' was for your middle name. Your Nouno has the same infectious smile and I'm proud you're taking after him.
*You have had your fair share of playing in the snow the past couple of months! The snow doesn't stop you one bit as you attempt to crawl all around the yard, stopping here and there to pull yourself up at the base of some tree trunks. You've even had lots of fun sledding with your brother, sister and Buckwheat! We've went on many hikes...some chilly hikes and some hikes that have left us dreaming about spring. You've continued to uphold your reputation of being a little boy that loves the outdoors.
58 degrees in February!
*You continue to cruise all along the furniture. You've also become skilled at escaping the living room when we have you fenced in (literally). The barricades don't stop you...you're fixated at getting out and having free reign of the whole house. Buckwheat is your favorite road block to climb over.
*You just started standing without holding on to anyone or anything. If you keep this up, it sure won't be long before you're walking.
*You've transitioned to being in control of your own sippy cup. You don't even need mommy to give you drinks anymore...sigh.
*You have weaned yourself off the breast. Ari and Elle both were "cut off" whereas you made the decision on your own that you were ready to be done. You just became less and less interested. You were more interested in biting mommy and looking around to see what everyone else was doing. Even if we nursed alone, it became more of a playtime session for you (ouch!). While I'm very sad this stage has come to an end, I have so many pleasant memories of our nursing time together. You drink 4 bottles a day now and soon we will start transitioning to whole milk.
*Disneyworld! Gosh, what a lucky little boy you are. Two trips to Disney before your first birthday. Hands down your favorite ride was "It's a Small World". You were mesmerized on our whimsical boat ride as you watched the many singing children from around the world. Your legs were kicking away and you were cooing the whole time. You traveled like a champ from start to finish!
*SIX teeth! Even teething hasn't phased you. I didn't find you to be fussy at all when they started popping through.
Things You Like Right Now:
*I think one of your new favorite parts of the day is right away in the morning when you wake up. On most days, both your brother and sister crawl into your crib and play with you. As I'm laying in the room next door, hearing the three of you play together makes me so happy. On some occasions there may be some arguing as they both want all of your love and attention...but most of the time they do well sharing their time with you.
*You love walking behind your little walker. You go from one end of the living room to the other, just waiting for mommy to turn it for you at each end. Your smile while walking is amazing...so proud, as you should be.
*Another one of your favorite things continues to be bath time. I've recently moved you out of the sitting chair and now you can crawl around the tub searching for your favorite toys to munch on. Most days you are happy to share the tub with your brother and sister too. We had such a blast one afternoon when I let you take a bath in the kitchen sink. You sat in there and played for close to an hour.
*Knocking over the Magna-Tile towers your brother and sister create!
Your Current Dislikes:
*When Mommy has to prepare breakfast and get your brother ready for school, I put you in your exersaucer. You are so over spending time in your exersaucer. You actually cry so hard I have to blow in your face to get you to take a breath again.
Buck attempting to keep you happy in the exersaucer
*You have started to show some frustration when I block you off from certain areas. The closet in your room is probably your favorite place that I rarely let you go.
Your Brother & Sister:
*I need to continuously remind Ari and Elle that you are constantly watching them. You watch every interaction they have and every move they make. I can just tell you are so anxious for the day when you can run around and join their fun. Ari continues to try and teach you things, which basically means he plays football, soccer, or basketball while you watch. Elle is very protective over you. Even when mommy is watching you, she likes to be the one to tell you where you can and cannot go. She's obsessed with picking you up and moving you right now, even when you're not into anything. I can't tell you how many times a day I say, "Elle put him down. Let him play. He's just fine!" In addition, she likes to lay you down and cover you with a blanket insisting that you need to take a nap. I remind her often that you are not her doll. They adore you and watching you all play together is so rewarding as a parent. I'm so happy you have each other.
Happy 4th Birthday to your sis!
Your Daddy:
Weekly snooze while Ari & Elle have their turn at swim
*Daddy took you, your brother and sister for a hike on the trail through the woods to Johnny G's. He brought one of the sleds with and took all three of you sledding (at once) down one of the hills. I was able to see some video clips - thanks Papou - and was just giggling at your cute little face going down the hill. You were so thrilled to be a part of the gang and get to sled down with everyone. Adventure suits you well.
*Another highlight for Daddy was traveling to Florida in January! Your daddy is the master traveler. He is the king of researching and makes sure we have a plan and a back up plan for nearly everything. He is so tuned in to everyones needs and makes sure everyone is happy and well taken care of. Having Daddy makes traveling with 3 young children appear easy. We make a good team and things do tend to go very smoothly.
Florida bound!
*You know Leo...as I sit here writing this, I'm finding myself to be a bit sad. I'm sad my time with you is going so quickly. I've said it before, yet haven't been able to slow things down. I just want to keep you this age forever. I want to hug you, dance with you, press my cheek up to yours, watch you explore, learn new things, embrace the moments that are becoming your story. You're becoming exactly who you were meant to be and I'm just sad that I can't keep you little forever.
You light up our world baby boy. We love you!
Love,
Mommy
