The Whaleys: 2013

Friday, December 20, 2013

Rhett-18 months old

Official Stats:

Weight: 25.4 lbs- 65th percentile
Height: 33.5- 88th percentile
Head Circumference: 18.75- 57th percentile
BMI- 15.8

He had his check up and took his shots like a big boy...there were few tears this time around,which was nice! At 18 months old:

-He is a picky eater! He still will not eat fruit, except in the organic cereal bars that I give him. He will also not eat vegetables, but I have been able to sneak them in a few things (quesadillas, pizza sauce). It is really frustrating. He loves crunchy things, cheese, bread, biscuits, pizza and cereal bars. His doctor said for me to keep offering him healthy foods like fruits and veggies, so I continue to do so...but I throw a lot away. She said to expect that his eating might get worse before it gets better, and that kids can get more picky around 18 months old. I miss baby food because I could be sure to get good stuff in him. He will eat yogurt every now and then, but not regularly.

-His canines have begun coming in. They really seem to be causing him some discomfort. He had a good run at sleeping better through the night in between his molars and canines, but his sleep is more broken (again!) and I am attributing it to teething. He is definitely more sensitive than Jackson was at getting new teeth.

-He continues to be a happy but strong willed little guy. He is super affectionate and loves to give hugs and kisses. He enjoys playing with and running around with his big brother.

-He has about 20 words that he can say so far. He does not use them regularly, though. He prefers to point and grunt at things, so we constantly have to draw the words out of him. I am not sure if he is shy or if he just usually gets what he wants by pointing and making a noise, but we are working with him to get him to use his words more. He seems really annoyed when we try and get him to talk more. He understands everything perfectly and follows directions so well.

-He continues to dance all of the time. He also likes to show off his new skill...jumping! He loves to try and imitate whatever Jackson is doing at the time, including somersaults!

-He loves the outdoors and gets very angry if he goes outside only to realize that he is getting in the car and not playing with his toys outside. When we do play outside, he has to drag every one of the big toys out of the garage to play with.

-Jackson and Rhett play together more every day and it is really sweet to watch. When Jackson gets really loud or hyper, Rhett will get scared and run to either me or Justin or go hide somewhere. It is hard to believe that Rhett is already a year and a half. He is getting further out of the baby phase and more independent every day. I cherish each and every day that I get to hang out with both of these sweet boys!!

Next up: Post about Halloween and Disney World with photos!

Sunday, November 3, 2013

2013 professional photos

Here are some professional pictures that we had taken WAY back in June. We only got a few good ones. Long story short, we had to reschedule our photos several times due to an unseasonably rainy summer. We had rescheduled for the third time due to rain and it looked pretty good outside. Kim, our photographer, came over and snapped a few photos in our house before we headed to Azalea park. There were a couple of clouds out, but nothing ominous. Once we got to the park, it was super humid, we started getting swarmed by mosquitos, and then it started drizzling. We tried to wait out the rain because the rain cloud didnt look bad, but then it started to downpour and then we got trapped in a nasty thunderstorm with bad lightening. Both boys got scared and we had to run for the car. Kim was a trooper for staying out with us and even offered to reschedule again, but we got a few good ones so we said no thanks. Lesson learned: Get annual family photos done in the fall when it is cool, not humid, and less rainy. Maybe we will try October next time! I'm not totally in love with these, but there are definitely some good ones of the boys in here! Here are the best of the bunch:

Rhett-17 months

Running way late on this again...

Month 17 is remembered mostly by a nasty stomach bug that gave Rhett horrible diarrhea. It lasted a good two weeks. Due to that, he got terrible diaper rash. He had not other symptoms or fever and seemed very happy, so we did not take him to the doctor. I think we went through 2 1/2 tubes of diaper rash creme and countless diapers. Poor little guy! He was so miserable after diaper changes due to the rash and would cry out in pain. It would seem to get a little better, but then get bad again. Finally we took him in after two weeks and the doctor said that he probably had the stomach bug for several days, and then got better, but it was taking his little intestinal lining a lot of time to build back up due to the severity of it, which is why the diarrhea lasted so long. Not fun at all! We were glad to see that one go away! At 17 months:

-His molars are almost all the way through, which seemed to take forever! Now we see the beginnings of his canines starting to make his gums swell. They seem to be causing him some discomfort. I will be so glad when teething is over!

-He is in a bit of a pinching and hitting phase and has begun going to time out. The crazy thing is that I will tell him to go to time out, and he will calmly walk there and stand until I tell him to come out and then say he is sorry. The only thing I can think is that he has witnessed Jackson doing it, so he knows exactly what to do. I can't believe that he doesnt really protest (yet!).

-He still does not like cows milk. I have to bribe him to take a sip, and then he will fuss and cry for water. Also, he is on a yogurt strike and seems to be eating less of a variety of foods than before. One new food that he likes: Bacon! He will also eat a few bites of cheeseburger at times.

-He has begun playing and interacting with Jackson more. They love to chase eachother and laugh while doing it. Of course, boys being boys, someone usually gets hurt at the end from running so fast around the furniture. I feel like I am constantly saying "Stop running Boys", or "Jackson, watch out for your little brother!" :)
-He loves to give kisses and hugs. He lays his head on your shoulder and gives a tight squeeze, and it is just adorable. He also loves to smile and say "CHEESE!" for the camera (and also when he wants something).
-He likes to try to brush his own teeth and hair. Also, he loves going in our closet and pulling out all of our shoes and trying them on. He is getting good at walking in some of Justin's huge shoes.
-He loves to be tickled, and Justin gets the best laughs when he does it. Rhett loves to run up to Justin and get tickled and laugh like crazy, run away, and then come right back.
-He still loves to read books, listen to music, and dance. He constantly asks me to sing him "Wheels on the Bus". He also loves the "Hot Dog" song from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, as well as watching Special Agent O.so.
-He tries to sneak Play Dough into his mouth. He knows better and will wait until he thinks we are not watching, then shove it into his mouth. I cant tell you how many times I have fished slobbery play dough out of his mouth. Yuck!
-He is getting better and better at scribbling and putting stickers on paper. He does try to eat the occasional crayon still, so we have to watch him closely :)
-He continues to be super sweet and affectionate and also stubborn. He is simply adorable and so much fun. I love watching our boys continue to grow close and play more together. I am also thankful that Rhett is such a good listener. Here are some pics from month 17:

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

To our FOUR year old, Jackson

Dear Jackson,

Not that long ago, you turned 4! How can that be? As cliched as it is, I swear it wasnt that long ago that I held you in my arms for the first time...and yet here we are 4 years later!

At four years old, you are ALL personality! We have had several people tell us that you should be on TV. You will talk to anybody and you are not shy at all. We just never know what you are going to say :) You always ask the guys behind the fish counter at W.hole Foods to do a show for you with the frozen fish (making them talk) and they do everytime because you are so funny and they get a kick out of you. You also have wonderful manners, which makes us so proud!

You have an AMAZING memory. We will read you a book a few times and then you can recite the whole thing on your own. Your teachers at school have made several comments about how good your memory is. You love to learn about anything and be read to. You and Daddy have a book that you love to read together-a book about Space and the planets. You have been talking about the planets, rockets, satellites, comets, the galaxy, etc. You say you want to go to Space Camp like Daddy did one day.

You are completely into superheroes. You love Spiderman, The Avengers, The Justice League, etc. You talk about super heroes all of the time and you think it is your job to "defeat bad guys".

You love to point out people who litter (especially cigarettes) on the ground and discuss why some people just dont care about the earth. You have promised Mommy and Daddy that you will never litter and never smoke, and I sincerely hope that you mean that!

You are quite the ladies man these days. Daddy got taken aside by your teachers a few weeks ago because you were kissing on a few of the girls and we had to talk to you about kissing at school :) Secretly I know Daddy was proud, though. You pretend to marry a girl named Scarlett often at school and you want us to invite her over for a play date so that you can "marry her and kiss her without the teachers seeing". I dont know how I feel about that, but I am pretty sure it is all innocent fun. You are extremely affectionate and we love your sweet heart.

Speaking of affection, you are obsessed with pretending to marry Mommy and adamant that you are the groom in our wedding pictures. You get EXTREMELY jealous and upset when Daddy hugs or kisses me. We have to have lots of talks about how Mommy loves you, Daddy, and Rhett. You do not like to share me. Daddy says he has some great stories to tell you (to embarrass you) when you get much older. I am enjoying all of the love from you lately, because I know one day you will be "too cool" to show too much affection to me :)

You are ALL boy in that you love roughhousing, cars, sports, trains, and potty jokes. If we want a cheap laugh, all we have to do is insert the word "poop" in a sentance and you think it is hilarious. You are also super competitive and sometimes a little too hard on yourself, especially when you are not the best at something.

You have some really cool dance moves, and you command an audience when you sing or dance. Sometimes you get really silly and pretend to fall down, or make your song sound funny. You tend to get really hyper when all eyes are on you but I can tell you are feeding off of the attention.

You eat really well, but wont eat certain "kid" foods. Some foods that you do NOT like: french fries (what what!?), chicken nuggets, spaghetti, pizza, broccoli, watermelon (or any melon for that matter). Your favorite food is SALMON and you love fried fish as well. You ask for salmon all of the time and will eat a huge fillet. You also love many fruits, pancakes, scrambled eggs, pulled pork bbq, roast, and of course, all things chocolate!

You do NOT like when you fall down and get a boo boo. You get very upset if you are bleeding and need a band aid. It is getting better, but you are pretty dramatic when you see scrapes on your body from a fall.

You are super independant and get yourself dressed, brush your teeth, help me cook, set the table, sweep, vacuum, clean up, brush your hair, help unload the dishwasher. You often say " I can do it myself!!". Right now we are working on getting you to hold your pencil properly and you are getting there, but you do NOT like to be corrected.

Overall you have a very sweet and laid back demeanor. We have had occasional weeks where your behavior has been not so great and you are testing us, but nothing too challenging...yet. Since the day your were born, you have proven to be a pretty easygoing person and for that we are so thankful. I hope you always keep that happy and positive spirit.

Some of your favorite things: playing superheroes, playing "kitty cat", candyland, cars, doing anything outdoors, going to the movies (you just saw your first: "Planes" with daddy and LOVED it), Disney World, staying in hotels, Waterparks, Disney Junior, snuggling, reading, art projects, and running around naked :)

Some things you do NOT like at all: shots, boo boos, bees, being corrected, not being the best, and flies.
You 4th birthday party was so much fun. You wanted a "Cars" theme and we did it at the Children's museum. This year was the first year that you had a major say in the guest list and you invited many friends from your school. You ran around and had a blast with your friends.
You are such a big boy now and we are so proud of the amazing person that you are. As always, you bring SO much joy to our lives and we are so blessed to call you our sweet boy. We LOVE YOU so much!!

Official Stats:
Weight: 37.4 lbs 63rd percentile
Height: 42.5 in 91st percentile
BMI: 14.5 13th percentile
Last day of 3K: