The D is Three...

Friends

It was party-central on Saturday when Daniel celebrated his third birthday a few days early. Harrison, Eli, Reid, Ethan, Declan, Ella, Sergio and Carlos showed up with their parents in tow.

Daniel is quite clear on how old he is, as you can see from the picture. We actually think that he's proud of that fact. The theme of his 3rd birthday party was, in case you're not up on current preschooler trivia - "Bob the Builder". Daniel loves his construction vehicles and tools. So Anida made him a construction-site cake.

He blew out his candles on the first attempt. Overall, it was the most fun birthday yet, just because Daniel clearly understood everything that was going on and was excited about it. He had wished for a "Scrambler" toy and got it, and when he got packages delivered, he proudly proclaimed "I got mail". So it was just a lot of fun to watch the pure joy as he opened packages.

Let's see what else is new. The promised picture from swim lessons shows Daniel actually having to share Miss Jenny's attention with another level-1 swimmer, but he's quite proud that he's swimming on his own (holding on to a bar). The swim program has been great, and we wish it kept going through the summer, but there's only 2 more lessons and then a break until fall.

Both Daniel and Rachel went to the pediatrician this week for official stuff. Daniel weighed in at 28lbs and 36", which puts him at the 10th and 15th percentile respectively. Rachel's stats have her at 22lbs 11.5oz and 32" or the 50th and 92nd percentile. Someone's heading towards tall. They are both, of course, perfect - not just in our eyes, but according to a medical professional, which is always nice to hear. Rachel got some shots, Daniel didn't.

Rachel turned 15 months today. Her babble and vocabulary kicked up a notch this week, and she has a new tooth (making it 7). Her favorite outdoor activity is picking dandelions. She has picked up on the fact that Anida has waged war on them and has decided to join the battle. It's great because she leaves everything else alone. Would it be too much to ask her to pull out the whole root?!?

When we're inside, she's either trying to climb onto the highest surface around or she's in the middle of whatever Daniel is playing with at the time. Fortunately, Daniel is getting better at handling these situations by either including her in his play or finding a distraction for her.

She's also been very affectionate lately, to the point of Daniel exclaiming "I don't want any more loving" when she tries to hug-and-kiss him.

And that's all for now.

Love, D.A.R.E