Too Much I Want to Remember

Okay, so as I was reading Pierce his bedtime story tonight I thought of so much more I want to document about this time in the kids' lives right now. I wish I could capture all my favorite moments on video so I will always remember the best parts of them growing up. I want to remember everything but in reality I know that is just not going to be the case.

Current Happenings in Pierce's World at 9.5 months:
*I have to read him the same book, "I Love You Through and Through", before bed or he cries when I put him in his crib. He just loves this book and gets so excited reading it. He now turns the pages by himself and it is too cute. Also, for some reason I haven't figured out, he looks at me and smiles every time we get to the last page.
*He LOVES cinnamon rolls (the refrigerated Pillsbury in a can)! He can eat almost 2 rolls. He also love McDonald's hot cakes. But, his favorite thing to eat is frozen yogurt. As soon as he has that first bite, he starts smacking those lips like crazy.
*He smiles every time he hears the theme song to Dora. Oh, boy!
*He hates being but in his car seat. I think he is ready to face forward. Hang in there for 2 more months buddy!
*He puts EVERYTHING in his mouth.
*He has to sleep with his pacifier. And he only likes the NUK brand. He won't even grab for another kind.
*He has a ton of fun at bath time, just like his sisters.
*He just got his bottom 2 teeth last week.
*We are surprised that he is growing in dark hair. We thought he was going to be the lightest (skin, hair, eyes) of the bunch. And, he has these huge brown eyes. SO adorable. He gets lots of compliments on those flirtatious eyes.
*He is a great sleeper. He goes down between 7:30 and 8:00 at night and wakes up between 8:30 and 9:00 the next morning. I know, great for me. Well, it would be if Emerson slept through the night. He really only takes 1 nap at about noon for 2-3 hours. We are on a great schedule and I love it.
*He is drinking 3 six ounce bottles per day and is eating most table foods. We didn't do baby food for long, thank goodness.
*He mimics, "mama" and "dada" consistently and loves to talk to himself and play in his crib in the mornings.
*He "crawls" all over the house. He has definitely hit that curious stage. He also loves to scoot on his bottom while sitting up. It is only a matter of time before he figures out how to truly crawl and start cruising.

Life through Reagan's eyes:
*Dora is God in her world. The girl is OBSESSED. Seriously, it looks like our house is a shrine to Dora the Explorer. Maybe she instinctively recognizes her Hispanic roots.
*She idolizes her big sister and adores her baby brother.
*She sucks her left thumb unlike Emerson, who sucks her right.
*She LOVES shoes. I may be in trouble when she becomes a teenager.
*She has the best time swinging and sliding at the park or in the backyard.
*She is shy at first and clings to me until she feels comfortable in her surroundings.
*She is really independent and likes to dress and undress herself. She can even change her own wet pull-up. In fact, she is showing signs she is ready to potty-train. Unfortunately, I don't think I am.
*She really enjoys pretending to talk on the phone. She mostly talks to Nonna, Papa, daddy and Cinderella. Interestingly, not Dora.
*Her favorite thing to eat is chicken nuggets (as long as they are not from Chick-fil-A). She also loves strawberries and grapes. Unfortunately, she and Emerson have switched eating behaviors. Reagan is now the picky eater and Emerson has been branching out.
*We have put an end to Reagan's juice addiction and she is now only allowed to have one sippy cup of orange juice in the morning and sometimes I let her bring a juice box to the park.
*She has started this "hoarding-like" behavior and want to bring like 5 toys with her everywhere. But, it is not always the same ones. She picks a few different ones that she becomes attached to every day. Really weird. She is my quirky, peculiar child for sure.

Emerson's Reality as a "Big Girl!":
*She has become really interested in TV shows like "iCarly". I don't really know how she relates but she is definitely entertained. In fact, I can't get her to sit longer than 15 minutes for an animated movie, but she watched the entire "Chipmunks Squeakuel". I really want to be able to have an excuse to buy all the Disney movies I loved as a child on DVD but she won't watch them. She loves the idea of Cinderella and all the toys but won't watch the movie.
*She LOVES to be outside. We have been taking advantage of the great weather (aside for the last couple of days) and been going to the park everyday. Even though we have a swing set, she still wants to go to the park. She still plays outside in the backyard on a daily basis but still likes to earn trips to the park with good behavior.
*She is obsessed with our backyard/garage/alley neighbor. He is retired and smokes in his garage so he is constantly opening the garage door and we can see him each time from our living room. Anytime we are outside, she climbs up the slide to look over the fence and starts chatting away with him. Poor guy probably wishes we'd move so he can go back to smoking in peace.
*She prefers to wear pajamas and would wear them in public if we let her. We will literally walk in the door and she is going to her room to change.
*The child has an unbelievable memory. I am thinking she is going to do great in school! I think it is photographic. I mean, she remembers EVERYTHING!
*Ice cream/frozen yogurt and chocolate are separate food groups in her world. Definitely takes after her daddy with her sweet tooth. We have really been enjoying all the new self-serve yogurt shops that keep popping up. We have one we love to go to by our house. They even have a TV playing new children's movies set up with little chairs. They love it.
*She doesn't like juice and only drinks water unless you are offering soda.
*She is my personal secretary and answers my phone whenever it rings.
*We have to visit the Dollar Spot every time we go to Target (at the end with good behavior of course)!
*She still has a very difficult time getting to sleep and ends up in bed with us sometime before 3 am each night. Most nights neither Jamie nor I notice exactly when she climbs in to "snuggle". And each night when we are tucking her in she asks, "when can I come snuggle with you in your bed?" And each night the answer is always, "in the morning". However, each night she ends up sprawled out in between us way before the sun rises. Our fault, I know, for not putting her back in her room as soon as we notice.
*She still sucks her thumb. It is not a huge focus right now with everything else that is going on.
*She refuses to spend the night at her grandparents' houses because she says she'll "miss me too much".
*She is extremely dramatic and we do not foresee that she will be in any type of contact sport.

There is so much more that I am probably going to remember tonight as I lay down to attempt a good night's rest, but here is a start. I love how each of my kids have their own distinct personality and that their lives are evolving before my eyes. They are constantly changing and yet their core spirit remains the same. Emerson is a free spirit and has been since she was in the womb. She is very dramatic and creative. You can tell she is left brain dominant. Yet, we also see glimpses of an A-type personality. Reagan is quirky and rambunctious but also very reserved. You can tell what she is thinking with just looking at the expression in her eyes. And Pierce, he is predictable, sweet, and charismatic. Even though they are all different, I am blessed that they are all extremely happy children. They love life and it shows. Their curiosity and innocence about the world is enviable.