New Youngster

Welcome to the world, sweet Drew.

Andrew Allan Young, born 12/7/15 at 4:03pm. 8 lbs, 11 ounces and 22 inches. Like his brothers, he was born a week late with the help of a healthy dose of Pitocin.

We are all adjusting pretty well- Cole has especially surprised us with his immediate willingness to accept a baby brother. Well, almost immediate. His first reaction upon meeting Drew in the hospital was to shriek, run away into a chair and give himself a nosebleed. 

Brady, a seasoned big brother, has been as sweet as always to Drew. In stark contrast to Cole, his first reaction in the hospital was to march right up and tell Drew he loves him. 

The rest of the month has been a blur of sleep deprivation, bottles, and endless laundry as we try to find our new normal. So far, so good. 

Cole at 20 Months

Our little spitfire is going to be a big brother in four months, and my hunch is that he's not going to like it. Cole has been in a recent clingy stage and I can't picture him taking kindly to a baby in his way when he's scaling up the front of me, terrified, due to any number of horrifying things happening. These horrifying things include but are not limited to: someone ringing the doorbell, someone using a power tool outside, or the smallest clue that I might be leaving the house without him.

Always a man of extremes, when he's NOT clinging to me, Cole is a social butterfly. He loves to cruise through the grocery store saying hello ("Hewwo!!!") to fellow shoppers (especially older ladies, I suspect because he gets the most attention in return from this demographic). Once he initiates conversation, he has much more to share, some words more clear than others. Along with clear versions of Mommy, Daddy, car, thank you, baby, see you!, water, more, and 'I want ____', he also has a few words in need of translation:

Ahpee = airplane

Choo choo = train

Daaaah= dog

Whut do?= What are you doing?

Uppa = up

Luh ya= Love you

Beehee = Brady

Bobby = Grandma Bonnie

Gaga = Grandma

Peeez or Buh = Please

Radish = What's this?

Ooooooh = hug

Cole is a huge fan of Gaga, my mom, calling for her when he wakes up in the morning for weeks after she leaves and doing his best to completely monopolize screen time during our Facetime chats ("Me, Gaga!!! ME!!!"). He is also a major fan of Brady's. While they do disagree every day over something, they are the best of friends. At Brady's playgroup, Cole trails after the big boys trying to keep up and if anyone expresses annoyance at this, they quickly get told off by Brady. "He can come if he wants! He's my brother!"

Cole is a physical dude and loves to wrestle, jump and dance. Current favorite song, thanks to big brother influence, is 'Shell Shocked', a rap song written for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie. An unusual choice for a 20 month old, but he likes what he likes.

 

Brady at Four

It's so hard to believe four years have gone by!  Our big boy loves his brother, who calls 'my baby', school, Legos, cars, and planes.  He will do anything for a few minutes of ipad time or a fruit snack.  He still tops the charts in height and weight, despite a recently developed pickier palate.  He cracks us up daily with his comments and his 'concerts' (these consist of him dancing wildly to a song played on one of our phones).  

My personal favorite thing about this age is Brady's sweet desire to marry me and his occasional proposals.  How could I resist that offer?? 

Cole at 13 Months

Cole is continues to be as stubborn as he is sweet.  He *can* walk, as far as 10-ish feet that we have observed, but chooses not to walk - especially if his mother is watching.  Recently he crossed an entire room with the encouragement of his cousins and the moment Jacob said, "Aunt Lori, look!" Cole abruptly sat down and held his arms out to me to be held.  I assume that eventually his desire to explore will outweigh his stubbornness.  In the meantime, he is the fastest crawler and climber of all time.

On the sweet side, Cole is adorably affectionate and smiley.  Hug-worthy events according to Cole - before and after a diaper change, before nap and bed, and before being buckled into his carseat.  He loves to chat, although his side of the conversation is completely unintelligible except for "Mama", "Dada", and "Hi!".

Cole is currently rocking six teeth - four on top and two on the bottom.  He uses them to eat a huge quantity at every meal.  He pretty much mows down anything on his tray unless it's a vegetable... as I said, stubborn.

Cole is looking more and more like Brady to me again.

Cole

Brady

One notable difference between brothers - at this age, Brady was not nearly as content to sit on Santa's lap.