The Jones Team: A Quick Glimpse

This is NOT the Catch-Up post that I really owe myself as much as anyone else, but I will write briefly on the first day of school and JP's 9 month appointment.

Both girls are re-enrolled in their pre-school this year. Lucia is in the pre-Kindergarten class and Magdalena in the 3/4s age class. They both attend 4 hours 5 days a week, and they both love it!

John Paul is now almost 9 1/2 months, but had his 9 month appointment just last Friday. He weighs 23 lbs 14 ounces (slowing down to 75th percentile) and is 30 inches long (still 90/95th percentile). He is doing great on all fronts, has three teeth (2 bottom, top left) and the top right just cut the little tell-tale hole in the gumline today! He has recently started clapping (2 weeks ago?), and just 2 days ago started waving! He "says" some things too - in addition to "Mama" "Dada", he now says "A Bah!" for a Bath! (just like Magdalena did at this same age, maybe even a bit earlier for her), and "Apa" for Apa (my dad), and Apuh for apple! I don't know if he knows what apple really is, though. he also seems to say "Baa" for Ball in the right context as well. He absolutely responds to his name, and LOVES to be tickled in his armpits. So funny and fun! He has a gleeful laugh that brings joy to my heart. :-)

One other funny thing about Magdalena - she has really become "The Bee Whisperer." I'll have to get pictures of this, but she'll go to the flowers in the front yard and literally stand by them and PET the bees! I have told her repeatedly just to look, but she'll invariably reach down and sometimes she actually does pet the bees. So far she hasn't been stung, hope that continues!

Lucia is really growing up to be a young lady. She loves to walk with me to the merry-go-round park near our house and just chatters the whole way. She notices everything from the birds to the airplanes to the black cherries on the trees of the passersby. She also tries to teach her younger siblings everything - the other day I gave them a piece of pineapple licorice (I think this was an impulse buy by my mom at Costco), and Magdalena kept calling it pineapple "grish". Lucia said "Magdalena, say "LIH" now say "KUH" now say "RISH"" until Magdalena got it right. :-) And Lucia loves to pick John Paul up (basically this consists of putting her arms under his armpits and hobbling with him) to move him to relative safety if he gets too close to something he shouldn't like the DVD player. :-)

These kiddos are so fun! We are still very very very busy, but wouldn't trade it for the world. :-)