Munchkin Update #3

Mr. Christian Asher

Oh my, how this little boy has captured my heart. When I was pregnant with him, I remember thinking over and over, "What am I going to do with a boy? I only know girls!" I just couldn't picture what it would be like. But, the moment this little guy was in my arms, there was no need to worry. It was love at first sight.

I loved having two girls and I loved having a boy after that. It's been such a fun change! This sweet little guy has added so much joy and fun to our family.

So far, he fits the typical characteristics of BOY in every way. He is like a little bull dozer. He bangs on his toys, plows through his sisters to get what he wants, and totally holds his ground in sibling squabbles. He is a very busy little boy and always on the move. He is a climber like his sister, Kayley and that means I am constantly pulling him off of the kitchen table and other furniture.

Christian is a goofy little man and has a good sense of humor. His sisters make him laugh all the time and it is so funny to hear him crack up. Also like his sisters, he definitely is starting to have a mind of his own and he can be feisty and very determined to have his way! I am trying to remember how I disciplined his sisters at this age and am working to find effective ways to teach an almost 18 months old to obey!

Christian can be very mischievious and has always had a bad habit of pulling his sisters hair. He just can't seem to resist when he sees hair hanging by him. This is another thing we are working on!

He absolutely loves bath time and splashes and shrieks along with his sisters. There have been many evenings when he is very cranky and the only thing that will calm him down or make him happy is a bath. So, he has lots of them. :)

Christian loves looking at books! He reminds me a lot of Kayley in this way and I am always finding him sitting with a book. He also brings books to Mom or Dad all throughout the day and will patiently sit through the whole thing and point at the pictures and really get into it. He never seems to get tired of being read to.

Christian is going through the clingy phase and leaving him in the church nursery is really a challenge right now. However, I try not to let it bother me too much because I am quite sure this phase will pass, just like it did with his sisters and for now, we just have to keep trying and ride it out. After being incredibly attached to his mommy from the time he was a little baby, he is now moving into a phase where he wants just Daddy. He always wants to be with him, be held by him, and just do pretty much anything with him.

When Daddy comes home from work, the girls have always run up to him yelling, "Daddeeeeeeeeeeeeey!" and so Christian has just picked up the last syllable and now yells "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" when he runs to greet his Daddy. It is so cute.

Although he obviously is absorbing everything and understands a lot, Christian is not yet much of a talker. He is content to just say a few words, grunt, and say lots of baby babble. He does say, "what's that?" when he sees something new and he says a few other words including, "Mama" but that's about it. I am not worried, however, because I figure he'll talk when he's ready. It's definitely a change after his incredibly verbal sisters but I'm okay with that. We'll just keeping talking to him and eventually he'll probably decide he wants to talk too. :)

When he says, "Mama" he says it in the cutest little voice with such a sweet smile on his face and it just makes my day.

Christian is a great sleeper. He sleeps about 12 hours a night without a peep and takes a long afternoon nap each day. A few months ago, he started going from two naps to one, and it was a fairly easy transition as I just moved his bedtime up a little bit. When I sing his bedtime song, he lays his head on my shoulder and cuddles with me and I love it because that is about the only time this busy boy will cuddle with me these days. He rarely cries when being put to bed and has a funny habit of throwing his blanket out of his crib and then laying down to go to sleep. He just doesn't want a blanket, I guess!

Christian is such a blessing and it is so much fun seeing him interact with his sisters and love his daddy so much. He seems to be changing so much right now and has really lost the baby look. We are so thankful for what he adds to our family and we sure love this little guy!