Capes, Crocks, and Otterpops

Kaleb and Aliyah are best buds and they are proof to me that it is good to have your kids close in age.  They have so much fun together and they make life so sweet right now.  They still have their occasional fighting, but for the most part they are so good to each other.

 Aliyah looks up to Kaleb and wants to be like him in every way possible.  If he wants to wear his cape, she wants hers and when he got a pair of fabulous clearance crocs she needed some as well!  She wants to wear underwear whenever he does and if he gets a treat or a snack or a toy or something, she notices even the smallest inequality.  Kaleb is all about cars, dinosaurs, action figures, and sticks right now...so Aliyah is as well.

 Kaleb loves Aliyah so much and loves to take care of her.  If she is crying, he is determined to find something to make her smile.  He likes to interpret her babblings for me and he is pretty creative with it.  He thinks she is so silly and often talks about things she does and says and he just laughs and laughs about what a funny girl she is.  Kaleb really likes the fact that Aliyah watches him so closely and follows his example.  He thinks it is pretty neat to be a big brother and teach her things.  One thing about Kaleb that was so wonderful through the really sick, miserable months of this pregnancy is that he helped with Aliyah in so many ways.  In the morning he would tell her, "Mommy is really sick but she'll come in soon to get you out of your crib."  Then he would sing her songs and read her books and give her toys to play with.  Talk about a sweet way to wake up in the morning!

Just a few things about Aliyah for my forgetful mind:

Aliyah is talking quite a bit right now and adding words nearly everyday.  They aren't all really clear but she uses them often enough that I generally know what she is trying to say.  Some of them sound perfect (she seems to know it and says those most often).  Here is the list she can say at this point:  momma, daddy, otterpop, cheese, ice, juice, water, cold, hot, spoon, out, down, hi, elmo, doggy, ducky, kitty, shoe, stool, toe, ouch, eye, nose, yeah, no, I did it, don't do that, tissue, Nonna, snuggle, and I think that is all for now...
Aliyah is so loving right now, and I love it!  She is suddenly very cuddly and gives the best hugs. She has discovered her ability to climb on things and works at it often.  She seems to love the idea of growing up and being a big girl and if there's anything that fits in to the big girl category she wants to be a part of it.  Her hair is getting longer and she insists on getting it done each day.  While I'm getting ready she comes in and demands that I do her hair.  I'm just glad she will let me do it so she doesn't look quite as much like an orphan child :)

Now for Kaleb:

What a little stud that cute kid is.  He is seriously the best big brother and the best helper I could ask for.  He is so kind and loves to do nice things for me and for Aliyah.  His favorite ways to help are to vacuum and to empty the silverware from the dishwasher.  He loves practicing writing letters and drawing dragons and scary creatures.  He has started singing a lot, and I love hearing his interpretation of some of the lyrics.  He prefers to have his cape on throughout the day so that he can fight bad guys and jump and fly really fast. He loves to read with me and do puzzles and anything that involves my one on one attention.

 
And one last picture for my memory:

Even though I already feel thick, I know I will look back and miss being this size as the months go on!  This is me at 15 weeks.