a day in the life of russell

* russell wakes up about an hour later than his sister every morning. he definitely inherited this trait from his mommy :)


*although he is not completely potty-trained, his pull-up is dry every morning and he makes a nice long peepee in the potty!


* russell LOVES food. it is such a joy to feed this kid because he'll eat just about anything. unlike natalie, who has a short list of foods she WILL eat, russell has a short list of foods that he WON'T eat! he loves fruits and veggies too, which is such a blessing -- apples, grapes, strawberries and cucumbers are some of his favorites


* his favorite toys are his cars and his legos. and he has several LEGOS CARS too :)


* russell likes to play independently but also loves to "rough house" with his sister! they chase, tackle, wrestle each other...natalie loves it too, but of course, she's the one who usually ends up getting "hurt"...


*he is a sturdy and careful kid and hardly ever gets hurt... but i always know when something's wrong because he'll cry that "hurt" cry which is different from the standard whine. like the time he bumped his tooth... twice...


* he is a little particular about his wardrobe. some times, not always, he will protest an article of clothing that i just put on him. sometimes i just ignore it and let him get over it (because after all, MOMMY picks out the clothes in this household--at least, for now...) but there are times when i will just give in because he is so serious about not liking his pants or whatever it is


*russell is moody. plain and simple. (also gets this from his mommy...)


*he HATES getting his hair cut. i took him to a kids salon for his first cut a long time ago and even with a movie playing and a lollipop in his hand, he screamed and cried the entire time. two years later he is STILL giving us a fight!


* russell just started to show an interest in coloring, especially in his mickey mouse book, but he doesn't care to do it for long. he also really LOVES to paint and do crafts!


* he is a good little helper in the kitchen and loves to help mommy when he can


* russell has made leaps and bounds in his vocabulary over the last year, but we still have a long way to go. he still attends speech therapy every other week and we are working on getting him into a different program, called Child Find, which the state provides to children who are "developmentally" behind to get them ready for school. some days i worry about his [lack of] talking but at this point this isn't a major concern. and it helps when i hear from other people about how their kid didn't start talking until they were 3 or 4, and they're completely normal now! (if any of you have a story like this to share, by all means, i would appreciate the encouragement! :D)


* russell is so incredibly sweet. he gives the best hugs (wraps his arms around your neck tight) and don't even get me started on those sweet kisses with his fat lips! all i have to do is ask (even in spanish) and he is very generous with them


*he hates brushing his teeth. he will tolerate it up until i try to get the brush behind his front lower teeth, then the battle's on!


* russell falls soundly asleep within minutes of "lights out" (most nights), just like his sister... and mommy couldn't ask for more :)




the little things about russell that i love:

- his dreamy light brown eyes
- his ever so kissable lips
- his beauty mark to the left of his left eye

- the peach fuzz on his jaw line
- his "sponge bob square/fred flintstone" feet (that's what i like to refer to them as)
- the sweet baby smell of his head that i can smell on him no matter if he is freshly clean or has skipped a bath

- the special bond that him and i share. it must be that mother/son connection you always hear about but i can't help it, he is hands-down a momma's boy


this is how he plays with his cars. every day.