On 3/27, Houston finally pee peed in his potty! Sure, it was just a dribble, but it was quite a big deal nonetheless. Since then he has had a few full-fledge pees in his musical toilet, setting off the happy, congratulatory tune that starts when liquid hits the bottom of the bowl. To my surprise, the music didn’t impress him all that much; he was more concerned about getting to put a “stick-oorz” (read: sticker) on his “Houston is a big boy” reward poster, which is displayed proudly on our bathroom wall.

An enraptured Houston watches “Man” (read: Spider Man) w/ Daddy.

Another technique we’re using is to try to distract Houston from the seemingly overwhelming task at hand when he sits diaper-less on the potty; he and Daddy thumb through children’s catalogs, since Houston loves to look at the pictures of kids playing, balls, brightly colored toys and the like. This has helped Houston relax a little more and has resulted in some pretty good urinary activity. 

Houston’s new fave super hero is Spider Man. He even imitates “Man’s” web-making abilities by spinning around, holding out his hand and saying, “ssssssssss.” Another cute thing he likes to do is thump on the wall or window and say, “Mama, knock.” This is in regards to Mommy locking herself out of the house while taking out the trash at 1 in the morning and having to knock on the bedroom window to wake up Daddy and Houston (who happened to be sleeping in Mommy and Daddy’s big bed due to having a bad dream). He still talks about the incident, even though it happened almost a month ago.

After exerting himself to the hilt, Zeke passes out in his favorite toy.

And then Stanley brought in a lovely gift for us around 6 a.m. last Friday. It was a beautiful male cardinal and that crazy cat took the bird under our bird. We quickly locked Stan in the bathroom and soon realized the bird couldn’t (or wouldn’t) fly. I helped scoot the hopping bird into our living room, and then picked him up with a cloth and freed him outside — all while I was only wearing a bra and a pair of boxer shorts. Yep, I’m sure our neighbors definitely think Clan Dillingham is a zoo!

Big Brother loves to pick on Gabriel, who’s none the wiser to the torment.

The twins are doing just great. They are in size 3 diapers, probably weigh at least 15 pounds and are strong as the Hulk. (Stephen and I have been watching the classic late-70s show on Netflix, so I have Bruce Banner on the brain.) One of the first things people comment on — besides the boys’ good looks! — is the fact that Gabriel and Zeke are such happy babies. Hearing this certainly makes a Mama proud. They are both doing wonderful holding their heads up, having fun on their tummies, rolling belly-to-back and nearly rolling back-to-belly, cooing and grabbing anything dangled in front of their faces. I cannot believe Gabriel and Zeke will be 6 months old tomorrow. I thank God everyday for my three amazing boys! 

Click on Zeke in the jump-n-go to check out the final additions to the March gallery, and click on the above photo to see all the April pics. And stay tuned … Easter and Tea Party photos coming soon.

Yesterday was Houston Lee’s 21-month birthday. He constantly challenges Daddy and me with his smarts, humor, depth, knowledge, self-awareness, inquisitiveness and strength. He is a wonderful son and big brother … happy birthday, Houston! 

Houston picks “flowers” (i.e. pretty weeds) in the front yard.  

Little brothers, who just turned 5 months old, had their last RSV shot on Tuesday, thank God. Amazingly, Gabriel and Zeke have finally reached equilibrium as far as weight and height are concerned: both boys weighed 14 pounds, 2 ounces, and measured 23 1/2″ in length. They, too, amaze us on a daily basis with their advanced intelligence, sweet giggles and utterances, and evolving physical feats.

“Carrots are quite delicious … I think,” ponders Gabriel.

 Other highlights as of late: 

• Zeke started rolling from back to belly on 3/14 and Gabriel followed suit soon thereafter;
• A few hours ago, Daddy and I moved both the Jump-n-Go and Exer-saucer up a notch to accommodate the twins’ spatial needs;
• Houston (usually with brothers) has had play dates this month with Dixie, Gracie and Matthew;
• Last weekend was so gorgeous that Houston and Daddy went to the park on Saturday, and (even though it took us a while) the entire family made it there on Sunday;

“Baths are sooooooo relaxing, Mommy,” says Zeke.

• We implemented Houston’s “binky only in bed” rule on 3/21; so far, he’s surviving and our lives have become much easier;
• Due to his his lust for hand-eating, Gabriel battled a major chapped face for a few days till his doc suggested using Chap Stick (duh!) to remedy the situation;
• Things have improved for Gabe’s face (although his hands have calloused on his favorite munching areas), but now Zeke is experiencing some chapped skin on his face due to his occasional thumb-sucking;  

“Please stop squishing me,” pleads Gabriel to his 35-pound, 3T-wearing big brother.

And the entire clan (with the help of Auntie Merdy) is headed to visit Daddy at work today. “Show and tell,” as Uncle Greg calls it, should be interesting, to say the least!

Click on Zeke’s bath shot to see all the March – Part 1 pics and the above photo to see all the more recent images from this month. Happy early Easter!