18 Months

Michael turned 18 months this past November. He handled the pediatrician's visit much better this year. And best of all, we don't have to go back until May when Michael turns 2. Here are his current stats...

Height: 31.5"

Weight: 23 lbs., and 11 oz.

Head: 19"

Trick or Treat!!

Sunday was Halloween and Michael's second go at it. This year he was big enough to actually go trick or treating. I was unsure how the whole thing would go, but he quickly got the hang of it. He soon figured out that if he knocked on the door someone would answer and give him candy. How awesome! He even belted out at 'trick or treat' to one of the neighbors. The evening ended with his first lollipop and some dancing for the neighbors next door. My son, always the life of the party.

Pumpkin Picking

Saturday we made a trip to the local pumpkin patch. Michael had a blast running around checking things out and riding in the cart. All he wanted to do was sit on top of the pumpkins. And he thought he was strong enough to carry them all by himself. I bet next year he'll be able to pick them up! I've included a pick from last year. It's amazing to see how much he's grown in just one year.

Cozy Coupe

Back in May, Michael received a Cozy Coupe for his birthday. Since he received a ton of fun new toys, I thought it would be best to hold off on the coupe until he could appreciate it a little more. So, in the garage the coupe sat collecting dust until recently. Michael has been battling four new teeth cutting through, a fever last week, and now a terrible cold. I remembered the coupe sitting in the garage and thought maybe it would cheer up mr. cranky pants. He loves it and continues to try to get in it Dukes of Hazard style, although he's starting using the door a little more.

Good Times

Last week Michael and I went to Wimberley to visit the grandparents. We missed Daddy so much, but had a great time running around and exploring everything. Feeding the deer was a huge hit, riding the lawn mower....not so much.

Going Bananas

Sticky, sticky, sticky! Yesterday morning Michael was eating his breakfast and I was busy cleaning the kitchen when I turned to look at him and he had a banana stuck to the middle of his forehead. We both started cracking up. He continued sticking bananas to his head. Silly monkey.

First Cut and New Kicks

Michael had his first haircut this weekend....sort of. I decided that I could give it a trim. For my first time and a squirmy toddler, I think it came out okay. Goodbye bangs in the eyes and baby mullet. Michael now looks preppy and clean cut. We also purchased his first pair of sneakers. He's been wearing sandals all summer long. I recently looked at his feet and realized that his toes were starting to hang over so off to the shoe store we went. So many changes, he's growing so much!

Cuz

Michael's cousin Zack stopped by for a visit recently. Michael thinks he is so cool!

Chillaxin'

Nothing beats laying on the couch in your pjs watching cartoons and eating animal crackers.

Happy 15 Months!

Michael is 15 months old today. We spent the morning at the pediatrician's getting his checkup. Unfortunately he now knows what that means.....shots! He was not a happy camper and cried the entire time. Just when I got him settled down after his shots, they informed me that we needed to go have some routine blood work done. The look of fear on him while they drew blood broke my heart. I'll never get used to someone poking my child. Here's his latest stats:

Height - 29.75 in.

Weight - 22 lbs, 1 oz.

Head - 18.5 in.

Construction

This week we started and finished a new project on the house. One that we've been wanting to do since we first moved in. We replaced the back door and three adjoining windows with a 12' sliding glass door. The finished look is exactly what we were going for. Both middle sections slide open. Bella still hasn't gotten used to it. She continues to stand and bark where the old door used to be on the left. Between baby hand prints and puppy nose prints, I see a lot of Windex in my future.

Super Soaked

Michael loves playing in the water hose. He had fun on Saturday getting soaked and cooling off during the hot summer afternoon.

Bedtime Buddies

There are three things that Michael cannot sleep without. Monkey, Elephant, and Little Bear. Can you figure out who's who? Heehee, I know, real creative with the names! Michael loves his bedtime buddies. Frequently when he's restless and not ready to fall asleep, Michael gets a little mischievous and tosses his buddies overboard. Almost instantly he regrets this move and cries out for them. Mamma to the rescue! I'll rescue them once, but that's it. Funny how Michael knows this and keeps them snuggled close for the rest of the night.

Weekend Fun

We had fun this past weekend in Wimberley. Michael loved running around in the fresh country air. Even better was that his Uncle David and cousin Evan were there!

Mosquito Bite Gone Bad

On Sunday while Michael was in the garage helping me with the laundry a mosquito bit him on the eyelid. It didn't seem to bother him so I didn't give it much thought until he woke up on Monday morning with a swollen eye. Poor baby! As you can see from the picture it looked just awful. Fortunately it wasn't itching him. Still, it made me nervous so I called the pediatrician to see what they recommended I give him to help with the swelling. To my surprise they asked us to come in. So, off to Dr. we went yesterday. Turns out a kid came in the week before with a bite on the eye and it got infected. They just wanted to double check that Michael was okay which was fine with me. Better safe than sorry. He's on an antihistamine for the next few days and already today it looks much better. Stupid mosquitoes!!

Piano Man

The minute we moved the piano into the house Michael has been drawn to it. He loves tickling those ivories. A couple of months ago he enjoyed standing at the piano and reaching up to play some music. Now he insists on sitting on the bench and playing it properly. I'm hoping for a music scholarship in the future.

Puppy Love

Bella's boyfriend lives two houses down from us. They are crazy for each other. It's not uncommon for me to find Woodford sitting at our front door looking for Bella. Bella is no better. Anytime she is out front playing she's always checking out Woodford's house to see if he's around. Thankfully Woodford comes from a good home because I don't think anything can keep these two apart.

So Long Highchair

A few weeks ago Michael started to climb out of his highchair. No matter what I did I just could not keep him strapped in it. So, I switched him to a booster seat. He seems to enjoy this much better and it locks him in much tighter making an escape impossible. So, this past weekend we disassembled the highchair and stored it away for later use. I say good riddance! That thing has so many nooks and crannies that food was constantly getting trapped in it.

Firsts

Michael had two firsts today. During his bath tonight I spotted a floaty. That's right, Michael pooped in the bathtub. It guess it was going to happen sooner or later. That resulted in his other first....a shower. The tub was taking way too long to drain and Michael was soapy so I took him to the other bathroom that has a shower only. At first he was a little freaked out standing in the shower all by himself. He soon got over that when I jumped in with him. We had fun jumping in and out of the water stream. Wish I could have gotten a pic of him in the shower, but I had my hands full!

Cheerios!

Not a day goes by that Michael's snack cup doesn't get refilled with Cheerios. You'd think he'd get tired of them, but nope he loves them. Bella loves them too! For every cheerio that Michael gets in his mouth, about 10 hit the floor. Thank goodness Bella is always a foot behind to hoover them up. Today I caugh Michael hiding some for later in a decorative box of mine. Seems Bella made the discovery too.

First Fort

Today Michael built his first fort (with a little help from Daddy). I'm sure it'll be the first of many. I'm not sure who was more excited- Michael, Daddy, or Bella!

Monkeying Around

Earlier this week I walked into the kitchen to a big surprise. Michael was standing on top of the kitchen table! I was stunned to see him standing there. He turned to look at me with a huge smile on his face. I was so shocked and got him off the table along with a stern 'no'. I know I should have been angry, but it was so funny. Luckily I was able to hide my giggling from him. He figured out how to use the chairs as a stepping stool so they have since been moved to the hall out of his reach. Michael really is my little monkey.

Starting a Blog!

Okay, lets see if I can keep up with this. My main objective of starting this is to document the days and weeks of our lives so that we can one day look back. Time goes by so quickly that I want to make sure and remember as much as I can. So, here goes....

Michael is now almost 14 months old (3 days shy) and such a joy. He has 12 teeth already and is running around all day long. He still takes two daily naps (yay!) and sleeps through the night in 12 hour stretches. It's all table food now. He typically will not eat anything he cannot feed himself. Such a big boy!