Pictures, video and updates from our family
I made meatloaf and mac n cheese tonight. Mark loved the meatloaf and scarfed if down. He would finish what was on his plate and then reach and jump for more. He ate a few pieces of macaroni but mostly just ate a ton of meatloaf by the fistfuls. And then when he was finally finished he clapped his hands. Guess he has been waiting for the beef.
Mark loves to pull up on Emily's chairs. Just yesterday I was in the kitchen while he was standing with the chair. He must have knocked it over accidentally and figured out it would move. When I looked back in the playroom he was walking across the room like a little old man. Here is a video of him slowly moving along with his makeshift walker.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFp9VuHiou8
Ben is 31 today. He jokingly asked me yesterday if I was going to write a blog post on his progress. I will refrain from posting any percentiles or updates on his favorite foods and activities but can report that he is doing perfectly well. Emily and I decided to pick up a few fun things this afternoon for a little family celebration tonight.
Happy birthday to a wonderful husband and dad. We love you very much.
We converted Emily's crib into a toddler bed a few months ago. It has gone much better than I anticipated and she loves the new set up. I meant to post pictures a while back but never found the time. Emily loves to show all her friends her "big girl bed" and loves playing with Mark in her bed too. Here are some pictures.
Lastly, a few pictures of Emily and Mark having a Cheerio picnic. Someone is hogging all the Cheerios...
Mark had is 9 month check up last week and everything went well. He is 29.5 inches long and 18lbs 10ozs, which puts him in the 87th percentile for height and 22nd percentile for weight. He has cut 3 new teeth in the past few weeks so he now has 6 teeth! He is still doing the army crawl. It is kind of funny to watch because he drags himself like that all over the house. The doctor showed me some exercises to work on a more traditional crawl. Not crucial, but supposedly they build better upper body strength with a traditional crawl. Ive tried working on it some but the doctor said once they've been creeping/army crawling for a while then they might never convert to the traditional way so it might be too late already but we will keep trying. He has also started pulling up and is just now starting to experiment with sofa cruising.
Mark is eating anything and everything right now and has now mastered finger foods. He loves to pick up the food himself and has started getting frustrated when I try to spoon feed him. He is really good at picking up the food and getting it straight to his mouth and chewing - the hard part is preparing healthy, soft finger foods. I think his favorite new thing so far is orange, sweet potato or squash, but he likes any kind of grain (puffs, cheerios) as well. Mark is now fully weaned as of yesterday! I think once a baby is devouring solids and has 6 teeth it's a good time to call it quits. Mark has not skipped a beat through out the whole weaning process and loves getting a bottle or drinking formula in a cup.
Mark loves to stand at the window, but just the other day I realized that when he is standing he can't see over the windowsill very well. So I sat him in a chair and he got so excited. He loves watching squirrels and people and cars. It is so cute. Mella likes to do it too.
We had a very impromptu trip to the zoo yesterday. It was pretty hot but we still had a great time. My mom came too which was nice because I definitely think one adult per kid is a good ratio for a zoo trip. Emily liked the Monkeys best but I feel like we didn't even get to see half of what they have to offer. Mark did well and he really did look at all the animals and displays. I think he liked the monkeys best too. Everyone always says an hour or so is enough at the zoo, so I let Mark take his morning nap at home and then figured we would stay from about 11:00-12:30 at zoo and then be home for naps. But, we got there at 12 and had to drag Emily out at 2. Next time we will get there first thing and stay until lunch. And I think we will wait until it is no longer 100+ degrees out. Although they have a lot to offer even in the heat.
Mark and I are enjoying our time together while Emily is at school. Here we are passing the ball. He loves to do this. (You will probably only enjoy this video if you are one of the grandparents.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iciQOA772Ro&feature=youtube_gdata_player
You can only fully appreciate the frustration of moments like this if you are currently caring for a 2 year old.
The library is next door to the park. Had to wait 30 minutes on steps for library to open for storytime. Both kids did well after the initial breakdown. This is the best story time. Worth the wait even when the park is closed.
The weather is perfect today. It was so nice this morning that the kids needed light blankets for our morning jog. Played at the park and also had a playdate with my Bunco friends and we all sat outside. Got home and decided to do dinner on the patio. I don't think the weather is going to last but we are definitely enjoying it. In the midst of all the outdoor excitement I dropped my phone on the patio and the screen shattered. Not excited about that.
Emily loves to sing the ABCs and always claps while she sings. Now every time you start singing the ABCs Mark starts clapping. Also in Mark news he got his third tooth a few weeks ago and his fourth tooth just starting popping out. He is babbling a lot more now and says "dada" a lot but I don't think he is deliberately making that sound. He loves to stand up at tables but isn't surfing though he is definitely trying. He is still my little angel and I can't believe he is already 8&1/2 months old! I am looking forward to having some time to play with just Mark while Emily is in MDO. My version of ABCs is not quite as good as Emily's but I am sure she will sing for Mark as soon as she gets home. Here is the video of Mark clapping.Your browser does not support the video tag
