Before and After

I decided to go with a shorter look for the summer. Daddy cut it with his electric clippers, just like he does his own hair (only I don't have a big bald spot). Mommy was a little emotional cause it's so short--she says I look like a little boy now instead of a baby. But it will grow back! ...Right?

My new friend

Mikayla: Tonight we went to my new friend Emily's house. She is almost three years old. We had lots of fun running around the house, and playing with her toys. Before we left we got on her little atv, it was really cool. I hope we can see her again soon!

Old feet

Mikayla: The other day I was in my pool for awhile. I didn't realize how much it ages you. My feet looked like they were much older than the rest of me.

Barber park

We went the park yesterday. It was nice and windy so we flew some kites. It was hard to hold onto the kites so I let mommy and daddy do it. Elijah practiced cruising. After we got the kites back we went and played on the playground. Elijah liked swinging and I liked climbing on the big kids play area. Maybe I will be a mountain climber when I grow up.

Head size

Yesterday Daddy was feeling our heads and thought they seemed the same, so he got out the tape measuring thingy. Sure enough we have the same size head!

Elijah & Jonathan

Last week we went to visit Jonathan and his parents Sean and Vanessa. We had a nice meal and I got to sit in Jonathan's throne. Then we played on the floor together and Mikayla chased around the cat.

Helpin' with laundry

Elijah: Here I am helping mommy do the laundry. How is this helping? Well, I can't fold or sort (I can't even get a Cheerio in my mouth on my own). But I sat nicely in the tiny playpen and watched. I did not get in mommy's way, or throw clothes off the bed, and allowed mommy to fold and sort! Maybe I'll help her again soon.

Blanchard Park

The other day Daddy packed the bikes into the back of the van and we went to the park. We rode in our bike chariot and stoped by the playground for some fun. Elijah: I decided I better try some chin-ups and get into better shape. I fell asleep during the ride. (Sometimes even Mikayla squeezes my legs and says chunky legs!) It was fun! We even saw a big gator in the water!

Little spoon

Mikayla: The other day at lunch mommy was making sure we got what we needed to eat. Then she grabbed a yogurt for herself and a spoon and without even realizing it she got one of our little spoons. Here she is trying to imitate the cute looks I give to her!

New flavors

Elijah: I think mommy wants to work at coming up with new baby food flavors. Here are some I've tried recently that I don't think are on the market yet: Mango-summer squash, broccoli-beef with garbanzo beans and yogurt, chicken-green bean-yogurt pate, pear-squash-oatmeal, avacado-green beans... sound strange to you? I've eaten it all and it was pretty yummy! Mommy also had me try drinking water from a sippy cup the other day--no problem. I drained it, and even held it myself, while daddy held me!

Charis's birthday

Mikayla: Last week I helped to celebrate my friend Charis's 3rd birthday. (She is so old.) We had a nice dinner, yummy cake and there were lots of presents for Charis. I made her a necklace and a bracelet with mommy's help! There were several other girls there and we had fun running around the yard together. Caleb and Elijah hung out too, but we had to be careful not to let them get to close cause they were poking each other in the eyes and stuff; geez, boys! I think Elijah wanted to sit at the little girl table.

Christmas time?

Elijah: Today Mikayla brought some of her necklaces into my room. They were so shiny and pretty. Mikayla was a nice big sister and shared them with me. It was fun. Mom said I looked like I was being decorated for Christmas!

mother's day

Sunday was Mother's day. I made sure to get daddy up early (I actually woke up several times during the night--cause I was so excited). We made waffles for Mommy with fruit and gave her a homemade card and a nice gift that daddy helped pick out. Then we went to church, where Elijah had a nap and I played in nursery and got lots of stickers. Then we went with our friends the Cannons to lunch at Mimi's Cafe. They have great carrot/nut bread! Charis's grandma came with us, I got to sit by her and call her gramma. It was a nice day, I hope mommy knows how special she is to us.

9 months old

Elijah: Today I am 9 months old. We went to the doctor, he said I looked healthly! I am now almost 29 inches long (I started at 21 inches) and 22 lbs. 3 oz. and my head is 19.1 inches around. (So, about 60% height, 75% weight, and 97% head--compared to other baby boys my age.) I had my finger pricked today to test for anemia and it came back just fine. No shots today but I guess I need a bunch at one year. I'm not crawling yet; I may decide to just skip this milestone and go straight for walking. I did manage to push out another tooth--one of the top ones. I think that's why mommy decided I could handle my first cracker. It was good, and I made a mess on my tray!

B-b-b-b-baaad

I'm not really a bad boy but I like to look the part. Check out my new glasses. Also new this week they are letting Mikayla feed me, I'm not sure it's the greatest idea, but maybe I'll get to try some more new foods. I also have been getting very good at navigating the floors around the house. I don't crawl but I do a lot of rolling and pivoting.

Potty problems

Do you want to go potty Mikayla? (Immediate response) No thank you! There have been several times recently where I have had accidents. I peed on my chair at the table, on the stool while watching mommy make dinner, in the bathroom on my panties standing near the toilet... Mommy and Daddy have asked my why this has happened. My reply was because Mommy got angry. Mommy said that didn't make sense since she got angry after my accident. I also like to get into bed at night and then immediately say I need to go to the bathroom. I think laying down on my bed triggers it. Mommy and Daddy are not fans of this bedtime ritual!

Overheard

Overheard from Mikayla to Daddy: I love you big boy! Please hold me.
Mikayla's current favorite song to sing: ABC's but the order is pretty confusing and even though she says 'next time won't you sing with me' she really likes to be a soloist.
Mikayla's current favorite cereal: "Shree we" (shreadded wheat-preferably frosted)
Overheard from Mikayla to Elijah: "Stop crying, don't look out my window, no, look at me!!!"
Overheard from Mikayla to Mommy: "Where did the bear go? (there had been a bear on a billboard, but it had been changed.) And when we're at Publix (supermarket), she can identify a number of them, and pointing to Wendy's, "I want to eat chicken and dip it in sauce," and "Thank you mommy for dinner!"

Summer's arrival

Summer in Orlando starts pretty early, it is marked by the first time we pull out the little pool from the garage and fill it with water and splash around. It was Elijah's first time in the pool, I think he liked it. He even wore my old swim bottoms... they were almost too small. Mommy said it was ok for me to just go in my clothes, but she did dig out a few swimsuits for me to wear.