On a Roll!

That's right, the peanut is rolling! The first time took both of us by surprise, but when I flipped her back on her belly, she did it again and again and again! And, yes, we got it on video. . .too bad I don't know how to post it :(

Stylin'

Not a fan. . .

of the hockey playoffs!

Monkeys!

Monkeys are a very, very big deal at our house right now. Actually, they've been a big deal for quite a while. One of the first animal noises Steven knew was "aah aah" (for ooo aah), and for a long time, that's what he called monkeys. When we went to the zoo in March, he wanted to see the monkeys and signed "more, more" when we started to leave the exhibit or when he heard the word said.

When we were in Ohio earlier this month, I met up with an old friend in Easton, and Steven and I wandered through Build-a-Bear while she and her daughter were at Build-a-Doll. I decided to get a monkey for Steven, and he wouldn't let go of the example one at all, so they let us buy that one. When I asked him if he wanted to take it home, he told me no very emphatically because all he focused on was the word "take," and there was no way anyone was taking his monkey away :)

I saw him caring for his monkey like I do with Michelle, and it just made my heart melt.

5 Months and 18 Months

I took Steven and Michelle in for their 4 and 18 month visits. They were originally scheduled for a few weeks ago, but I rescheduled once I realized that they were on the same day as our trip to visit Auntie E and that the 4 month shots were the only ones Steven reacted too.

Anyway, they are both doing great and growing right on schedule. Michelle weighed in at 15 lbs, 2 ozs (50-75%) and measuring 25.5" (75%). She's pretty much the same as Steven was when he was that age. Steven weighs just over 29 lbs. (same as he did at his last visit earlier this month), and is 32". That puts him in the 75-90% for weight and 50% for height. I think his 14 month visit was the one where he moved to being in a higher percentile for weight than height.

At 5 months, Michelle

• Laughs hysterically
• Enjoys her cocoa butter massages (instead of screaming through them!)
• Discovered her feet and loves to put them in her mouth
• Pulls off her socks
• Sits in her bebe pod
• Plays with her toys
• Puts everything in her mouth
• Drools like crazy
• Loves her big brother

At 18 months, Steven

• Is in love with monkeys
• Is in love with trucks
• Loves playing outside
• Listens to Raffi at every opportunity
  
• Dances to Raffi
• Says his name when asked what it is
• Eats as many eggs as he can
• Has over 73 words in his vocabulary (and knows at least 11 animal sounds)**
• Dotes on his little sister and watches out for her

**I made a list of words that he says (in the right context) when I was at work the other day. I have a very very boring job.**

ALL Boy

Steven is 100% boy. There's no doubt about it. Today we camped out on the neighbor's lawn and watched a backhoe put concrete in a dump truck. The driver was super friendly, and when he was done, he told us that the show starts again at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow. . .I have a feeling we'll be there :)

Absolutely Hilarious

When we got home from Ohio last night, I found this large box on the counter with our mail. I couldn't figure out where/who it was from, so I was surprised to see it was addressed to me. As soon as I saw the return address, I burst out laughing.

It all started with these pictures:

And was followed by this email:

Dear (VP at Heinz),

My 17 month old son, Steven, recently discovered ketchup, and to say that he loves it is an understatement. When he went through a stage of refusing to eat his green beans, we dipped them in ketchup, and he ate them right up. He also loves to eat ketchup plain.

I've attached two pictures to show you how much he loves it, and I think that he'd be a perfect little spokesperson for your ketchup. My mom and sisters took the pictures while I was gone, so you'll have to excuse the odd pants on the head look.

If nothing else, I hope these pictures make you smile.

Sincerely,

Rebekah

Which resulted in this letter:

Dear Rebekah:

Thank you for taking the time to write to the J. J. Heinz Co. The pictures you sent of your son enjoying Heinz Ketchup are priceless. We are happy to learn that our Ketchup is used on so many of the foods your son eats.

Please know that your comments are important to us and we appreciate receiving feedback from our consumers.

I hope you enjoy this basket of Heinz "goodies". [Their grammatical errors, not mine!]

Sincerely,

(VP, US Ketchup)

And in this package:

**I'll have to post a picture of Steven wearing the shirt so you can see what it says!**

P.S. We don't even give Steven ketchup at home, but he does love it when he gets it!

P.P.S. We buy generic ketchup :)

Lovin' on Baby

Steven loves "baby" so much, and it's amazing to watch them interact with each other. He often goes and comforts her when she's crying, and he likes to go see her when she's in her swing (and stopping it as a result). He's also learning to share with her because one of the toys I give her to chew on is a monkey that hangs on her playmat. I usually shove it in her mouth when she starts sucking her thumb :) Steven hadn't seen or played with the monkey for a long time, but monkeys are his all-time favorite thing. He's been doing pretty well, though, sharing it with her.

"Here you go, baby!"

Giving her the toy bar.

"Hmm. . .maybe it goes this way."

Trying again. . .

. . .and again.

So proud of himself even though the toy bar is no where to be seen :)

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

For Mother's Day, we took my parents to Outback for a late lunch. Any time you go out to eat with both Steven and Michelle, it's an adventure. When Michelle decided she was tired of sitting in her seat, my mom offered to hold her since she could eat with one hand. Michelle is definitely ready for food--she followed every bite from the plate to my mom's mouth :)

Too busy staring at the food to look up.

Looking at the camera but not so happy about it.

We have no pictures of Steven, but he definitely enjoyed his grilled cheese-a-roo and mashed potatoes!

Another First

Well, Steven escaped from his crib for the first time today, but I don't think he did it intentionally. He loves being in his crib, to the point of refusing to get up in the morning because he just wants to play and read books in there.

I'm pretty positive that Steven escaped by standing on his ball that I let him have to play with and then flipped over the side of the crib. I'm also pretty positive that the poor boy landed on his head. All I heard was a huge thunk and then screaming. I know that it really scared him. Needless to say, he won't have that ball in his crib again!