Weekend Stuff

We took it easy this weekend in order to rest up and prepare for our BIG TRIP on Friday... stay tuned...

We are enjoying some suspiciously mild weather.

Grendel, sunbathing, is downright docile. Handles all manner of chasing and tail-pulling with grace and tolerance. His sunbeams have returned!

We've re-discovered the playground.

March starts TOMORROW so I'll take a risk and say this: Winter appears to have conceded defeat.

We haven't had a real snow but once since Christmas. I mean a real snow, the kind that doesn't melt on impact. This is eerie and weird...

But admittedly enjoyable. Because I have said this, we will have a crippling snowstorm around St. Patrick's Day, I know this.

Miles is masterful on all manner of rocking animals, now. He's had quite a lot of practice, though. Look what a difference 10.5 months makes.

Miles calls slides "Wheeeee!" He needs a little spotting getting up and, sometimes, getting the feet positioned, but he goes down on his own.

Jon thought this slide looks like a scary big-mouthed beast. Do you agree?

It's about time we introduced him to his work apron, a gift from Aunt Laura and Uncle Tim. In the pockets where tools would go are an array of crayons. He's fascinated.

We're rested (or reasonably so) and gearing up to go to South Carolina next weekend for an early anniversary/cousin reuinion getaway! Yeehaw.

"Wait, Who's Coming to Visit??"

"Grandma and Grandpa?? I thought they lived in the computer!!"


On Saturday, we welcomed Mom and Dad Grunert into our tiny house, with which they coped heroically in order to see their grandson up close. You should have seen Miles' face when they pulled in, I wish I had a picture. He could not believe his eyes. He ran to them, then took a few steps back, then ran toward them again, then backed away, grinning maniacally all the while.

They were so happy together.

"Two MORE people to read me endless stories??"

"Two MORE people to teach me rhymes....



"Two MORE people who think I'm hilarious when I do the simplest stunts?!!"
(BUCKET-HEAD! The newest game. I promise you we did not tell to put a plastic bin on his head, this was all him.)

I won't promise we didn't encourage it by laughing and cheering "BUCKET-HEAD!" though.

Monday Miles stayed home from daycare to be with his grandparents. The library was closed, sadly, but the playground was open!! Grandma and Grandpa took him where he usually never goes on weekdays: Hand in Hand Park.

"I am the Master of my fate, the Captain of my wooden octagon."

As a special treat: Wendy's! "Grandma and Grandpa, come back, I had to eat broccoli last night!" :-)

Zoomobile

We're enthusiastically anticipating a trip to the zoo in a month or so, when we visit the Nickoloffs in South Carolina. To help stave us over, we attended a presentation that the local mini-zoo did at the public library.

There was a hedgehog, an owl, and a duck as well, but Miles only had eyes for one animal:

WABBIT!!!!

"HOP HOP! WABBIT! HOP HOP!" rang the refrain, 148 times. 148 awesome times. :-D Really, we loved it.

The zoo volunteer attempts to discourse about the owl. Well, she did it successfully, though in between there were various hijinks involving the escape of the hedgehog (aided by an untended child), the destructive nibbling on the power cords by the GIANT rabbit, and the cornering of the same rabbit by the same untended children. Hilarity ensued.

But so did education, we learned a lot about each animal, and Miles was rapt.

He was too scared to pet this harmless looking duck.

But we had to drag him away from the ENORMOUS rabbit.
How many more days until we're at the real zoo??

19 month Miles

18 months is probably the real milestone, but Miles didn't get into the doctor for a checkup, for various logistical reasons, until last Friday. Yesterday he turned 19 months and I thought I'd reacquaint my readers with this toddler, who is such a different creature than when many of you last saw him.

Miles has to be involved with whatever he sees adults doing. He loves sweeping the floor, feeding the cats, eating with a fork on his own (but Miles, one doesn't take food off of others' plates). Here, he delightedly tries on my bracelet. Thinks he's so cool.

Miles is also increasingly interested in observing the world around him. He's interested now in not just animals but in cars, buses, letters on signs, colors, lights, and especially, celestial objects. We did some moon watching together on Monday; I turned off the light so he could see out the window. "Moon!!!" said Miles, about 92 times.

So I know some of you want numbers. Miles is 34 inches tall, which puts him in the 85th percentile (??!!)

Unfortunately, the doc has him at 21lbs 14 oz, which is only the 5th percentile for weight. Funny, he doesn't look underfed to me... he's even sporting an impressive belly these days, and he eats heartily at most meals. We're not too worried.

We are, however, back on a vitamin supplement, because after a couple months' remission, the iron deficiency is back. It can be a tricky thing to get this guy to eat his dark green veg and not to fish around in his mouth and remove vegetables that somehow got in there. In the last few days, though, we've made great strides with asparagus and spinach.

Daily, Miles reminds us that he's not a baby anymore. This is a little boy who has an opinion about what is read to him, can ask his parents to do his favorite activities with him (and loudly object if we don't), likes to call everyone (including the cats) by their proper names, has a favorite letter (Y), favorite color (Yellow) and favorite song (Old McDonald).

Speaking of which.... (hope this video works)...