Haha

Micah's art project

(sorry can't get this picture rotated)

So, in an attempt to occupy a little bit of our afternoon the other day Micah made his first "art project". And by occupy a little bit of our time I mean like 2 minutes. And by art project I mean looking through the newspaper for cars/trucks/lawnmowers and dogs (which he loves to do you should see him "read" the paper it is very cute) and cutting them out and taping them on paper and then coloring it. I'm sure it's partly his age and partly b/c he is a boy (though I am sure there are boys who like coloring, etc) but I am not sure he was into it all that much. I am already starting to think of this winter (as the weather this week has turned fall like)and trying to figure out what we will do to occupy our time. If it was just Micah and I we would be fine....we've got bible study, story hour, class at the Y, kids museum, friends, playgroups, etc. However, come Dec/Jan it is not going to be as easy to take a newborn out in the dead of winter. Micah does like to play with his cars and likes to read and likes to do lots of things at home but the problem is he just gets bored after doing these for hours upon end (which I don't blame him). And this summer we have been getting out atleast once if not twice daily. I'm sure we'll figure it out though....and get into a new routine with a baby. :) So anyways, that was our attempt at an art project...more to come I'm sure!

18 months

So hard to believe our little boy is already 1 1/2. I've been trying to keep mental notes of everything I want to post about so that years from now we'll be able to remember Micah at 18 months. Though I should warn you that alteast for me keeping mental notes while being pregnant might not be the best idea. My brain just seems to be a little off these days....i.e. putting everything on top of my car when trying to get Micah buckled in (unfortunately this also includes my cell phone which I didn't realize until it was too late). You get the idea....but enough about my absent-mindedness! :) And I'll apologize in advance for those of you who want to look at pictures as there aren't any in this post.

Micah's routine continues to be pretty much the same. I will say that bedtimes have become a little bit later 1-b/c he can tolerate it and 2-b/c its hard to always be home at 7pm. If hes in bed by 730-8ish he's usually good. And he has actually starting sleeping a little big later too (and by later I mean 7 and on a really good morning 730). This summer we have been spending our mornings out for walks, at the park, at the beach, playing with friends. It has been nice though I am ready for fall to get back into some of our regular activities (bible study, etc). Usually Corey joins us at home for lunch at noon (it is SO nice that he can be with us for lunch) and then Micah will nap around 1230-1 for roughly 2 1/2 hrs (sometimes more sometimes less but lately it has been more which has been awesome).

He is starting to become a bit more picky in his eating habits which is annoying. If he could he would live off of bread.

We pretty much have to do a progressive meal so we'll eat the main dish/meat and veggies and then afterwards move

on to the bread. I probably have the hardest time getting Micah to eat veggies though he loves corn on the cob

and green beans. I was just thinking the other day I need to work on getting him to eat with silverware. He would

just as much prefer that I feed him (though he can do it himself or with a little help) and sometimes its just easier.

I started giving Micah kids vitamins. I got the chewy kind and since I don't really buy fruit snacks he thinks these vitamins

are awesome. After he is finished eating I'll ask if he wants his vitamin and he gets so excited and asks for more.

We have also had an issue with Micah biting. Thankfully he only bites Corey and I. Haha. He is starting to get lots

better though. Now I'd say he might only bite me once a day whereas a month or so ago it would be 15 times a day.

I started giving him one warning and then he would get a flick on the cheek and a time out. I guess maybe it has worked.

Discipline is hard at this age. We pretty much try to take that approach of one warning and then do something.

Right now we pretty much give him a time-out....which usually only lasts a minute or two and then he will sign that he

is all done. He gets it though (atleast to some extent) b/c he doesn't like to get a time out.

Micah continues to be incredibly out-going and just loves people. He especially loves playing with the big kids.

He still stands on his step stool in our front window and waves and says hi to all the neighbors (neigh-neighs).

Actually he says hi and bye to pretty much everyone we see. When we are in the grocery store this is what keeps

him entertained and if someone doesn't realize he is talking to them he will keep saying hi until they do. Its funny

b/c recently he even started saying hi to the ant or fly he may find in the house and when we stop at the red

light near our house where there is a KFC he will even say hi to the KFC guy on the sign (who Corey

reminded me is named Colonel Sanders). Mich is really into trucks/cars/lawn mowers and pretty much any type of automobile.

We'll be on a walk or driving in the car and he'll spot every truck and boat and airplane and lawn-mower, etc. And then once

its gone he say "more-more". I don't know how many times when we are driving I tell him he needs

to look out his window to find more trucks! :) He also loves to read, he still likes to help me cook (and play

with his kitchen), he loves to swing, loves music, loves to dance, and loves to rough house with daddy.

In the past month or two Micah has started talking like crazy and pretty much talks all the time. I know I can't remember all his words but here are some:

car, truck (which for some odd reason is just a grunt noise), airplane, boat, golf cart, motorcycle, tractor, lawn mower (mow-mow)

bus,wagon, hi, bye (he also likes to say bye to his food when he is done eating so if hes finished and there are still green beans

on his tray he'll say bye-bye green beans), mama, dadda, Papa, Reagan (Rea-rea), Lily, more, meatball, raisin, green bean, watermelon, golf club, thank-you

(and he is really good about saying thank-you w/o being prompted...so cute!), book, fish, dog, bubbles,

hat, shoes, bug, yum-yum, wow-wee, cook (and it's always cook, cook, cook), hot and cold (which he uses appropriately)

hands, eyes, spatula (ba-ba), mine, swing, slide, and no. His new favorite question is "what's that?" which he must ask 1,000 times/day.

He is even starting to put words together--bye-bye neigh-neigh (neighbor)

and hi dada.

I had someone recently ask me about potty training. And just for the record I haven't even begun to think about that. Micah will

sit in a messy diaper for hours if it was up to him. I'll ask him if he has a messy diaper (when he clearly does) and he'll just tell me no.

Speaking of diapers today shortly after I put him down for his nap he started screaming uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh...so I went in to find him

with the diaper he was wearing in his hand. Thankfully it was not a messy one. One thing I do want to start working on this fall is getting him

into a big bed. I'm definitely not looking forward to that as I'm sure naps and bedtime will become much more difficult atleast

for a while, however I want to get him used to being in a big bed before baby #2 arrives. Its mainly b/c I don't want to buy another crib however

the other nap time again I heard Micah screaming and looked in his monitor and he was straddling the side of his crib. I ran in before he could get/fall out.

He hasn't tried that again but obviously can get out if he really wants to.

I'll end with the two stories I alluded to in an earlier post. First was when we were at the kids museum and Mich got his

fingers stuck in the elevator doors. We were playing and he spotted someone by the elevator and of course he knows there

are buttons there so he wanted to check it out. I followed and was talking to the lady getting on the elevator when the next

thing we know Micah is screaming and the elevator door was trying to slide open but Micah's fingers were stuck

between the two doors. The lady started freaking out and I didn't really know what to do but wanted to stay calm.

Anways, I was eventually able to wedge his hand out of the doors and he was fine. Thankfully not even a bruised

finger and I know it could have been much worse. Then probably a day or two later we were at the beach playground with a friend.

He started to wonder over to the little snack shop which couldn't have been more than 50 feet away and was in my eye sight.

He then proceeded to go around the building and I called his name to get him to come back (which of course didn't work) so I decided

I'd cut him off and go around the other side of the building. But of course he must have took off running b/c by the time

I got there (maybe 15 seconds later) he was no where to be found. You know that feeling of panic where your heart sinks and your legs

turn to jello...yeah...as I looked at the lake and realized I didn't know where Micah was that was the feeling I had. I went to the next

building over (the bathrooms) and went into the womens bathroom (where I will take Micah if he needs a diaper change).

I heard a rustling noise and walked into a stall and thankfully found Micah playing in the toilet. Anyways,

both of those incidents were a reminder to me of how quick things just happen. I was very thankful to God for His

hand of protection over Micah.

So, I think that is a good summary of our little Micah at 18 months--sweet, full of energy, and out-going. We love that little

guy.

This is what happens....

when I turn my back for a few seconds.

Well this and "losing" my child at the beach and him getting his fingers stuck in the elevator doors at the kids museum. But more to come on that later (still working on an 18 month update)