16 Months and Rain

Alex turned 16 months! He is talking more and getting more interested in his toys. Recent words include: apple and baby. He has my brother's Cabbage Patch and he likes 'taking care' of the doll.

On Thursday, we had our first taste of fall. It was slightly chilly and rainy. I got out Alex's rain coat for Gymboree and I do belive the coat is almost as long as he is. He switches class this coming week, to Mondays. He is now a level 4!

Drums and more Drums

Over the holiday weekend Teresa and Edward were here. Other then the rain ruining our chances of going to the Zoo, it was a nice time. Ran around and did some stuff...used my PBK coupon and gift card for small child's Christmas ;)



On Monday, the rain finally went away and we were able to go to the Missouri Botanical Garden for the Japanese Festival. This is the second year we have gone. Those of you who know my husband know that he went to school in Japan for a while and quite enjoys the culture. I got to have my Buddah's Delight and Eric got his Curry. He talks about that Curry aaalllllll year. The Gardens were packed, but we were able to see the Ice Sculpting demo and the Drums. St. Louis has a Osuwa Taiko chapter and we were able to sit through about half of the performance. Alex is in love with the drums. The spent the whole time attentive and clapping. Imagine that...my son leaning toward percussion :) (I played percussion, while Eric played the trumpet.)








My last PT appointment is today, Friday, and I will be discharged. I am getting ready for the Just Between Friends sale next Friday and my cousin Jackie's wedding next Saturday. This next week will be quite busy! Eric and I did take a brief 'time out' last night and saw a movie and had Oberweise...wished Oberweise was a bit closer, but worth every penny!

15 Months

Ales had his 15 month check-up and all is well. His growth is back on the chart, so that is excelent news. He is 30 inches long and weighs 23 lbs. His fine motor skills are above average! Short and sweet appointment :)

Zoo, Gymboree, and a Parade

My folks were here a few days and I finally got Mom to Gymboree. She was sore afterwards :)











We followed that with a trip to the Zoo. This was Alex's first Zoo trip and my Dad will tell you it is his first, although it is really his third time.









After they went home, Alex and I went there for a mini Kraus/Millberg Reunion in Springfield, and the Old Settlers Parade in Hillsboro. I did end up with a free t-shirt at the parade :) Alex also had two first concerts...American English, the Beatles tribute band, and the German band. Two alternating tastes :)

Eckerts

We went to Eckert's Farm in Grafton, IL on Saturday to do a pick of blackberry picking. They are Eric's favorite :) We ended up with 10 pounds, yes pounds, of blackberries.

14 months and a fire

Alex turned 14 months on the 23 and recently cut a new tooth. That brings his total up to 10. He is walking all over the place and chasing Gabby. She enjoys it; in her world any pet is good pet.

We helped some friends of ours burn their burn pile. They had several trees/bushes come down recently and needed them gone. It took a couple of hours to get the fire going, but once it took off it burned nicely. I took Alex to Monkey Joes, an indoor playplace, for a while to tire him out. It did the trick. While he slept, John and I tore out a ton of ivy and a bush. My legs are covered in over two dozen bug bites. All in all we got quite a bit accomplished.

On a muchly thankful note, Eric received a promotion yesterday at work. He went from a level 2 software engineer to a level 3. We are both excited. He will be up for another promotion as soon as he finishes Grad school.

We are hopeing to go blackberry picking on Saturday, but rain might get in the way. Eric's brother Edward is coming here next week on his way back from CO. I are PRAYING that he gets a job soon, preferably out West.

4th and Down

Teresa with Alex, and her Great Niece Iliza Poppe

4th was wet. Cole, wet, and raining. We went to IN and the weather chose not to cooperate. Of course, the sun came out the morning we left, but the pool water was too chilly to swim. Alex had a new tooth pop in over the 4th and he has another one wanting to join it. That brings the teeth total to 9, soon to be 10.

It has been a quiet couple of weeks here. We made it to the park once last week and once this week. I am hoping to get his pool out today, but it is currently raining. My Grandpa is celebrating his 90's birthday this Sunday. He was 90 on the 10th, but Mom had to work that weekend. As of last count, Grandpa had received almost 50 cards!

The big news however, happened yesterday........Alex has no more PT!!! His therapist thinks he is evenly balenced and there are no more 'spots ' in his hips. I still have access to her, if I think Alex needs it, which is nice. I won't miss going, but I will miss the excuse to pick up Starbucks. The original 6 weeks of therapy turned into 10 months!!