Hanging out with Daddy

Yesterday, Micah looked so cute playing with Daddy on the couch that I couldn't resist snapping a few pictures. Taking a break just to make sure his thumb is still suckable. It's a little blurry, but I'm including this picture because it's the first time that I've pointed the camera at Micah and he smiled just because I was pointing it at him. He's 13 months old! It's amazing how fast he learns.

Week in Review

It's been a long, crazy week. Sorry about my absenteeism. Here are some photos from our week. Tonight, Micah chose to wear as much chicken cacciatore as he ate. He recently discovered that he can see and interact with the dogs through the back door's glass. Here he is checking out Heinz... ...and starting to torment him! Tim and I were given a night at a Bed & Breakfast for Christmas. We finally got to use it, and it was so great. It's literally fifteen minutes from our house and we felt like we were hours from home. And the room was beautiful! We were in "Suite Memories". I loved the decor. A flat screen TV (for which the remote was pretty tempermental) and the lovely comfy leather chair. The clawfoot bathtub! How beautiful was the shower? Check out the chandelier. I think that I have a new dream for a future home - a chandelier in every room. Of course, I'll have to wait until we move out of Florida because you can't live around here without a ceiling fan.An finally, here's Tim checking it out.

Reaching what he shouldn't

Just in the last day or two, Micah has started trusting himself walking without holding on to the furniture. Today, when I picked him up at daycare, he saw me at the door, and Miss Elise put him on his feet and he ran to greet me!! We'll have to get video of it posted soon. But in the meantime, he's managing to get into things that he shouldn't. He has this new fascination with coasters. Here he is trying to reach one on the bookshelf next to the couch.I think I can, I think I can... Yes!! Micah is so proud of himself!

Fun with Toys

Playing with Micah has become much more interactive, and he loves to try new things. This week, he discovered what a challenge it is to try to put his blocks back in their case. He's so patient about it, a trait which we all know he does NOT get from his mother. He would take his time and manipulate the blocks just so so that they would fit in. It was fun to watch him take his time and make sure it was done right.A few months ago, I found this treasure at a garage sale. (Actually, the blocks in the above picture were also from a garage sale. Your dollar can go so much farther this way and many of the toys that I find have been in great shape. We got him a Fisher Price picnic table for just $10! But I digress...) This is a big wheel that has a handle on it so you can control where your child goes. I paid $3 for it. At the consignment shop, it was $25 - and that's used as well! I can only imagine how much it is new. As you can see, Micah's still a little small to ride it, but he had fun trying. How do these petals work again? Is it easier if I use my hands? It doesn't matter. I'll figure it out one day. And I'm still cute. :)

Fireman Micah

For his birthday, Micah got a ride-on firetruck from Grandpa and Grandma Williams. Sometimes he pushes it around himself, and sometimes he'll ride when we push him. When we do it, we make the siren noises that firetrucks make. Micah has started making the noises himself, so the "aaahhh" you hear in the video is his attempt to do that. What we love most about this video though is the hysterical laughter from Micah as he comes close to his dogs, with whom he loves to play. Enjoy!

Weekend fun

On Friday night, we started something interesting with three other couples. We decided that on the the first Friday or Saturday night of each month (depending on schedules), we would take turns babysitting for each other's kids. This way, you babysit six children once every four months, but you also get three date nights with free babysitting. This past Friday was the first time we did it, and Tim and I volunteered to babysit first. Our friends with three kids weren't able to be there, so we just had three boys, all about a year old. It was crazy, but we really had fun - and we're looking forward to October, November, and December when we get to go out! Here are Nathaniel, Micah and Lloyd trying to break into the kitchen. Right before bedtime, we put on Praise Baby to get the kids calmed down. Nathaniel couldn't have cared less and ignored the TV, but Micah and Lloyd were both transfixed. We turned Micah's car seat around this weekend, just in time to drive down to Ft. Myers to grab a quick visit with Aunt Heidi. Here's the big boy facing front for the first time - a whole new world... Aunt Heidi and Micah posing outside of the Cold Stone Creamery, where we had our dessert. Micah enjoyed the ice cream so much that he didn't want to let go of the spoon. Notice his belly hanging out over Heidi's arm. Thanks for driving from Miami to visit us, Aunt Heidi! Here's a random shot of my new kitchen island! I'm so excited. This was a Christmas present from two Christmases ago. Long story, it's finally here now and I LOVE it. It has already made life so much easier. Thanks, Tim, for the gift and for putting it together!

Enjoying Labor Day

We decided to spend our Labor Day at Disney. While it was like any other Monday for us because Monday is our day off, we were worried that it would be really crowded because of all the other people that now have off. Instead, it was a beautiful day - not crowded at all and, while humid, not extremely hot. In fact, the crowd was so light, that we were able to walk on all of the rides that we wanted to go on. Here we are on Dumbo. This trip was decidedly different than our last. Whereas before, Micah had pretty much been oblivious about the rides we had been on, this time he was very aware. All the dark ones, which was a lot of them, scared him so we stopped going on them. Here he is on Peter Pan, the ride that clued us in on the change. Outside in the light on the merry-go-round. Much better! Taking the train around the park. As long as he has his thumb, it's all good. No matter what he saw on the ride, the little silver screws on the sign were much more fun to play with. We played a little in the Winnie the Pooh playground. Micah enjoyed crawling through all of the honey pots!