Step, step, step!

I know it's sideways (I can't figure out how to flip it -- tips anyone?), but other than that -- I don't know if I can even speak. There just are no words for how I am feeling right now.

Fat and happy

I cannot believe how much I am already showing and only 13 weeks! I should be in maternity clothes by October I think. But I'm happy because the nauseousness is finally going away!!!!! Now I can finally enjoy my pregnancy!

Megan is becoming so interesting lately. You can tell she's growing up but she does the funniest things -- or at least they are to us. We spend a lot of time laughing at her, sometimes it makes her mad too . . .

Megan's eating has improved SOOOO much since we did a very simple thing -- introduced her to the fork and spoon. She is now eating things she never touched before: yogurt, spaghetti, manicotti, all kinds of sticky things. It's amazing and wonderful. Of course we also have to deal with the screaming at every meal when she can't get her food to stick on the fork. I've decided toddler forks are useless because the tips are rounded and she can't spear things very well. So regular forks it is -- just like mom and dad -- and she loves it.

At Megan's 18-month check one of the things the docter asked was whether she can put on and take off her clothes. Does doing it wrong count? Everything still goes on her head! I'm grateful she can't take things off yet because she really likes being a naked baby after her bath and I have a feeling I would be hard pressed to keep her clothed.

I have no idea why this picture is blue! But I still had to post it because we've just recently been able to introduce Megan to the playground equipment and she's now getting good at it and you can just see how much she loves it. I tell her we're going to go slide and she's scooting for the door as fast as her bum will take her. Doesn't like the swings though . . .

Progress

Megan is making wonderful progress! SHe is cruising everywhere and standing up on her own -- although unfortunately she thinks it's great fun to fall down once she gets standing so no real practice there. I'm trying to get pictures and video to post but she likes the camera too much and comes after me when she hears it turning on.

Her new favorite phrase is "all right" but she likes to yell it. She sounds like a beligerent teenager even though she's complying as she says it --

Me: Megan it's time to go get in the bathtub.
Megan: All right! All right! All right! (As she's crawling in that direction because she actually loves the bath)

Question is -- if she sounds beligerent now, how bad will it actually be when she's 13? Yikes!

Halloween!

Ok I know that this is probably REALLY early to start thinking about it, but I love Halloween and since school starts today, fall in on my mind. I have to decide early what I'm making Megan so that I can get all my materials on sale as I get coupons from Jo-Ann's but I'm having a hard time making a decision so I thought for fun I would put up a poll and have ya'll tell me what you think:

#1 -- a candy corn. I think the pictures would be adorable, Chopper thinks it's a tortuous idea but that if I'm ever going to make a child a candycorn it should be know before she fully realizes what I'm doing. On the down side, the hat that completes the outfit kind've makes the kid look like a conehead . . .

#2 -- a flower. Back at Easter I picked up a flower headband and Megan loves flowers so it would be pretty simple to do a tutu with leaves and petals and make her a pink flower.

#3 -- Little Bo Peep. I got the cutest pattern for a little Bo Peep outfit with lacy bloomers and all and Megan has a ton of stuffed sheep (I'm not quite sure how that happened) . . .

I could always make us a family costume but those are only fun if you have fun parties to go to and I don't know that we do yet. I saw one in a magazine where the family dresses up as different parts of a BLT -- Megan would be lettuce, Chopper would be bread and bacon, and I would be the tomato since I should be sufficiently round by Halloween -- oh yeah, did I forget to mention I'm pregnant? March 23!

Anyway, VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!!!!

Now the Pictures!

There's nothing like a good book to read and a comfortable box to sit in!


Of course a trip to the pool with Grandma Gasser and dad is just as fun! Megan loves the water and loves "swimming". I love that I don't have a picture of myself with a bathing suit on!


I love all the farmer's markets and vegetable stands. We got some really good sweet corn the other day which Megan really enjoyed off the cob but then had to try it grown-up-style too. More and more, that's the way it has to be -- the way mom and dad do it!

My mom tries to be really good about exercising and took long walks every morning while she was here. When she would get back she would stretch out on the living room floor and Megan would join her. Somehow I don't think it was much of a stretch for her though since she can still put her feet right up to her face without even trying!

Stats

Megan had her 18 month check today (I can't believe she's 18 months!) and she comes in as follows:

Height -- 30 inches (3-10th %)
Length -- 20 # 10 oz. (10-25th %)
Head -- really big (90th %)

SO we have a small girl with a big head. We still haven't switched her car seat to forward facing for various reasons and when we got in the car today Chopper said to me, "maybe we should leave it rear-facing even a little longer -- with a head like that she would really get whiplash if we were in a car accident!" And it's true.

But she's just big-headed because she's in the 90th percentile for smarts so there!

FAMOUS!

So my nephew's girlfriend Sheena tells us today that she saw us on Caroline County's website! We finally found it -- I think she saw it when they had the pictures posted on the front page -- but if you google Caroline County, VA and then click on their main site and go to site map, click on P, click on photo archives and there are pictures from the Port Royal 4th of July event. If you place your cursor over them, the picture pops right up and there we are! You know why they took the picture though, Megan's a cutie -- Chopper and I are just ok.

Food, Glorious Food

I think that I've apologized for this before but to all those who I needlessly judged because their children were picky eaters -- I'M SOOOOO SORRY!

Megan is getting pickier by the day and I wish I had pictures to prove it (of all the things she's rejected on the floor). She does eat green beans (for which I am grateful) but she splits them apart and eats the seeds (is that what they are?) in the middle. That's it. I hope it still counts. Her latest food-capades (like escapades, get it?) include gagging herself with her fingers until she throws up, rubbing ranch dressing into her skin (I think she thinks it's lotion -- and it is quite fragrant), and put everything into her mouth except what she's supposed to. And she's never been a chewer until now.

On another note -- no news on the job front for Chopper. He's taking advantage of the time and going to girl's camp next week (I'm jealous) and they are very grateful because they do have such a hard time finding brethren who are able to go. As of Aug. 1st he'll be turned over to the Department of Labor so hopefully things will start moving forward. But physical therapy is going well and he's being sufficiently tortured.

And on another note -- I've been given an ultimatum to get on Facebook. I guess it can't hurt to give it a whirl even if I am a Blogger snob! So maybe I'll sit down and do that -- you'll have to look for me in the next few days.

First Words

Well another misconception cleared up. I don't know why but I had it in my head that when Megan began to speak words I would understand them. Not so. I'm pretty sure that she is saying specific words -- although it's really only if prompted and not too voluntary. But she does quite a few animal noises and will say "sorry" and "hot dog" if you prompt her too. She doesn't really say mama or dada clearly even. I have an odd child. Or rather, an odd husband who's decided that his job is to teach her the unusual things.

New Video

The one reading the books is really long -- sorry I couldn't resist.

Megan's favorite things

It's so funny how quickly their personalities develop. Megan already hates having dirty hands, she won't eat anything that is even remotely sticky and that includes sugary things like ice cream or syrup, and she hates being forced or cajoled into eating anything. If it's not on her terms, it doesn't go in the mouth!

But it's more fun seeing the things that she loves: her reaction to animals of any kind, reading books, flowers, and stuffed animals. This last one is particularly cute because she hugs them all. When we go to stores with stuffed animals, she has to hug them. It's ok to put them back on the shelf afterwards, I think she understands that they live in the store or something, but they have to have a hug and be loved.
And after all, don't we all need a little love every now and then?

Fabulous Fourth!

I love Independence Day! It was a bonus for us to celebrate twice though -- Chopper's sisters Joyce and Jeri were here from out of town so we did BBQ and fireworks on Thursday. Megan was not a fan of the fireworks -- even though we tried really hard not to get loud ones. She kept going back and forth between Chopper and I probably trying to decide either who was the safer parent or who would finally give up and just go inside already!

Saturday we went to Port Royal -- a small town in Virginia where most of the houses date from the 1700's. At their very old church,
they had colonial reenacters read the Declaration of Independence and then we went inside and sang patriotic songs, had a prayer, and a speech by "Lt. James Madison". It was a small town celebration but it was really neat and I think the best thing was to see people gathered to celebrate our nation and pray for it's welfare. I really think that most people in America feel that way and it's so sad the way it's going . . . Did you notice the little boy marching with the guard? He was right in line with the rest of them but I didn't know that they had cargo shorts and flip flops in colonial days!

These are for Grandma -- I made a 4th of July outfit for Megan. I thought by the picture that is would be a long-ish shirt and shorts. Well the shirt turned out to be a dress. I followed all the directions so maybe the picture is deceiving but I didn't like how the shorts turned out so she just dressed in colors and then wore the dress on Sunday to church but it was darn cute. I had a really hard time getting pictures though because she no longer holds still and instead starts to come after the camera so this is the best you get!

Oh and the picture with the bloomers, this is Megan trying to get dad to put them on her head. He puts EVERYTHING on her head and so she does too and she's usually pretty good at it but needs help this time. Needless to say, she loves her hat.

This is for Grandpa because he thinks big bows and hair decorations are ridiculous and apparently Megan thinks so too but you're only young enough for a short time for mom to tortue you in this way so it has to happen. She takes off her headbands and removes her bows but give her a crown or tiara and it's hours of wearing and staring at herself in the mirror.

Last but not least, look at this! Megan is FINALLY crawling. She switches back and forth between the crawl and the scoot but it is amazing progress for her to be on her knees moving around like this so you have to see it.
I think that's all I have. Oh yeah, I finally saw Ben Hur for the first time -- excellent movie by the way.

Maymont

Chopper has lived in this area since he was ten and I spent a few years here in college and it is amazing to me what we have not seen. We've been really exploring and this past weekend went to a "park" in Richmond called Maymont that was a really neat place.

Maymont is actually an estate that was left as a park when the owners died since they had no children. The mansion was gorgeous and decked out in gilded age furniture and decor. The owners were of course wealthy Richmond socialites and nearly everything in the house is what they bought and furnished instead of reproductions or borrowed items.
They wouldn't allow pictures of the inside but they have some on their website www.maymont.org. It is worth looking at!
On the other end of the park was a Children's Farm with buffalo (in Virginia!) bear, birds of prey and of course your obligatory petting farm goats. Megan laughed when he licked her feet and then decided goat spit wasn't so fun after all!



They have beautiful Italian and Japanese gardens with a waterfall and a grotto and a small lake (pond I guess) and it was just a gorgeous day. If you're ever down there for the day, you might have to check it out.

Scooter Girl

I forgot I took this video of her bum scoot. Everyone who sees it thinks its adorable but I have a time keeping the backs of her legs from surface burns, especially when she scoots outside on the cement. After all, who wants to stay on the grass mom? I've also had several people say "I've read about that -- so that's what it looks like!" Yes, this is what it looks like. WHen she gets really excited about something, it gets a lot more bouncy.

I love my husband

It's not every man out there who will take the kids for the day when you're sick and have a head the size of Texas. He's much more considerate of me than I am of him I think.

Anyway, we've been spending all this time together since he's in full-fledged recovery mode and we've had gorgeous summer days. We've been going to Mary Wash and hanging out -- there's not many people around with summer break so we play in the fountain and Megan cries when we leave and then we play in ball circle. She loves being outdoors.

This video is her identifying her body parts. The girl can't walk but her other skills are hopping along so I can't complain I guess. Except that apparently with daddy home all the time, she's becoming confused about the parental roles in our house!