Monday, September 30, 2013

The Latest on G

At 15 months, Garrett is growing and changing as fast as ever. Everyday, it seems, he learns a new skill, usually to my chagrin. Every so often I say to myself, "This first floor is completely Garrett-proof, I can't think of a single thing he could get into that I don't want him to." And then he goes and makes a liar out of me, tenfold. But I'm thankful he's a healthy, active, inquisitive kiddo. And I'm thankful he's mine.

Age: 15 months 
Weight: 26 pounds 
Favorite Foods: cheese, watermelon, strawberries, popcorn
Favorite Toys: small rolling suitcase, dog bowl, cell phones, sticks, balls
Favorite Games: bouncing around on couches, being chased, feeding the pup
New Skills:
  • Opening doors. The house we're renting has the lever-style door handles, which are really stylish I suppose, but they make toddler door opening way too easy. So ... the door to the hall closet where I keep my sewing machine and all my supplies? Yep. And the door to the air conditioning unit? Yep. And the door to the backyard?! Oh yeah.
  • Following directions. I really don't understand the whole language development thing. But G can follow things that we say without being able to speak a word. So I didn't know he knew the word "bowl", but when I ask him to go get his bowl, he reappears with it. And if he's feeling compliant and I tell him to "sit", he actually sits. And some days, if the stars align and I say "no", he stops doing what he was doing! It makes life a little easier since I'm actually able to communicate with him a bit. And it's really cool to see him learning.
  • Being gentle with the pup. The tail-pulling seems to have been curbed, and now he mostly hugs and gently pets Bernoulli. He loves to throw the ball for him to catch (and keep). 
  • Grump face. The pic above isn't even grump face. Someday I will catch it on camera. You don't want to be on the receiving end of grump face.
Recent first: haircut
Update: Kitty captured Grump Face...

Monday, September 23, 2013

Ups and Downs

The last couple of weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster.
 
Papa, Grandma Baur, Uncle Dan and Aunt Diana were with us for 9 days at the beginning of September, which was GREAT. We really enjoyed having them around for visiting, Starbucks runs, field trips, board games, and good eats.
 
So naturally it was a pretty big letdown when they left. We go back into our our routine pretty quickly and my Bible study restarted on Tuesdays which helps break up the week. And I joined MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) this year, which meets once a month and has been a lot of fun so far.
 
But there have been a couple of downers, too. A couple a weeks ago Garrett though my phone would like to go for a swim in my glass of milk. It didn't like it. It, instead, quit working, and forever gone was my list of birthdays and extensive collection of gift ideas. All my contacts were somehow saved (thank you, Google), though. And thanks to modern technology, my calendar magically synched with my phone as well. I went with a Motorola Android Mini. I was a little afraid at first that I'd gone too small. But now that I'm used to it, I realize it was the perfect choice! And I'm sure Garrett will destroy it in no time. 
The day after the phone incident, someone backed into the Mazda in the grocery store parking lot. But he was insured! And we needed a new bumper anyway! So I am counting this one under the "all's well that ends well" category. Kudos to Progressive for an excellent service process. While they've had our car for repairs, we have a rental: a Nissan Altima. It's a little big for my preferences, and kind of too grown-up for me, too, but I am slowly being won over. It's easy to get Garrett in and out because of all the space, the trunk is huuuuge, there's virtually no road noise, and the whole car is computerized. So I know, at any given moment, how many miles until empty, the ambient temperature, and any maintenance that needs to be done. For instance, for the past couple of days it's been alerting me that the front tires have low air pressure. This morning I went to put air in them, now knowing quite what the recommended pressure was, and I'll be darned if the car didn't HONK AT ME WHEN THEY WERE AT THE APPROPRIATE PRESSURE. I was beyond excited. We still plan on driving our cars until they can drive no more, but I am really enjoying this little car-vacation. I named her Nina.
Doesn't she look like she belongs?
Garrett's had allergies for a week or so, and I'm not feeling so great, thanks to my thyroid no doubt. But overall we are doing great, enjoying the slightly lower temperatures and getting ready for Texas's "fall."