Michael went hiking yesterday! We usually go for a walk with him after dinner and he loves riding in the stroller, but he's been getting so good at walking that we wanted to see how he'd do with his push toy on the sidewalk. So we set him down in front of the house and let him go. And he went. And went. And went.
He ended up walking nearly two blocks! All the way up the cul-de-sac and then back down. And he would have been happy to keep going except Julie saw that he stubbed his little toe so she carried him the last few hundred feet back home.
He absolutely loved it. Every few minutes he would have to stop because he would find something fascinating to look at; grass, leaves, rocks, crickets, more grass, etc. But after he was finished checking stuff out he'd pull himself bask up on his push toy and set off again. It wasn't a very long walk (for Julie and I) but it was one of the most fun walks we've taken in quite a while. Michael had a blast and maybe we'll do it again this evening.
This is a map showing where Mike walked. There's also a video in the Photo Album
On Thursday we took Mike to DeKalb's "Touch a Truck - Touch a Tractor" day at Hopkins Park. My parents came up and so did Missy with Joey, Ava, and Brianna, a very sweet six year old (wow, I never thought 6 would seem so old!) that Missy watches during the day.
Mike had a great time exploring a fire truck, tow trucks, tractors, a bulldozer, and various other big vehicles. We took lots of pictures and my dad worked the video camera for some nice footage, so check out the photo gallery. Joey loved the trucks and stuff and new the names of everything there, but was too overwhelmed every time he got inside one. Climbing on bulldozer treads was great fun though.
Afterward everyone came back to our house (yes, it's still for sale, but we're having second thoughts - we love the house that much) for home made tacos. After the grandparents left we took the kids to Ollies for frozen custard. Joey and Brianna loved their cake batter custard, Ava napped, and Mike enjoyed rice crackers. We had a real good time.
Besides exploring trucks, nothing real exciting has been going on around here. Mike is getting better at walking every day, he has three teeth showing now, and we can't believe how big he's getting. He's starting to look like a real person. He loves exploring all over the downstairs and has discovered the pots & pans cabinet. He's also been working on the stairs more, too. He's been going up the first few stairs regularly now (with a watchful parent right behind, of course). And just today he made it up the entire flight! That's 14 steps! He didn't even slow down for the first 9, but was pretty tired by the top.
Anyway, here's a picture of Mike in the pots & pans cabinet. There's more pictures and a video in the photo gallery.
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Thursday, July 5, 2007
- He's walking!!!
Michael started walking today! For the last few day's he's been getting pretty good at pushing away and standing on his own. And he's also been doing a lot of walking with only one hand on something for balance. So today I sat down and stood him up at arms length. He would stand for a few seconds and then kind of topple towards me, but while moving his feet to try to catch himself. We kept at it for about ten minutes and he kept getting better. After practicing for 10-15 minutes he was able to take a few steps, stay standing, and then take another step or two into my arms. Or just take three or four running steps toward me. He looked very proud of himself, and even started clapping. And of course I was very proud of him, too.
Here is a video of some of Mike's first steps. We'll keep practicing and I'm sure in a week or so he'll be running all over the place!
It's been nearly a month since I've posted anything and over a month since I've posted any Michael updates, so I'm waaaayyy past due. Things have been very hectic over the last month with the house selling stuff. Things are going OK there, but I don't want to jinx anything so I won't be posting anything, except that the site I set up to help sell our home, www.dekalbillinoishomesforsale.com, is getting more and more exposure.
Anyway, Michael has been growing up really fast. It's really cool to watch. He is starting to get teeth now. One has already broken through his gum and we can feel another one getting ready to pop through. And he's been getting better at walking (while holding on to something with at least one hand) and standing (without holding onto anything) every day.
Of course his crawling is getting better and better, too. Nothing stops him now, he just goes over, under, or around everything. He loves exploring everywhere he can. Cabinets are no longer safe, drawers get opened, and toys are getting dragged all around the house. He comes to us when we call him, he chases the dogs and fights Moxie for possession of the toys. He loves his new found mobility and it's keeping us on our toes. We had to cover the potted tree we have because he discovered the dirt the other day. Then it became a full time job trying to keep him out of it.
He has also started clapping. "If you're happy and you know it" is his favorite song right now. As soon as he hears it he starts clapping. And then on the verse we sing "give a shout" he lets out a little yell. It's really cool - he's quiet until that point and then he shouts when he's supposed to. And today he was trying out standing and clapping at the same time - very cute to watch.
And dinner time has gotten very exciting. Michael is now eating real food (not exclusively yet). He's becoming an expert at popping well cooked peas and carrots into his mouth. And he loves baked beans and sour kraut, too! He also has cheese, avocado, various fruits, and pumpkin pancakes that Julie makes for him. And then there are rice cakes and rice crackers. I don't know what we'd do without those. He loves them. Of course the dogs love it that Mike's eating real food, too, since much of it ends up on the floor. We have to keep the dogs outside or in another room during dinner because Mike was learning to feed them. It works out better if we just keep them away until dinner is over and then let them clean up the floor - dog spit is easier for us to clean up than crusty food =).
And today was really awesome... We ended up taking a late walk before getting Mike ready for bed because he dragged my sandals over to his stroller and then sat there waiting for a walk. We gave in - it was very nice outside anyway. But as we were walking we decided to take Mike to see the local fireworks. That turned out to be a great idea. He absolutely loved them! Once they started going off he got a fascinated smile on his face. And then we noticed that every time one would explode he would let out a little "boof" sound. Sooo cute! And then once he noticed that we noticed his reactions got more and more elaborate. He started shouting and hooting for every firework. It was a blast!
So I'll try to get some new pictures and videos up here real soon. And I'll also try to have postings a little more regularly again. As long as I'm not too busy enjoying watching Michael grow up!
