Crib Notes: Months 17 and 18

Over the last two months, Park's vocabulary and body have taken off. Around 17 months, Park got very comfortable saying "no." Today, he's saying "hi," "bye," "nana (banana)," "uh oh," "fffff (fish)," "car," "ollie" and "biggie" (two of his favorite characters from books), something to the tune of " happy" or "abby" and "go! go! go!"

At the same time, his little legs have decided to go! go! go! as well. Two months ago, the munchkin was just figuring out how to stand up in his crib on his own. Today, he's taking the stairs up and down, walking his firetruck up and down the driveway, and walking his balance bike around the living room. We've already celebrated his first skinned knee (when you wait this long for it, it's a celebration) and he has finally let go of the morning nap. Now we just have to convince him to give up the pacifier (baby steps).



As for broadening his horizons, we took Park to his first musical - a local junior high rendition of High School Musical. We had no idea how this would play out since it started at Park's bedtime, but he sat quietly in my lap up until the last two numbers. At that point, he decided he had observed long enough and was ready to participate. We were in the front row, so after Park got down from my lap, he took off for the stage, clapped and danced in circles just close enough that everyone in the gym and on the stage could see him. He was about two seconds from climbing the stairs and stealing the spotlight before we pulled him aside.

And while he may be a lightweight for his age, Park continues to eat pretty much everything we do and with a sense of adventure. We're waiting for those terrible two's to kick in and have him decide he only wants to eat pickles at every meal, but so far he continues to make meal time fairly easy ... but messy.







While Park's mobility has sped up, our productivity around the house has slowed down. But every day, we enjoy seeing what he's going to discover or say next. It's a wild ride!

Mr. Miyagi of Boxwoods

People think I'm kidding when I tell them I have to trim the Boxwood hedges in our front yard every week. I'm not. This is what happens when I skip a couple of weeks. What you're looking at is 16 inches of new growth.

The process of trimming them back each week usually takes about 30-45 minutes, partly because they're big (one segment is probably over 10 feet long) and partly because I'm extremely anal. They look great when I'm done and the cool thing is that they're so dense that you can shake one end and the whole thing will wiggle and jiggle like a bowl full of Jello.

Home Depot Derby

Park got his hands on a steering wheel for the first time during a recent trip to Home Depot. I'm not sure what I'm scared of most -- Park driving or his dad teaching him how.

Weekend Fun

We're all still recovering from a busy weekend in Kansas City - we seem to cram as much as possible in our time up there and this weekend was no exception. The main event for the weekend was family portraits with everyone ... I'm pretty sure the last time we did this with my parents and sister I was in college. Or perhaps high school. A lot has changed! Add two husbands, three kids and a few wrinkles/pounds/gray hairs to the mix, and we finally have some updated photos! (or at least we will soon) It was obviously time to do this, but the main reason we got our act together was it was Erin and my present to our parents for their 40th anniversary they celebrated this summer. They had only hinted a couple of times that updated photos would be nice. Hint taken. ;)

Before we ever got to the photos, however, we thought we'd take advantage of some gorgeous fall weather by heading to the Kansas City Zoo. Apparently, we hadn't been there since I was in a stroller, so yet another thing that we were way overdue for. While we didn't make it completely around the park, we did get to see the new polar bear exhibit (he is super cute) , watch a sea lion perform some tricks, and introduce Park to the kid's play area. I think he loved feeding the deer and going down the slide the most. I also got to take him on his first carousel ride. He wasn't crazy about the up and down motion of a zebra, so we ended up taking a seat on a peacock. That was much more his speed.



Following the zoo, we did the family photos late Saturday at Loose Park - I think we were one of about 54 photo sessions taking place there that day. What a great park, though! And whether or not they're all smiling or looking in the same direction in the photos, the kids were all great sports for the session. They also put up with us dressing them in fall attire when it was a blazing 86 degrees.

And because the weekend was full of adventure, it only makes sense that the ride home be anything but boring, too. It started with us noticing a nail in our tire before we ever left town. An hour and a half and a picnic at Chipotle with the ENTIRE family (Craig, Park, me and the two dogs) later, we had a puncture-free tire and peace of mind for the three-hour drive home. Whew. I think we need a weekend to recover from the weekend.

Carrie's 5K Cheering Section

To follow up on yesterday's post, Carrie had a great run, finished in one of her best times—I think it was due to her biggest fan.

Running is painful … so is not running

I've always heard about the "runner's high," a supposed feeling of ecstasy people feel after completing a good run. I may have experienced it once or twice, but to be honest, I'm not completely sure. I have however, definitively experienced the "runner's low."

Last weekend, Carrie ran the 5K portion of the inaugural Prairie Fire Wichita Marathon and we decided to hang around and enjoy the rest of the festivities as spectators. It was a great event (and I'm not just saying that because Carrie helped out with the PR). It was well run, the day was beautiful and a good crowd turned out. But as we stood there for a little over two hours watching people complete the half marathon, I got depressed, because as much as I loathe running (I really do), I love the challenge and the sense of accomplishment it gives me and I was envious of all the faces wrenched with pain glossed over by a big toothy grin as they approached the finish line. It's either that, or I'm just too damn competitive. Or both. Regardless, I've learned that don't like being on the sidelines—in anything.