Erik Schmerik :)

Me gusta el guac.

Rings.

My teeth huuuuuuurt.

Poor babe.

Blueberries ... eyes and chin.

Indoor Games

Don't Break the Ice: We're getting better, but some of us still prefer to break the ice.

Apparently we need a pointed hammer to get this geode open, but that didn't keep us from trying :)

Cars and tracks.

Up on all fours :)

Crawling 101

Kyle likes to show Erik how to crawl ..

Sure Hope Thursday Is This Nice!

Yesterday after work, Kyle and I took a stroll to our friendly neighborhood park. The weather was crisp, but pleasant. Ky enjoyed his usual routine of climbing up and down the stairs, crawling through the tunnels, swinging on the swings, sliding down the slides, and steering the fire truck. If you ask Kyle what does a green light mean, he now answers, "Go! Go!" He sure loves beeping the imaginary horn and swerving through traffic. It's supposed to rain this Thursday - a major bummer for all those cute Trick-or-Treaters :( We sure hope the weathermen are wrong, and the kids have as beautiful an afternoon as yesterday.

Choo Choo!!

Tuesday, Kyle and I took a trip downtown, riding the rails to Union Station, where Kyle climbed every single stair by himself! That staircase has been used in many movies, and is especially famous for a scene in Kevin Kostner's "The Untouchables". Shortly after our arrival, we met Grandpa near another famous scene - he was reading a book in the park across from the Willis Tower, where John Travolta peacefully passed away in the movie "Michael". After meeting some of Grandpa's coworkers, Kyle and I had lunch in the park and took in a few more sights before heading home.

Hello Mr. Gnome

Friday, after learning all about the letter "B" and the words Bat, Ball, and Book, Kyle and I hung out in Grandma and Grandpa's backyard. I taught him how to do cartwheels (or at least my almost 30 year-old attempt at what might once have resembled a cartwheel), which made him laugh and laugh ... especially when Mama fall down. Ouch. We opened and closed the elves door to their magical tree house, swished our hands through the cool grass, slid down the slide, gazed at the airplanes soaring over the clouds above, and said hello to Mr. Gnome. All in all a most enchanting Friday afternoon.

Happy Birthday, Jen!

After taking a few hours off to nap and regroup, the three of us stopped by Rob and Jen Mahon's to wish Jen a "Happy Birthday" as well. Ky played some bags and had fun in the grass as usual.

He Sure Knows His Stuff!

Breaking Boundaries

We used to use Kyle's circus as a barrier to keep him "quarantined" in our living room, but just the other day the little rascal came crawling through, half laughing, half screaming as he made his way through the tunnel. Now we stuff the bottom of the circus. Wonder how long this homemade device will last ...

Crawling, Kneeling, and Climbing

Not only is Kyle crawling everywhere, he's now kneeling everywhere and more than eager to climb/reach as high as he can on anything. We have to keep an eye on this guy ;) Exhibit A:

Kyle Update

Lately I've been very bad about taking pictures of Kyle. I must get better about that. Must. Especially since he's growing SO MUCH these days. Once of the reasons for this is because ever since he started crawling - yes, crawling! - on the 17th, he hasn't stopped for one second, and Chris and I are always on the move, just trying to keep up with our little guy. We've very proud of how quickly he's picked it up, and obviously can't wait to cheer him on as he learns more and more skills over the coming months, years, etc.

Here's a little list of what else Kyle's up to these days:

1. Opening cabinets
2. Zipping through ABC Animal Flashcards on his iphone app
3. Chowing down on solids: rice cereal; oatmeal; apples; bananas; pees; carrots; sweet potatoes; broccoli; green beans; and butternut squash (a personal fav). Next on the list: zucchini (I just made some this week) and pears (coming this weekend).
4. Laughing (out loud ... it's hysterical) when his feet or tummy are tickled, or when Mommy and Daddy pretend to eat his food.
5. Holding his own bottle through pretty much the whole feeding
6. Signing. Chris and I are teaching him a few signs for basic words like Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, Milk, ball, book, food, sleep, and all gone/empty. So far he is actually signing for milk. It's really funny how quickly and adamantly he does it when he is seriously hungry.
7. Turning book pages (although like some of my students, he flips a little too quickly, and often skips a few pages in the process.
8. Grabbing Mommy's nose, eyes, cheeks, mouth, teeth, etc. during feedings.

Kyle's also chewing on everything: teethers; socks; fingers; toes; toys; books; other things he shouldn't; etc. So far no teeth, but he's working on it, and we're waiting for them. Patiently. ;)

Just Hanging Out

This afternoon we picked up some Portillos and hung out with Grandma P and Uncle Kev. Kyle showed off his crawling progress ... almost there! ... while sporting his new bomber jacket and ladies man t-shirt (Christmas gifts from Grandpa P and Uncle Kev).

Push Ups!

This is from a few days ago. Using their muscles ...

Silliness :)