15 Months Old!

Marcus is now saying a few words....mama, dada, more, all done (which is stated as one word), amen and uh-oh. Yesterday he said "Elmo" while he was playing with an Elmo toy (Christmas gift) at the store. He LOVES to dance, clap, play chase, tickle, and organize. Two days ago he dropped a bowl of apple wedges, said "uh-oh", then picked them up without me saying a word. I loved it!!!! Now if I can just get the rest of the family to pick up after themselves. heeee!heeee! Just kidding (really).

Marcus got his first of two flu shots at his 15 month check-up last week and we said good-bye to his pediatrician. She is moving her practice and we both hated to see her go. While we were there we of course found out his measurements - 31" and 25lbs. 12 oz. He's almost too big for me to carry him now. : (

Here's an example of how ornery he can be....Jerry handed Marcus a cookie the other day and while he was eating it he asked Daddy for more. Jerry told him that he couldn't have another one until he finished the one he had. So, he stuffed his mouth with the first cookie, got the second one from Daddy, and spit out the first one to eat it. Jerry just laughed and said that he got played. ; )

1 year going on 2....

As most of you know, Marcus is now 13 months old and is always moving! He took his first steps without help when he was 11 1/2 months and there's no stopping him now. If he's awake he wants to be moving. He especially loves playing outside - whether it be rearranging sticks and stones he found in the yard or climbing up his slide and sliding down on his belly. He's been trying to say words now and mimics most everything we say. I just realized the other day that instead of calling me Mama he's calling me Nana. He can say Mama, he just chooses not to right now. He is so much fun!!!!! He laughs at most anything, loves to give me hugs and slobbery kisses, smiles and says "Hi' to just about everyone he sees, and loves rearranging things. He opens the dish towel drawer and carries them to different places in the house, stashes toys in the potato bin, and tries to relocate our CDs and records. He also likes to 'Give 5' and will do that sometimes instead of handing something over to me that he knows he's not supposed to have. He's so darn cute! There are times now when I need to scold him for something and I have to compose myself first so that he doesn't see me smiling and laughing at what he just did. Ornery he is and it's so much fun!!!!!

Happy Birthday!

We celebrated Marcus' 1st birthday with our family and some of our closest friends on Sept. 15 at Westgate park. It turned out to be a very cold day! We were all wearing jackets and sweatshirts trying to keep warm. (The weekends before and after the party were in the 90s!) I guess we got a taste of fall that day. Aunt Renee made a beautiful Winnie-the-Pooh cake and Marcus got to eat lots of pizza and walk around the park with his grandparents, aunts and cousins. Click on the photo link to see more pictures from that day.

Goodbye Fred

As most of you already know, we had to say goodbye to Fred on August 2. Fred is now living with Granny (Jerry's mom) due to having bit Marcus in the face. It was a very traumatic experience for all of us, and the Lord helped us through it. Marcus and I got to have our first and hopefully only ambulance ride to Children's Hospital. The bite went to the bone and Marcus received 6 stitches under his right eye (praise Jesus - He miraculously protected his eye) and 4 by his right ear. Marcus stopped crying on the way to the hospital and actually started smiling at the medics and nurses. The Lord has given him such a sweet and joyful spirit. Thanks to everyone for praying for all of us during that time!

Already 8 Months Old!

Our little Marcus isn't so little anymore. He's wearing 12-month clothes, likes to walk around holding onto our fingers, and babbles quite a bit. He hasn't said Mom-ma or Da-da yet, but it isn't for the lack of Jerry or I trying.

Now that the weather is warm, we are spending a lot of time outdoors. Marcus loves to walk in the grass barefoot, attempts to eat it (has probably swallowed some pieces), and watch the neighbors walk by. He also likes to chase Fred (our dog) around in the house. Fred normally stays just out of reach and then asks to go outside. What will Fred do when Marcus starts crawling and/or walking?

For those of you that haven't met Marcus yet, he is known as the "Happy Baby." Even strangers describe him that way. Jerry and I were laughing the other day when Marcus had a little coughing spell and then smiled immediately afterward. It's like nothing can discourage him. I pray he will always have that attitude.

One last tidbit - Marcus loves strings right now - whether it be a shoelace, drawstring on a sweater or pair of pants, etc. - he'll chew it. He's been teething since he was 3 months old and I believe all of his hard work is about to pay off. I finally felt a needle point in the bottom of his mouth where a tooth is coming in. I'm going to have to take more pictures before his toothless grin is no more.

*Check out the photo link for recent pictures.