Wow, it's been a long time since I have put anything on this blog! So much has changed in the past six months. Most of what has happened is on Facebook, so I have a hard time making separate posts for a blog. But here is what I can remember since the last blog post:

We went to Alabama this summer (right around July 4th) to spend time with Granddaddy before the end. He hadn't been doing well and Grandmama had called me to tell me that he was very sick, unresponsive and not doing well. After we gathered Nick and Eric and got about three hours on the road, she called again and said that he was doing better than she had thought, but we were already in the mindset to go and I think it was good that we were there. We have a few pictures of Micah with Granddaddy during that trip and I got to take care of him, so it was a time that has some good memories associated. We weren't planning to go to the funeral, but after Granddaddy died (August 12) I decided that I really wanted to go. Brian and Micah and I were all on a walk in Cottonwood Park when we talked and decided that I should fly out there. My mom and Nick were leaving in 30 minutes for the airport, so we walked home as fast as possible and I packed like lightning. It was good to be at the funeral.

Ed and Heather got married over Labor Day weekend. Micah was so funny in the airport afterward. I was drinking Coke from a bottle and he came up to me and asked, "More beer please?", which was funny because it wasn't beer and he hadn't had any in the first place. But there was definitely a lot of beer (and cigarettes) at the wedding.

Micah is talking so much! He has such a great memory and understands almost all of what we tell him. Tonight we read "Gingerbread Friends" by Jan Brett for the first time and I read all the words to him. He really kept up with what was going on. Just a month ago, he would have turned the pages after I read one line but he was interested in the plot tonight. Everyone tells us how amazing it is that he talks so much. The nursery workers say that he is the only one in his class who talks, and that he talks in complete sentences when the other kids aren't even saying anything. I'm proud of him! Yesterday we were looking at pictures from the past six months (because we hadn't downloaded pictures in six months, either) and saw some pictures of him at the zoo this summer. He asked all day about going to the zoo to see the gorillas and I told him that I would have to ask Brian about it. When he woke up this morning, he was still asking about going. Too bad it has been in the 20s because I would love to take him. He would have so much fun!

At church a few weeks ago, Micah saw the end of a baptism service (usually the service is finished before we go get him from the nursery). He talked all day about people getting baptized, dunked in the water, and now he wants to "see baptized" even though he knows that the baptismal is covered most of the time.

He's been saying, "I can't" if he can't do something and finally will say if he is tired (walking usually). Clementine oranges are in season right now and he has had so much fun peeling them. He asks for the peely bin to put the rind in and will get all the peel off as long as I start it for him. He is so grown up! Now he remembers his friends and things he has done with them--he is always asking to go downstairs to play with Malachi's basketball hoop or his car ramps or his double-decker bus. He wakes up asking to "watch Story" (Toy Story) and also asks to watch Elmo (Sesame Street), Nemo (Finding Nemo), Touie (Ratatouille), Veggie Tales, Dora (Dora the Explorer, which I then tell him that I don't like, to which he replies, "Don't like it"). We give him the same answers so often that sometimes he repeats them when he asks us a question he knows the answer to:

"Go outside?" -- "Cold, dark" (what we tell him when it is night, but he says this even during the day
"Watch Story?" -- "After naptime" (because that is usually when I am making dinner and let him watch a movie)

Micah is so curious about anatomy! He has asked to see Mommy's penis several times, and now he knows to say that boys have them, not girls. He is always looking for his belly button and pulls his shirt up to show people. He wants to see everyone's button and hides his face behind his hands when he asks, like he is embarrassed. He also will tell us when he is pooping ("I'm pooping") or will say "big toot!" A few months ago, he was very concerned about eyebrows and would say, "Eyebrows all gone?", then feel his eyebrows and say, "There it is!"

There are lots of things he likes to pretend are gone, and then he likes to find them again. We play with a tub of dry oatmeal and pinto beans, and he buries a spoon in it to pretend that it's "all gone", then says, "there it is!". When we are driving, he asks if Mommy or Daddy are all gone, so I'm always telling him that I'm sitting in the passenger seat or driving. Sometimes he will say that Micah is driving. Frequently he will say, "I'm stuck!" when he is in his carseat. I'm sure I would feel stuck too--five-point harness with nowhere to move? No thanks. We've been keeping him rear-facing because that is what current research shows is safe. Our carseat goes to 35lb for rear-facing, and so far it is okay with him. He can see out pretty well and likes to see the Flight for Life helicopter at the hospital when we drive past it on our way out East, usually to church. He knows that the helicopter goes to pick up sick people and that when it's dark we can't see it because there are no lights near the helipad.

Playdough is one of Micah's favorite activities. We have a tub in the pantry full of cookie cutters and playdough supplies, so he asks to "play cookie cutters". I usually roll the dough flat so he can either cut shapes into the dough (he can name almost all of our cookie cutters, and there are 100 of them--letters, numbers, seasonal, dinosaurs, animals, vehicles, etc.) or drive the vehicle cookie cutters in the dough. He knows how to push dough into the playdough machine to make snakes or spaghetti. He's never tried eating it, thank goodness. We have had the same tub of dough since we made it this summer (the same day Brian made his sand and water table). I had him help me make it because he really likes to dump ingredients in the bowl. However, we used the stove to cook it and Micah burned his finger. I felt so awful! I usually use the back burners, but used the front one for some reason. He touched the hot element under the pot and burned his right index finger. Thankfully the pediatrician doesn't know because Micah had a skull fracture when he was about 5 months old and every new provider at the doctor's office asks us about it. So now I know not to let him help me cook on the stove. Duh. He usually knows not to touch something that is hot.

One of Micah's favorite things to do is to chew Ole's gum. He frequently asks to "go see Ole" and the first thing he says to her when he sees her is "have some gum?". Mom is very obliging and usually gives him two or three extra pieces for later. When we are at her house, Micah goes into her bathroom and gets her water spray bottle. He wants to spray everything but we tell him he can spray the plants. Most of the time he drinks out of it, too. It's almost like his cup. Micah loves to play with candles (safely!). He asks us to light them by saying "match it up" (strike the matches) and then he wants to blow them out even before the match burns out.

Dad's house is a favorite, too--he will ask to "go to Papa's house" or "see Papa" or "see Pasha" or "see Pavel" or "play with Pavel's toys" or "see Roxy (Dad's dog) or "see crabs" (hermit crabs from Dad and Inna's honeymoon). He plays with Pavel's cars and trucks and airplanes (thanks, Pavel!) and likes to see the remote-controlled helicopters that Pavel has. One night at dinner, Micah started crying to "go see Papa" so I called Dad right away and we went over there about twenty minutes later. So cute.

Brian plays the Wii sometimes and Micah will ask to "watch furby dog" (Frisbee dog). Sometimes he likes to help you throw the Frisbee (and I need all the help I can get!) and gets really excited when the dog has to jump to catch the Frisbee (the dog flips when he catches it in the air). When Bru would play basketball with Micah, he would tell Micah to say "bye bye Daddy's head" because your Mii face disappears from the scoreboard if another player gets a higher score than you.

Micah likes to go shopping and is upset if I go while he is taking a nap: "Micah go shopping too?". Now we can go shopping and let him out of the cart. He likes to throw groceries into the cart--hard!--so I have to be careful about letting him help with the produce. He likes to help push the cart and will "buckle up" when he is sitting in the cart. Buckles are very fun for him.

Micah likes to hide a lot, and will tell you when he is hiding. He runs and hides on the floor in the corner of the couch (we have a sectional) when we want to change his diaper or just for fun. He likes to play hide and seek a lot, too (except I am the one who hides while he "counts"). Speaking of counting, Micah usually starts with three and counts until 11 or 12. Most things are "3, 4, 5", no matter what they are or how many. He is starting to recognize his letters and will ask to see certain ones on the learning website Starfall.com. He especially likes "M" because it is for Micah, but "W" was the first letter he latched on to. His first favorite color was orange, and now he will name the colors of several objects he plays with.

Micah also is interested in emotion. He likes to see different facial expressions, especially when someone is sad. Those are his favorite pages in books. We also pretend like we are sad when he asks us to be sad. He likes to knock down block towers we build so that we are sad.

I'm pregnant now and expecting another boy on March 22. He is moving a lot inside! Lots of kicks and rolls. I can finally see him moving from the outside--so fun. Micah calls the baby "Bobo" and likes to "see Mommy's belly" and will cuddle with my belly after he has lifted my shirt so he can put his cheek on it. One day, Micah wanted to cuddle with my belly with a blanket on and said, "go night-night". So cute. We really like the name Liam for the first name and I am leaning toward Asher. We'll see what Brian ends up being comfortable with :)

Because the baby is coming, and also for practical reasons, we got bunk beds for Micah. It is so nice to be able to cuddle with him before naptime and bedtime, especially because there is less room on my lap than there used to be. We read books before Micah goes to sleep. Micah usually asks for us to lie down with him when he goes to bed, which we do sometimes. He has gotten a lot better about quietly going to bed though, instead of needing us so much. Sometimes he still wakes up at night (last night I went and slept with him from 1:30 until 2:30) but most nights he goes to sleep around 8 and wakes up about 7:30. Curious to see how things go when the baby comes...

Well, that's about all that comes to mind right now (Brian just asked if I was writing a book). Maybe I'll post again before six months is up!

Miscarriage May 23, 2011
Due December 13, 2011

Micah loves anything in a plastic wrapper--if I have food and it crinkles, he says "mmm" and wants some immediately. Tonight, he's been rummaging through the pantry and brought me a bag of dried lentils. He said "mmm" and handed it to me. I opened it and gave him one...and now he's eaten about ten of them.

And he's happily playing with the recycling--empty egg cartons and plastic trays. Love him.

Thank You

We went to Cottonwood Creek Park on Friday morning. Micah loved it! This was the first time this year, and I'm sure he didn't remember the times he spent sleeping there last year. This time, he chased the birds around the grass, watched the other kids play, ran up and down the play structure, and bounced a ball with our friend Zachery Kelley. Zachery was great at giving Micah turns to bounce the ball, and when he handed the ball to Micah once, Micah replied, "Thank you," without a prompt. So cute!

Today I asked Micah to take some trash to the trash can and throw it away--just to see if he knew what I meant. He looked at me, questioningly, then smiled when I nodded at him. He toddled over to the trash can, opened it, and put the trash in the can.

He then proceeded to find a toy and put it in the can.

Now to learn what "trash" means...

Micah's Progress

I'm realizing that I regret not having a journal for Micah beginning in my pregnancy with him, so I'm going to try to piece together what I remember about the first year and start blogging about his life. Most big moments have been captured in pictures, so I might need to look back to my photo folders for a refresher. Here are some quick thoughts:

Seven months: First teeth (bottom two)

Ten months: Micah can say "bird" and "ball" and has started crawling.

February: We are at Aunt Joanne's for a President's Day weekend. The top left molar is pushing through. Micah is having a terrible time sleeping. Sometime around

Thirteen months: Micah has started walking! He growls at the vacuum cleaner ("grr") and at any other machines that make noise (the blender, the Kitchenaid mixer, the Shop Vac, Brian's drill, the paper shredder). He seems to like machinery. And the best part--he points at anything and everything and says, "What's that?" Hilarious!

March 3: Micah woke up, nursed, and I put him on the changing pad. As soon as I had the diaper off, he rolled onto his stomach and fell asleep again.

March 9: We were eating dinner, and I asked Micah if he wanted a bite of chicken. He said, "Mrow". We've been trying so hard to call the cat "Kitty" or "The Cat", but I guess he knows more than I think :)

This week: Micah points when a car drives past and says "car car"

Today: Micah woke up and started talking to himself in his crib instead of crying for me right away! That's an accomplishment. He is maturing so quickly! We went to his closet this morning and he pulled the door open and pointed to the flamingo Beanie Baby in there, then wanted to see my little farm that my parents had given me back when I was in high school as a joke. I brought the farm out to the living room and he has been playing with it happily for the past 30 minutes (another milestone--he is rarely happy to play alone). He found the tractor and trailer and has been saying "car car" and says "quack quack" and "duck" to the duck.

For breakfast today, he fed himself eggs for the first time! He hasn't liked them before today :)

And we were playing in his room this morning and he kept bringing me books to read. So sweet. Love that little boy.

Meaningless

Ecclesiastes 2:24 A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? 26 To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. (NIV)