happy birthday, papa!

happy birthday, papa!! today is my papa's birthday, and last weekend, we went to celebrate with grandma and papa. we had papa's favorite; strawberry shortcake w/ freshly made whip cream
(strange but true - this is papa AND grandpa's favorite) papa needed a bigger cake, because it was about 50 candles too short.
after about 15 minutes, ella and i decided "visiting" was much too boring. grandma R busted out the playdough for us. ella busied herself by makes various shapes, and telling mommy and auntie amy what they were. she made dogs, bunnies, circles, stars, snowmen, and triangles. she knew all their colors and shapes. i, of course, know all my colors and shapes, but i couldn't tell mommy because my mouth was full of playdough each time she asked.
after we tired of playdough, i sat down to give gracie some much needed attention. i read her my favorite book about trains. she is a good listener.
so, if you see my papa today, please tell him happy birthday! xoxo

that's me

you all know how fashionable my grandma jane is. i have found that she has the best accessories, so i borrowed (for ever) her purple headband. i wear it EVERYWHERE, much to my daddy's delight. but, i have to add my own bit of style so i wear it like this...
when mommy and i were at the farmers market, i started dancing in front of one of the street musicians. this guy was really good, and i was getting into it - showing off my sick moves. i, of course, had on my purple head-band. in the heat of the moment, i hiked up my blue shorts (so my diaper was sticking out all over), tapped my foot and stuck my butt out. i was creating quite the stir, and a crowd was gathering. one of my fans came up to mommy and said, "well, he is quite the odd duck, isn't he?" i only have one thing to say to that lady...
quack. quack.

prose family fun day

here is the prose family. the cool thing about this pic is that it is a recreation. grandma rita has this favorite family picture, taken on a picnic table just like one below. the difference, below everyone is about 20 years older, and this picture is missing my uncle dan. soon, we all joined in. ifor the record, i was not crazy about all these pictures. there was a problem that you can not see in the photograph. the problem was, we were sitting right next to a swing set that has a slide. not just any old regular slide, but a slide with a pool at the bottom! mommy and daddy made me sit and smile, all the while this slide/pool combo was calling my name...

lauren and ella swinging - notice their dry clothes.
stephanie was all smiles, but noah was pretty sleepy. he is a big, growing boy. and introducing...
BABY GRACIE!!!! auntie amy brought baby gracie for me to see! gracie is beautiful. she is little, and sweet, and amazing. i was excited to meet her, but i was not excited when mommy was holding her. really - she is cute, but i must draw the line when it comes to my mom's lap.

abrazos y besos

thanks, T

i love it when my T comes to visit. she loves me and always gives me kisses and reads to me, and we play the best games. but mommy said she may never be allowed over again...

leather

number three leather is strong, yet flexible, warm and strong.
for these reasons, i love him more each day.

stats

i finally made it to my 18 month check up - at 20 months. i kept putting it off, but really, i had nothing to worry about. here are my most recent stats:

weight 23.5 lbs

height 34 1/4 inches

that puts me in the 20% for weight and (drum roll please...) 80% for height!!! yes, i am finally catching up to my full-term peers. doc denise was very pleased with my growth, especially considering at my last check i was in the 2% and 3%. mommy talked about her 2 'concerns'. 1) i don't eat very much 2) when i get really mad, i can hold my breath until i fall over/turn blue. i have only flopped over limp 2 times, but that is enough to give my mommy a heart attack. doc denise told mommy i was 'totally normal'. she smiled at me, and said "oh - your one of those boys..." and told my mommy i should grow out of my tantrums - hopefully before kindergarten. mommy was skeptical, because she is certain i get this behavior from daddy.

so, all is well in the growth department. i also am right on track for speech and motor development. i showed off by telling the doc all my body parts and animal sounds. of course, i had a shot. i was very brave - and did scream at the nurse. (i didn't pass out, however.) she, in turn, blew some bubbles at me, and all was right in the world again.

peace out.

please send your love

beaux and family need a little extra love these days. beaux's grandpa thyen died last week, and everyone is mourning the loss. please send your love and good vibes to beaux, andy, cort and family. we are all thinking of them.