Mitch's 2-year well visit

Today we went to our nice, new doctor for my two-year well visit to find out how all the eating I have been doing has paid off. We learned that I'm 34.5 inches tall (40th percentile), 29 lbs 1 oz (60th percentile), and my head is 48.5 cm around (40th percentile). We can't believe I am in the 60th percentile for weight! The doctor said I'm really filling out, and even commented about how tall I was. Mom and Dad couldn't believe it. Dad even had to change the scale on my growth chart.

Everyone - Dad, Mom, Hazel and I - came along today, and the doctor said Hazel and I are both are very calm, easygoing and good. She also mentioned that I am exceptionally curious and independent. I must have really impressed her because I didn't have to get any shots!

We are still investigating my allergy, and I am getting a test done this week. I will keep you posted.

You can check out my latest growth chart, also updated on the right side of the blog.

Making Lemonade

This week we had lots of opportunities to make lemonade because life kept handing us lemons.

Wednesday we went to the library for story time, but they aren't having it anymore until mid-September. Bummer.

Then Thursday afternoon Daddy had the chance to come hang out with us because he had to get his car fixed. While the car was in the shop, we picked him up so he could come to the Children's Museum with us instead of hanging around the garage waiting for them to finish. When we got downtown, we found a sign on the door that said due to circumstances beyond their control, they were closed for the day.

Next we went home to get suited up for the splash pad at Terra Burger. But as you may know, we are in the middle of a drought and they bumped our water restrictions up to phase 2, so when we got there we learned that the splash pad is now closed for a while. Lucky for us though, just as we pulled in to Terra Burger, it started raining cats and dogs. Dad said it was time to make some lemonade out of all this, so Mom and Hazel hid under an awning while Dad and I braved it and played on the playscape while Mom ordered my dinner. It was a good thing I had my swim suit on!

Saturday we had a great time celebrating Shabbas at a family service at Congregation Agudas Achim. It was nice - we sang, danced, saw some friends we haven't seen in a while and I got to play a neat drum. I also enjoyed pointing out all the colors on a nice stained glass door, and a nice lady who was greeting everyone at the door had fun holding Hazel for a little bit. It was a great morning. I rejected my nap once again so we spent the afternoon at the Children's Museum, where I frustrated Dad with my love for their elevator.

Sunday morning it was kind of cool out, so Mom, Dad and I headed outside while Hazel napped. I ran off lots of fizz playing in my sandbox and on my slide, kicking my ball, swinging, blowing bubbles and squirting our hose. I was so tired that after a trip to the grocery store and some lunch, I took a nice long NAP!!! Everyone is very excited and hopes the nap strike is over.

By the afternoon, it was hot again so we all headed to the pool at the J, where we met up with Benjamin and his mom and dad. We were all very excited because it was Hazel's first time in the pool, but she didn't like it. The water might have been a little cold for her because she screamed when Mom went in with her - only up to her bum - and after we got out, her legs looked a little purple. Our quest to have fun was foiled again on that trip - just after we all got in the pool we had to get out for a five-minute safety break. Then we got back in and the fire alarm went off so we all had to leave. Anyway, we'll try swimming again at Bubbe's next week; Hazel might like it more anyway because Dad said their pool is heated.

Another big milestone for Hazel is she moved to her own room Saturday. She was sleeping in Mom and Dad's room at night. She would have stayed in with them longer but she has really been talking a lot lately and has started talking to herself for an hour at 5 a.m. She's happy when she does it, but it makes Mom and Dad, who want to sleep, very tired because she is so loud! She seems happy in her new room and we are proud of her.

Here are links to the latest pictures and a video of Hazel telling us what's on her mind.

4 months already?

Today was a big day for Hazel. She had her four month well visit with our new doctor. Hazel has grown a lot. She weighs 12 lbs, 14 ounces (35th percentile); she is 24.5 inches tall (60th percentile); and her head is 39.6 cm (25th percentile) around. Hazel tried to roll from her back to her belly while she was there and almost made it. The doctor said she is growing well and her neck strength is way above average. Yay Hazel!

Here's a link to Hazel's growth chart, or you can click on it on the right side of the blog.

I've had a big week too. Last Tuesday was my last day of camp. Here is a picture one of my great teachers took this summer when I was grilling up some bananas in our classroom. I learned this trick from my book Early Bird.

Anyway, since I don't have camp or school for the time being, Mom has been coming up with new things to keep us busy. We went to a place called Terra Burger, where they have a splash pad, sandboxes and great playscape, last week. I started out in the water before stomping through the mud on the way to the sandbox, which I rolled in. I will share pictures of this with you soon.

We've also been playing in the water at home. We got a cool new hose nozzle and Mom accidentally discovered how much I like being chased around with it. I also like it when she shoots toys out of my hands with the jet setting. It is hilarious. We also have a good time terrorizing Peepa with the spray.

There's even more water in our future - we plan on hitting the pool this week because the doctor told us Hazel is now old enough for the pool and sunscreen. We're super excited because not only can we swim here now, we'll be able to take her in the drink when we visit Bubbe and Papa next week.

Saturday we learned just how important it is to be wet when we're outside, when we enjoyed a morning at the park. We went to Little Stacy to celebrate our friend Elizabeth's third birthday. It was very hot, but I enjoyed running around the whole time we were there.

Because I have been having so much fun exploring the world, I have decided I am no longer going to slow down long enough to take naps. I've been jumping up and down, screaming in my crib whenever Mom and Dad put me in there, and I even learned how to open the crib tent. That'll show 'em! Everyone but me hopes this is a short-lived phase because while I refuse to rest, I am very overtired and crabby.

Another not so great development is we are pretty sure we figured out what I am allergic to - tomatoes. We're all really sad because it's something healthy that I love and it's in just about everything Mom cooks. My skin has been clear now for almost two weeks, so yesterday I had a little ketchup with lunch, just to see if I can get away with a little of it. Sadly, I woke up this morning and the rash/hives are back. So for now, it's no tomatoes for me.

Merman

Today was a super fun day! We got up early this morning and Mom's friend Zhenya came over. She was there to watch Hazel while Mom, Dad, and I went out on a ski boat on Lake Travis. Austin hasn't been getting much rain lately, so the lake is very low. In fact, its the lowest it's been in more than 20 years. All of the public boat ramps are closed. But Dad's friends Bob and Carrie have a boat in a private marina, so we could still go out.

When we got to the dock, Mom noticed that we were parking our car in a spot that is normally 30 feet under water. It was pretty surreal. The area where the lake used to be was full of dry rock. Mom said it looked like a nuclear wasteland. The good news is that there was still plenty of lake left for us.

We loaded up the boat pretty quickly and headed out. With all of the public ramps closed, there were very few other boats out - we had the lake almost to ourselves, which was nice - smooth water and plenty of room. Bob drove the boat slow so I could get used to the boat. I loved it! There was so much to look at and see. Occassionally we saw another boat that I could point at, but mostly we looked at the houses and docks along the shore.

When we got to a cove, we stopped the boat, and Dad, Bob, and I went swimming in the lake. I got to wear my new life preserver. Everyone we very impressed at how good I was at wearing it. I didn't fuss at all. I really liked being in the water with Dad, who said I am so good in the water, I am a merman. We swam and splashed and played with floating tubes. Eventually we had to leave, but I had a great time. I fell fast asleep on the car ride home.

After a quick bath and lunch, and a little playtime at home, we were off to a party! This time Hazel came with us. It was a housewarming party, and there were tons and tons of kids my age there. They had lots of toys for me to play with. Hazel liked looking at all of the other kids. My favorite thing to play with was the water dispenser on the front of the refrigerator. I loved pressing it and watching water go all over the floor. They also had some stairs on their patio that I liked walking up and down. I'm getting really good at walking up and down stairs. For lunch, we had hot dogs and corn, and since I ate a whole apple the other day, Mom let me eat the corn right off the cob!

Mom and Dad were impressed with how well I played around the other kids. Sometimes they came up to me and grabbed my toys, but I just found new toys. I also shared my toys with other kids too, by handing them to the other kids. We all agreed that it was a tiring but very fun day.

You can see pictures from our trip out to the lake here.

I love my sister

We've been so busy having fun, we haven't had time to write a blog post in a while. Last Wednesday was a big day for all of us. Mom thinks Hazel giggled for the first time! She did it again this weekend and today. It is really cute. She is a smiley, happy baby.

Hazel's really growing up before our eyes. She's very alert, has a very strong grasp, and coos a lot now. She's also starting to fall into her own little schedule. She likes to take a nap at 9:30 in the morning and she likes to go to bed at 6:30. Her other naps just happen throughout the day. Mom and Dad can't believe she's already old enough to be consistent, but she's really just doing it on her own each day. Mom and Dad are excited because when things are predictable, their lives are easier!

Speaking of Hazel, I have been much more interested in her lately. I try to touch her (and grab her when Mom's not looking), I have been pushing her in her swing, and I even hugged her! Yesterday, I kept trying to put my turtle birthday hat on her. Mom kept saying it's too big for her, but I kept trying anyway. Finally, when Hazel was asleep in her swing, I was sneaky enough to make it happen. It really made Mom and me laugh, but it woke Hazel up. Hazel has been more interested in me too. We really look at and smile at each other a lot.

The other thing that was really cool last Wednesday, was Mom cut my hair really short, which made me look like a big kid, and more importantly, we joined the Austin Children's Museum. We went again today after I got out of camp and had a great time. I like all the fun stuff there is to do there, like climb the stairs and ride the elevator. Oh, and they have lots of blocks, a chicken, a cow, a fish pinata, drums, and little pretend houses I like to play in too.

A highlight from this week is my teachers told Mom I said "more crackers" at camp. I have yet to demonstrate this to Mom and Dad, and the jury's still out.

When we left camp today, we took a detour on our way to the car. Mom showed me a cool garden with a fountain in it. At first, I cautiously stuck my hand in the water. It doesn't look like much, but the rushing water is very loud. Mom thought it was cute and took a couple of pictures. Then I was brave and jumped in! It was a nice cool ending to my hot day of camp.

By the way, July was the hottest on record (which started in 1860!) in Austin. It is more than 100 degrees just about every day. We are READY for fall. I've been spending a lot of time on the weekends riding around the neighborhood in my bike trailer, but it's almost too hot for it. Yesterday morning when Hazel napped, Mom pulled my pool (and my nice new swimsuit) out. It was great.

When we got home today, we had even more fun. I helped Mom make some rice, then she turned around for a second and when she looked at me again, I was standing behind her, eating a whole apple I found on the kitchen table. As usual, she laughed at me, but she cut the sticker off and made me wash it before I could eat the rest. At least it was organic!

Here are tons of pictures of how much fun I'm having with Hazel. There are also some of me riding around with Mom, splashing in my pool and the fountain, and playing at the Austin Children's Museum.

She did it!

This has been a week of major happenings around here. The biggest news of all is...Hazel finally did it! She's been trying to roll over for a while and yesterday, while lying in her play gym, she finally made it. I was napping when it happened, but Mom told me all about it. One minute Mom looked at Hazel and thought, "She is really close to rolling over." She looked down at a book she was reading for a minute, and when she looked back up, Hazel was on her belly! Hazel looked pretty shocked for a few minutes, then spit up, then screamed, and when Mom picked her up to nurse her, she immediately fell asleep for a little bit. We are all very excited and proud of Hazel.

I am also up to new tricks. Since climbing/jumping out of my crib a couple of weeks ago, I have suddenly been climbing on everything. I'm getting even faster at walking up the stairs and I have been climbing on all our chairs. My most impressive stunt is climbing up into my booster seat. It is a fun way to tell everyone I am ready to eat, and I can even buckle myself in.

I have really been playing with my new kitchen and all the pretend food, utensils, pots and pans I got for my birthday. I love it so much, we spent our whole day yesterday downstairs. Any time Dad or Mom try to convince me to go someplace else, I scream like a banshee, so we skipped the Parenting Center yesterday and I ate breakfast while playing this morning. One of my favorite things to do is put all the food in the microwave, then put it in my lunch bag that I take to camp. Dad and Mom are glad I am learning to pack my own lunch.

Mom put my favorite CD, Jack Johnson's Curious George soundtrack, on my new mp3 player. Since she did that, I like the mp3 player even more than ever. I have been walking around with it and listening to it while playing with my kitchen. I even take it in the car with me sometimes.

I love camp more than ever. I am really enjoying my new teachers, Joann and Dganit. The first few times, transitioning when Mom left was rough and I really cried until she was gone, but this week went much better. Tuesday when Mom carried me in, Joann came over to us and I reached out to her so she could hold me. Mom was so happy she took lunch to them when she picked me up. They really liked it and asked Mom for the potato curry recipe the next day.

One sort of sad thing that we have been dealing with is I had a terrible rash because I am allergic to something. I went to the doctor Monday, who gave me some medicine and said it's probably a food. We are trying to narrow down what I am eating so we can figure it out, but we think it may be strawberries, blueberries or tomatoes. Papa said he wishes it was liver or something else that tastes yucky. We all agree with him. One good thing is it gave us a chance to meet our new doctor (we switched). She is very nice.

You can see pictures of Hazel and me here.