He's going to be a scientist

This is such an exciting time! Isaac is exploding with new activities and words.

Isaac is liking to dump out his legos and put them back in the bin. He will say, “eenup” = “Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere...”

He loves cars. He has to take one everywhere. He will push it along and say “voo”= vroom.

He can pick out which books he owns on the back of the Boynton board books. We will read one and he will point to one on the back and get that one to read.

He will point to a picture of a cow in Barnyard Dance and say “moo”.

He will say bye to everything—but bye is just saying the word twice really slowly. “ca, ca” = bye car.

Isaac loves the book “What was I scared of?” by Dr. Seuss. Sometimes we read it three times in a row. His favorite part is to say "Hi" to the pants at the end.

If you mention doing an activity Isaac wants to do, he will wave bye bye to whatever you’re currently doing.

Isaac can spot balloons anywhere. “La la” = balloon. La la is also any word with many syllables that he can’t say. Like toothbrush. Or playdough. But you can distinguish playdough because he rubs his hands together.

Last week Blake was on call and I was putting Isaac to bed and he said, “Ca. Da.” I think he was saying Dad was with the car somewhere and he wanted him home. That’s the first time he’s put two words together.

He likes "head shoulders knees and toes" from nursery. But he really just likes to touch his toes and gets annoyed at the other parts.

Isaac loves to ride on dad’s shoulders. He also has a newfound love of riding in grocery carts. He likes to “help” take things out of the cart and put them in the car.

Isaac likes to show us he knows where things go. When we get out the cereal he will point that it goes right there on the table. When we’re at the magic house and he wanders with something, I can ask him to go put it back and he will get it right every time.

Isaac is starting to line things up. (cars, shoes...)

Here's some pictures from our walks:






We were at a super fun birthday party with Isaac's pals and Blake and I looked around to realize Isaac was the biggest kid there. How did that happen? He's getting so old.

We are loving spring (ish). We've been able to run to the park many times in the past couple weeks. I think Ike could live outside.

Blake is 3/4 done with 3rd year! Only peds and ob left. Match is this week and just think, one more year and it's us!!!

Chicago

Isaac and I went to Chicago last week and bugged my brother and his family. Jeremiah was too busy to notice I was there, Megan had to cook for us and give up her bedroom, and Hannah had to share her toys. Isaac and I had fun, at least.

I just read their blog post today, though, and it sounds like they weren't too annoyed by our trip, so I guess we're good. I was lucky enough that my brother married one of my best friends, which made things very awkward in college, but now it's great! I get to visit friends AND family in one.

Isaac loved his new old friend, "nana". Hannah liked to give really big hugs, which Isaac would return, but only for about a tenth of the time that Hannah intended. Isaac loved to play with their stroller and the Elmo that sings and tells stories. Hannah liked to steal the stroller to watch Isaac run after her. Then she would drop it, Isaac would take it, and Hannah would be disappointed he stopped chasing her. Megan and I were surprised because we thought that behavior didn't start until elementary school.

The highlight was going to Shedd Aquarium. Isaac ran around pointing at all the fish. There was a little play area in the basement and the kids LOVED that. I wish we could have gone to the other couple museums that were free that day, but I think we picked the one the kids would have liked the best.

We had to cut our trip half a day short, so we were disappointed to miss out on some more fun, but we did make it home safe and sound despite the snowstorm. Jeremiah so kindly carried our suitcase to the El and rode with us for an hour and a half to the airport, as opposed to driving.

In other news, Isaac seems to have finally picked up on this talking thing. He has lots of new words and surprised me in Chicago one day by repeating back all the animal sounds in The Very Busy Spider. Yay!

Isaac likes to look out our window for "cu" = trucks.
He's trying to teach Hannah.

Frozen lake. It looked so crazy I had to take a picture.

Cute pout, waiting for mom in the store.

What's new

1. another rash. spared you the picture. Is he allergic to sulfa drugs? Or was it a virus? No one knows...

2. but his three-antibiotic-course ear infection is finally over!

3. playing in the kitchen sink. stirring bowls. reaching into the drawer for a measuring spoon. just like mom.

4. getting pushed in the shopping cart, not just pushing it around.

5. giving nice gentle pats. if he hits you, you say, "no, be gentle" and he'll pet you. (he didn't hit owen first--he knows by now to always be gentle with little-brother-in-training.)
6. sitting in a big chair. his booster seat is so not cool anymore. fine with me, as long as he's sitting and eating!

7. going to Chicago on Thursday! trying to escape the cold...haha

8. remember how Isaac did so good to go to nursery at first? now he screams every time. apparently for only two minutes, but it is very distressing to me. I looked in today and he was happily doing actions to "popcorn popping on the apricot tree." I didn't know he could do that!!! I wish they could video tape nursery every week and send it home with us.

9. screaming every time I try to put him in his car seat. any suggestions?

10. Blake might not be happy with me announcing this, but he is 95% sure he's going to do neurology. YAY! It feels so exciting to have plans. It feels like someday soon we'll actually have an income instead of taking big chunks out of our savings/loans every six months. and somehow that is linked to buying a house, so I've been looking at real estate in utah, colorado, arizona, california, ...

A very boring link

February 2010 issue of the Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering.

So glad that's done (3.5 years later).

If you want to read THE WHOLE THING I can email it to you...just start lining up...

Our Christmas trip home

There were good times and bad times, there were fun times and fat times. Here are some highlights. I got a new camera (thanks Dad) so I had a hard time choosing which awesome photos to post!

Isaac was on amoxicillin for an ear infection when we left. On the night of the 23, we noticed a rash starting. By the next day, Christmas eve, he had broken out into hives! I guess he's allergic. He was very itchy and didn't sleep very well. We stopped the amoxicillin. A week later he got the ear infection back. He didn't sleep very well.

Playing outside

Chris had a birthday! No one knows why the neck opening is so large, but we all know why Bekah gave Chris an apron with this inscription: "Captain Cook--Surrender your buns".



"Little" (6'2")brother came home! He's so spiritual and awesome. And he got my mom to babysit so I could go snowshoeing with him.

Marie's pregnant! Or just playing Mary.

"Don't worry, mom, I'm just sledding with my cousins."

Jeremiah, Megan, and Hannah surprised us by flying in New Years Eve! What sneaks. "Uck" learned to call her "Anna".


The picture cannot display the depth of aversion nor the volume of scream. He was the laugh of the party.


Isaac finally was content and happy the day before it was time to come home.

And now--it's just memories: pictures on a computer, entries in a journal, and a posting on a blog. And we're all huddled around space heaters in 1 degree weather back in St. Louis. But grateful to be home in our own space with email and cell phones.

***NOTE: I just noticed there are no paternal side photos. S0rry, we love you too and had an awesome time with you too! I just got my new camera after we were with you. Isaac loved to push the car with Grandma and open her sliding doors. And play with the train at Matthew and Josh's house. And fight with Ellie over the car.

Christmas card

We threesome of Missouri are

Bearing loans we traverse afar

Westward leaning, still proceeding

Two years left until reward.

From the three New Men

fun weekend

We've enjoyed Blake being home this whole weekend! We went to the Magic House...

And a neighbor randomly gave us tickets to Holiday Magic--a little carnival downtown in the convention center. We rode on the train and on the carousel. And on the carousel again.
and again. and again. and again. I never understood parents standing around the carousel taking pictures before, but now I do! It's just so sweet! He loved it so much. And on the way out, he just had to ride the escalator. That's almost as fun.