Look out, Meredith, here I come!

From Theodore Elial 4-6 Months

I'm starting to grow longer and longer. I'm also starting to sit up, as you can see by the picture of me. So, big sis, you better watch out. You're days of being bigger than me are numbered! I'm already fitting in 6-9 month clothing (I have been for a while now, and I just turned 4 months old). I'm even rolling over from back to front and front to back. I giggle, squirm, and follow things with my eyes. I'm gonna be able to chase you here soon!

I'm so big that my doctor had to measure me to believe it ;) I'm 26.5 inches long, 15 pounds 10 ounces, and a head circumference of 15.75 inches (that's the only part that isn't huge). So just you wait, I'm going to be a great playmate here in no time!

From Theodore Elial 4-6 Months

Don't forget to look at my new picture web album here. There may not be too many pictures there yet, but I just turned 4 months old today! Just wait and see as the number of pictures grows with me!

P.S. Mama says I am teething too. I am not sure what teething means, but man my mouth hurts. Soon I will be ready for food!

My friends the snake and zebra

From Meredith Jane 22-24 Months

We went to the zoo again yesterday. I love going to the zoo! I get to see all kinds of cool and fun animals... except for the elephant. He was out hiding somewhere when we tried to find him. Where could he be hiding? He is pretty big.

My Mama doesn't like snakes much, so my Daddy brought me by some of the snake exhibits. Here I am watching a snake watch me. He sure seemed interested in me too... he kept moving around near where I was to check me out.

From Meredith Jane 22-24 Months

We got to spend some time at the zebra enclosure too (there was a giraffe and some birds there too). The zebra was pretty close to the wall; I really liked watching him too. Then he started to walk away, and I asked him, "where are you going?"

He says, "can't a zebra just hang out by himself?

Mini sleepover

From Meredith Jane 22-24 Months

My friend Aurelia and her parents came over last night. I always like it when they come over in the evenings, because that means I get to have a sleepover! Well, the sleepovers always seem to get cut short when Aurelia's Mama and Daddy go home, but at least we get to go to bed in the same room!

From Meredith Jane 22-24 Months

Last night was even more special because it was just the night before that I stayed at Aurelia's house when my Mama and Daddy went to Bible study. That means I got to see her two nights in a row! How fun! So that means we've been able to play with each other for two days in a row!

From Meredith Jane 22-24 Months

Thank you for coming over, Aurelia! I can't wait to see you again!

I've got my eyes on you!

From Theodore Elial 0-3 Months

I've learned a new trick recently. It involves being able to look at you from a distance... I can even see across a room now! All the great things that I can look at; it is so much fun.

If I'm up for it, I may even follow things around the room, especially if they are interesting -- like bright colors or nice patterns or maybe just a silly dog being chased by my sister. ;)

Hey you... over there... I'm looking at you!

From Theodore Elial 0-3 Months

Growing!

From Meredith Jane 22-24 Months

I wanted to make sure everyone knew how big I am!!
Height~36 inches (that right 3 FT tall!!)- above 95 percentile
Weight~27 lbs and 12 oz. - 75 percentile
Head circumference~HUGE--no really Mama did not see the measurement but it is off the charts!

My doctor says I am growing fine and developing just right! She says I will be a tall girl! If you believe the superstition of doubling 2 year old height I will be 72 inches as an adult! That puts me at about 6 feet tall! Look out Daddy, here I come!

A Watched Pot...

From Theodore Elial 0-3 Months

...Never boils. Well a watched baby never rolls. At least that is what I am trying to teach Mama. I can roll from my tummy to my back! Though Mama or Daddy have never actually seen me do it. When she goes to help Meredith with things that is when I roll. Today, I even rolled from my back to my tummy when Mama went downstairs to get Meredith's hairbrush. I enjoy being sly! Here I am complicating if I want to roll for the camera or not.

Happy Birthday Meredith!

From Meredith Jane 2nd Birthday

I can't believe that two years ago today Meredith was born! Life has changed to much for us since that day. We are fully enjoying toddler-hood with Meredith. As a stay at home parent I am privileged to see her ever growing and ever changing. It has been so much fun to see her go from a crabby baby to her happy little self. Right now she is some where between a little girl and a toddler. I sometimes have to do a double take to make sure she is my baby because she is growing up so fast. This year has brought on a lot of changes. She has gone from wearing diapers to wearing panties. She has gone from sleeping in a crib to sleeping in a big girl bed. She has gone from sitting in a high chair to a booster seat, back to the high chair in hopes of getting her to eat more. We have had two big trips with Meredith this past year. I am so excited to have been able to expose her to more then just Texas. I also love that she has such a love of being outside in nature.

I hope to be able to have her experiance snow or colder weather soon so that she will recognize mittens more then just pictures in some of her books. Having Meredith has made me realize that I want to be a better person not only for me but for our family. I can't wait to see what this next year brings us!

Stay tuned for a post tomorrow of her latest stats as we visit the pediatrician tomorrow.

The Big Boy Side!

From Theodore Elial 0-3 Months

I have graduated to the big boy side of the baby bathtub!! I have started to try to sit up more and more as of late and I am tired of leaning back to take my baths. It is MUCH more fun to sit up straight! I hope I make it to the big tub soon! I hear it took Daddy a long time to put Meredith in the big bathtub. I think it would be SO MUCH FUN to take baths with my sister! I hope I get to do that soon!

A Ball

From Theodore Elial 0-3 Months

I hear that Meredith likes to play with balls. I have not been too interested in much besides my baby toys, but today Mama handed me one of Gilligan's balls because it was the closest thing that may entertain me. She was editing some pictures she took from today. She ended up taking more pictures of me though. I have decided that balls might be okay to play with. Not too long ago Gilligan tried to get me to play with him. Do you remember that post? Give me a few more months and I will be throwing with the best of them!

From Theodore Elial 0-3 Months

I think for now I am going to stick with chewing on it like Gilligan does. It sure is tasty!

An AIRPLANE!

From Meredith Jane 2nd Birthday

If you know me well, you would know that I like screaming out "AIRPLANE" every time I hear an airplane pass overhead. And since we live not far from an Air Force base, we hear a lot of airplanes :D

Knowing this, my Mama, the bestest in the world, found a great rocking airplane for my birthday. Who needs a rocking horse when you can have a rocking airplane?? I think the airplane is so much better than a horse.

From Meredith Jane 2nd Birthday

My Mama says it is time to eat breakfast. If you can have breakfast in bed, why can't I have breakfast on a plane?

I'm not sure what Daddy sees from down here

From Meredith Jane 2nd Birthday

So often when my Daddy is taking pictures of me, he lays down on the floor. Now that I have my own camera (in bright red, no less), I thought I would try it out for myself. Since he does it all the time, it must be fun. Or at least a good way to take pictures.

I don't see what is so great about it? Things don't look that much different from when I stand up? Hmmm... maybe it has something to do with me only being 3 feet tall? Oh well, I'll continue to let Daddy do what he wants, since he seems to like it so much. Maybe I'll get a picture of him taking a picture of me, and then you can see him laying on the floor too!

From Meredith Jane 2nd Birthday

Are you sure that it is better to take pictures of toddlers from the floor? I think I like standing better...

Taking over Daddy's job

From Meredith Jane 2nd Birthday

I may not have a Facebook or MySpace page of my own (I like my blog just fine, thank you), but that doesn't mean I can't try out my own vanity shot, now does it? Besides my Daddy or Mama can't be around all of the time to get in all the best shots, so I'm getting ready to take care of that for you. Just wait for all of the best pictures of my daily routine -- you know, things like the floor, the ceiling, the potty, and maybe even a knee or two. It will be great!

From Meredith Jane 2nd Birthday

Yup, that one turned out great!

TWO!

From Meredith Jane 2nd Birthday

My Daddy was giving me a hard time the other day for skipping to three when getting ready to jump. Well, here I am using one of the numbers before three ... or is it two of the numbers before three?? ;)

Tomorrow I will be two years old! I think that is great, but what is even better is when my Mama and Daddy put together a fun party for me! A lot of my friends and family came over and they all brought new toys and books for me to play with. I think birthdays are the bestest! Do you like birthdays?

Be sure to check out the photos from the big party in my new photo album, 2nd Birthday!

Hold on tight!

From Theodore Elial 0-3 Months

I've discovered a new and amazing thing!

Did you know that you can use these things on the side of you to grab and hold onto other things? It's great! I can hold onto my toys and my Mama and Daddy's shirts, and sometimes even help hold myself up while my Mama or Daddy is carrying me.

I can even hold onto this great blanket of mine.

From Theodore Elial 0-3 Months

Um, guys?? Can you help me?? I seem to be stuck under this blanket?!

One, Two, THREE!

From Meredith Jane 22-24 Months

My little girl is really starting to grow up! :) She's so cute; her speach is starting to get clearer and more understandable.

Since it is near her second birthday, Mollie and I have been prompting her with the question, "How old are you?" Of course we're trying to get her to say on command, "two." Sometimes we're lucky and sometimes we're not.

As long as we were getting her to say numbers (well, at least one number), and since she so loves jumping with us, I've been counting up to three with her before jumping.

So the other day I asking, "Can you say, ONE?", "Can you say, TWO", and "Can you say, THREE?" all just before jumping. After getting her to respond a couple of times, I asked, "OK, what do you say??"

"THREE!!!" (who needs one or two when all you want to do is jump?)

From Meredith Jane 22-24 Months

Right now neither Mollie nor I are taking credit for her impatience.

Catch and Release!

This post will be more of a flip book :)

Like my lil' bro said earlier, we went to the zoo today. It was a blast! We got to see all kinds of cool animals. I especially liked seeing the monkeys. One mama monkey had a baby that clung onto its Mama kind of like Theo is strapped onto Mama in the sling.

I even got to go fishing. Here I am learning the essentials of "catch and release." My Daddy says I just need to learn to be a little more gentle with the fish. Something about not throwing them headlong back into water... but it makes such a great splash?!

Fishing with Mama... must be patient!

From Meredith Jane 22-24 Months

I once caught a fish THIS BIG!

From Meredith Jane 22-24 Months

While it may look like I'm being gentle with the fish, just wait...

From Meredith Jane 22-24 Months

And release!! :D

From Meredith Jane 22-24 Months

Where are the hippos?!

From Theodore Elial 0-3 Months

We took a family outing to the zoo this morning. My Mama wore me for a while and then my Daddy did. My Mama always likes making me face her. Now, while I enjoy being in such close proximity to my daily sustenance, I also enjoy seeing where I am going. Boy am I glad that Daddy chose to turn me around today! I am a happy boy, can you tell?

Now I can see all the animals too -- my sister sure seemed to like looking at these things called flamingos, bears, monkeys, and fish... but all I ever got to see was my Mama's shirt. Harrumph... oh well, at least I get to see the hippopotamus!

P.S. -- By the time we got to see the hippos, after passing by the goats, chickens, and Amazonian birds all we got to see were hippo butts! How unfun is that?

Here Fishy, Fishy, Fishy!

From Meredith Jane 22-24 Months

My Mama, Daddy, Theodore, and I went to Sea World a short while back. I love to see the dolphins, fish, sea lions, and penguins. It is always a lot of fun, especially since I can say many of the animals' names in sign language.

Check me out investigating the fish in the really big fish tank. Do you see the fishy hiding in there??

P.S. - Now that we get PBS in on TV at home, my Mama has been recording Sesame Street for me. I still haven't heard Ernie say it yet, but apparently he has a special fish call, "Here fishy, fishy, fishy!"

Bubbles!!

From Theodore Elial 0-3 Months

My Mama thinks this picture is cute. My Daddy says that I look goofy and that I need to watch Finding Nemo.

That's all I have to say about this... I hope I don't get embarrassed in the future because of this picture!

Maybe you should go look at the new pictures posted out in my album, 0-3 Months or in Meredith's new album, 22-24 Months to see some more glorious shots of us!

We're related? Are you sure?

My big sister Meredith at just over 3 months:

From Meredith Jane

Me at about 3 months:

From Theodore Elial 0-3 Months

My Mama says we don't have the same nose. My Daddy thinks we have the dazed and confuzed look down as if we were twins.

Sometimes I think we don't have the same anything -- she just needs to take a chill pill once in a while... or at least get out of my face. Sure, I enjoy a kiss and hug every now and again, but she sure likes giving those things out like they are going out of style!

Oh well, I still love my sister bunches!

What do you think -- are we related?

Curly Q's

From Meredith Jane 22-24 Months

Long time, no post!

Well, I've been growing since you last read about me -- and that includes my hair! It is getting longer by the minute, and curlier as of late too. Maybe it is the weather? But my Mama and Daddy say that I've caused the dry spell we've had in San Antonio since I was born... hmmm.. I'm not sure if I believe them or not.

Anyway, here's a close up shot of the back of my head. Check out those beautiful curls!