Blues on the Green

A local radio station hosts a free concert out at Zilker park every couple of weeks. After being cooped up inside all week thanks to the heat and to illness, we figured the fresh air would do us all some good. So we waited for the sun to hide behind the trees, loaded up the stroller, and headed down to hear one of my all time favorites, the Old 97's. The second we unbelted Augie from the constraints of his stroller, he was off! He made sure to meet everyone around us, and kept his daddy on his toes as he chased him around the entire park premises. He was finally able to slow him down enough using the allure of Amy's ice cream. A great, hot time was had by all.

18 Month Update

Since this blog is essentially August's baby book, and it's been forever since I've entered any development stats, I figured 18 months would be the perfect time for an update:

Height: 33 3/8" putting him in the 75th%

Weight: 24lbs 10oz, ranking in the 30th%

Head: off the charts, like most little boys we know

All that means that he's getting quite tall and skinny. His tummy gets so plump after he eats that it leads a lot of people to believe he's a much huskier kid than in reality. You should see how skinny he looks when he first wakes up in the mornings! 

As for his personality. He's still very much a hugger. There aren't many people that we cross that he doesn't feel like wrapping his arms around. My favorites are the big, strong bear hugs that he loves to give my neck. He's recently discovered that it's pretty funny to give mommy and daddy huge, slobbery kisses on the face. Don't get me wrong though, while there is a ton of love to go around, we've also been getting well acquainted with the 'terrible two's' the past couple of months.

Activity wise, he doesn't stop. ever. From the second he wakes up, to the minute he finally passes out in his crib, he is traveling 100 mph. He sees no piece of furniture, or structure, or shopping cart too intimidating to climb. Nor does he think there is a distance that he can't run. Needless to say, we are constantly on our toes every second of the day. He likes to play his drum set all the time, and proudly hold the sticks correctly while in use. Even when they have free play at his gym, you can guarantee that he is having a jam session on the drums. This of course leads me to mention dancing. As with most toddlers, he loves to dance to any kind of music. You provide the tunes, he will bring the entertainment. 

In the development world, he is still a boy of few words. 'Uh-huh' makes up 95% of his vocabulary, though it has hundreds of meanings. He has started to jibber a lot more, especially when he has a conversation on his fisher price phone, but we can't decipher many of the 'words'. Though he doesn't speak much, he can very clearly, and correctly point out all of his colors when prompted, as well as multiple species of animals. Though his current love remains celestial, with the sun and the moon stirring the most excitement.

So there you have it, the official 18 month report! And in case you were wondering, yes, we're every bit head over heels in love with this little guy as we were when we first set eyes on him a whole year and a half ago.

The Hairy Ones

Atra:

A mythological Assyrian cyclops who is known to strangle enemies with her leg hair.

well on his way at 18 months

a BIG week

Two milestones that we never thought would be reached in this house, have occurred in just the past few days. August must be sensing that 18 months is an age of great expectation in the land of toddlerhood... or someone told him that his 'half-birthday' is on the horizon. Regardless, for those keeping score:

1) He gave up the bottle. Well really, we just quit offering it to him, and he hasn't asked for one. So, mission accomplished.

2) He actually acknowledged my existence. It only took 17 months, 3 weeks, and 2 days for him to say it, but he is finally saying 'Mama'. Sure he reserves it for only times of absolute meltdown and distress, but we're still counting it.

Guptons in Galveston

We made the annual trek down the Texas coast this past week for some r&r with the extended Gupton family. August was infatuated with the ocean this year, and loved to let the rolling tide wash the sand from his legs. 

There was also a generous amount of down-time on the patio spent by swimming, hugging cousins, and dancing of course.

There were also a few outings to local attractions such as an aquarium, a ferry ride to an abandoned fort, shopping in the historic district, and OF COURSE a visit to a local coffee shop.

All in all, it was another wonderful trip to the beach. We're so thankful that Kevin's grandmother provides the opportunity for all of us to spend this relaxing time together. We're already looking forward to next year...

Embrace the Camera

We're back from our annual mini-vacay to the coast with Kevin's family!

Augie would be a beach bum if we let him

Boredom

It's been an abnormally sizzling summer around central Texas. We're used to our hot summers, but this one came on strong and fast, and has yet to show any sign of backing off. The only chance for a moderately comfortable outing happens in the early morning or late evening hours. August loves to point to the window and request that we move out to the swing (using one of his hundreds of forms of the term 'Uh-huh'), but I have to continuously explain that we would melt. So, the rest of our day is spent lazing around in the air conditioning. We've done a good job at scheduling some indoor activities to help exhaust some of August's endless energy, and of course shopping is always one of our favorite options too, but a large portion of the day consists of playing around the house. Thankfully this comes just as August is grasping the concept of 'pretend' play, so we're discovering some new fun with our old toys of late...

However, all of the books and toys in the world can only contain a precocious toddlers attention for so long. The boredom naturally turns to mischief, and this kid is full of it. 

 (note: Daphne in hiding)