18 Months

I'm not going to do a full update but I want to record the stats from Austin's 18 month appointment and post the picture of him with "Big Blue" the birthday bear! 

Weight: 22 lbs 15 oz (33%), Height: 32 1/2 in (54%), Head: 18.3in (25%)

Physical Exam: Great

Development: A+

His physical and cognitive development are constantly changing at this point so if I were to post about something it would change the next week.  He is active, vocal, sweet, rambunctious, always on the go, sleeping good, getting more teeth and learning new things every day!  I'm sad summer is almost over because I have loved helping him explore, develop and learn these last few months.  I did finally get his hair cut this month and it looks much better.  It was hard to part with the sweet baby curls but they were a little out of control and it was time.  (I'll post those pictures when I download them to the computer!) 

Popsicles, Playing and Cutting Down The Tree

Random yes, but here are a few pictures I wanted to share....

Austin LOVES popsicles just like his Daddy and many summer nights have been spent playing in the backyard, eating popsicles.

My parents bought him the Little People Amusement Park for Christmas and at the beginning of the summer I went to Once Upon A Child for the first time and scored some awesome Little People toys.  They have been a huge hit and he is constantly playing with them.  My grandparents had so many of these toys and I remember spending hours in their playroom as a child playing with the people, animals, cars, houses etc. so I'm glad he is enjoying them too.

Our big Bradford Pear tree died this summer and we had to have it cut down.  :(  It was sad for me and this marks the third big tree that has died at our house due to a disease.  Ummm...not sure what that says about us.  Maybe it is just coincidence.  We did have fun watching it come down though.

Hope Park

I've blogged about our favorite park before and you can read about it here, but recently the playground got a pretty cool make over.  The city, along with many businesses, volunteers and sponsors, created a playground called Hope Park.  Here is the description from the website...

     "Imagine a playground built to suit the needs of all children, at any age, with a focused consideration for children with special needs – an inclusive play adventure that brings children together and helps them build self-confidence, make friends and play as equals.  Hope Park’s design will be interactive, evoking a sensory play experience that engages children at many developmental levels." 

You can click on the website to learn even more, but in my opinion it is pretty cool and after our first visit a few months ago, the whole family agrees that this addition only makes our favorite park even better!  There are swings, slides, tunnels, stairs, ramps, storefronts of places in the city, cute signs and quotes, musical instruments, games, hidden objects to find and much more.  The original wooden playground is all still there and still very fun, but this new part was perfect for our toddler that loves to explore, climb and touch but who falls often and likes to eat the wood chips on the older side.  Hope Park is divided into two sides, one for younger kids and one for older kids.  My pictures are mostly from the younger side and hopefully soon we will go back and take some of the other side as well.  (It is HOT in Texas right now so the playground has not been on our to do list.) 

The city also updated the splash pad at the park and it is currently the only splash pad turned on in our city.  The night we went it was CROWDED and Tayt and I made a rookie parenting mistake by letting Austin play in it.  He loved it but there were kids running everywhere and he got knocked down twice.  The second time he was knocked clear off his feet by a big boy that was running full speed.  He hit his head hard and was DONE after that and so were we.  We'll give that another shot when he is a little older.

Anyway, I would highly recommend this playground and park but I would suggest you wait until it cools down some because plastic slides in the Texas heat are no fun for anyone.  See you in the fall!!