Ketchup

Here is a quick update on the family since I'm way too behind to do a good job of catching up.

MYA

Mya will be 9 months old 5 days from now. She's becoming incredibly active and vocal. There is no sweeter baby than our Mya, that's for sure!

Mya loves to scoot around on her bottom and crawl backwards. She moves around quite easily and even gets herself into a push-up position. Or maybe it's downward dog? My little yoga master!

Mya is starting to eat table foods such as rice crackers, mashed bananas, pear pieces, etc. Her eye-hand-mouth coordination is amazing and she's tolerating the new foods quite well. Still not teeth to speak of but it seems like any day now.

Mya is still nursing. My plan is to keep it up until she's 11 months -- the same as Max. Weaning her will be bittersweet. I'll cherish the freedom but will miss that special bond with her.

Mya says "da da"! She has been able to say this for 3-4 weeks now but I only count it officialy now because she can repeat it after us.

Mya also learned to clap over the weekend. I saw her doing this and she is able to do it on command. Oh she gets so excited! A big grin lights up her face and she nearly hyperventilates as she claps away.

Mya started swim lessons a few weeks back and loves them. She splashes and kicks like a champ. No, she's not really learning to swim. It's parent and baby couples singing songs and splashing around with an instructor's direction.

Mya is growing up far too fast. Alex and I are trying to find a way to freeze our sweet little girl in time. We're all to aware of how quickly they grow into defiant toddlers. Which brings us to...

MAX

Max will be 2 and a half next month. He's a great kid dealing with the typical toddler challenges.

Max's vocab is growing by leaps and bounds. He pipes up with a new phrase every other day. Today he surprise me by saying "It's empty" instead of "all gone". He comes up with complete sentences on a regular basis and it's fun to have a conversation with him.

Max counts and knows his shapes and colors. The fact that he knows what a semi-circle is cracks me up.

Max loves to cuddle and read stories with his mama and daddy. At bedtime his favorites are 'Goodnight Moon', 'Brown Bear, Brown Bear' and 'Tumble Bumble'.

Max loves to sing! We receive regular reports on his daycare daily sheets about how he is the first to break into song at music time.

Max is stubborn as can be. We frequently hear the screech of "Nooo wwwwaaaaayyy!" sometimes followed by a swat at Mya. Fortunately he's learning social skills in daycare such as waiting your turn, asking to play, etc. It's a tough transition but he's making it through.

Mama and Daddy (aka Stacey and Alex)

Not too much exciting to report here. Our great joy is our children so we spend most of our non-work time with them. Alex is gearing up for the nicer weather to come with plans for new custom-fit golf clubs. I've started taking a Zumba exercise class with friends. Life is good!