Blast Off!

Reed loves his new Radio Flyer Flying Saucer from Uncle Rob and Aunt B!

Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel

Who knew a falling dreidel could be so funny? 

Thankful

Thanksgiving has never been my favorite holiday.  Yes, the food is yummy, but it's always had the feeling of the "also ran" holiday for me - a few weeks before Christmas/Hanukkah, a four day break instead of two weeks, no gifts (and let's be honest - I've always LOVED the gifts, both giving and receiving!) . . .  I've been much more apt to look at it as the precursor to my beloved winter celebrations.  I've definitely been guilty of not really honoring the spirit of the day, not really taking time to be thankful for all of the blessings in my life.

But this year was different.  It was a Thanksgiving of firsts for me.  It was the first time Jeff and I hosted Thanksgiving.  It was the first holiday celebration in our new house.  It was the first time Rob and Brie visited our new home.  It was the first holiday we've spent with both our Sherwin and Lang families.  And it was our first holiday with a full-blown toddler!  There was so much to thankful for - a beautiful home, stable jobs, a precocious, adorable, healthy child, our four and a half year marriage, and most of all, our family.  While we missed all of our family members who couldn't travel out to MD for the long weekend, Jeff and I felt so grateful for the ones who did and treasured every moment they were here.  We loved watching Reed play with both sets of grandparents and his aunt and uncle.  We savored every meal, every laugh.  While technology that allows Skype and Facetime is fantastic, it's not a substitute for the real thing.  Living far away from family is hard, and this Thanksgiving, we were thankful to have ours here, in the flesh. 

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the weekend, along with a fun video of Reed calling the Redskins game with the fam.

Reed teaches Uncle Robby and Aunt Brie a thing or two about Angry Birds

Pre-Thanksgiving Thai

Reed's favorite uncle Robby

Our little basketball star

Thanksgiving tablescape

My sweet buddy

Rob and Brie

My helper in the kitchen!

The chef with his first bird

Thanksgiving dinner

Putting up the Hanukkah lights!

Reed helps Mommy with abs

Fall Fun

Fall is in full force here in MD.  In fact, the cold temperatures this weekend make it feel closer to winter!  In late October (the weekend just before Hurricane Sandy swept the East Coast), we enjoyed a trip out to Homestead Farm, where we picked out pumpkins and Reed enjoyed petting all the farm animals.  Later that weekend, all three of us helped rake the massive amount of leaves strewn about our front yard.  We love the front of our house, but the two huge trees that make it so pretty also drop A LOT of leaves!  After a few weeks of letting them fall, we finally succombed to the raking.  Reed adored sitting in the huge piles, and was Daddy's little helper with the rake towards the end. 

Of course, we also celebrated Reed's 2nd Halloween with a stroll around our neighborhood.  Reed, aka Gerald the Giraffe, charmed all of our neighbors and asked to "knock" on all the doors.  While couldn't quite master "Trick or Treat" or "Halloween", he had "Happy" down really well!  He also enjoyed his very first piece of candy: a Reece's Peanut Butter Cup.  I think he died and went to heaven. 

I've also tagged on a little bonus video at the end: Reed "singing" "Apples and Bananas."  He's got a ways to go, but we're counting this as his first song!

Peeking through the pumpkin photo op at Homestead Farm

Playing in the leaves

Lovin' it!

Earning his keep!

The only shot we could get of him with the giraffe head on!

Much happier sans hat

Enjoying that candy!

A little fruit pack before bed

Found a Peanut

As I've mentioned in recent posts, Reed LOVES music.  One of his favorite CDs the last couple of months is this Lisa Loeb children's album (Jeff is also a huge fan, given that Lisa Loeb was his pre-teen crush!), and he has memorized all of the songs on it.  While he can't yet actually sing all the lyrics, he can fill in the last words of every line.  See Exhibit A below, in which he helps me sing "Found a Peanut".  I particularly like how he busies himself around the room as we sing, chiming in with the appropriate word when necessary.  He kills me.

**Disclosure: this song -- and video -- is a bit on the long side.  You were warned!

Reed is 18 Months!

Okay, so I fudged the truth just a bit in my last post, saying that I was all caught up.  Not completely caught up!  Reed had his 18-month check-up on October 11, so I'm a couple weeks behind there!  But after this, I really will be ALL caught up.  A few fun videos to post tomorrow, along with some cute fall and Halloween pics, and then we'll be primed to head into the holiday season, with Thanksgiving, Hanukah, and Christmas just around the corner.

I'm continually amazed at how much Reed changes from check-up to check-up.  At 15 months, he was a new toddler, still finding his walking legs.  His vocabulary was growing, but even my speech pathologist aunt said that many of his words, while words, were approximations.  What a difference three months makes!  Reed has gone from wobbling to running (and attempting to jump), and we've lost count of the number of words he can say - and say clearly!.  Without further ado, here's a snapshot of Reed Alexander at 18 months:

• Weighing in at 24 lbs and 11 ounces and measuring 32 1/2 inches long, Reed is in the 37th percentile for weight and the 57th percentile for height.  Our little chubber has leaned out!
• He's down to one nap a day, from 1 p.m. to anywhere between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m.  While I sometimes think he could still use the two naps, the new schedule is so much easier to work around!
• While Reed is still finnicky about food, he's branched out a bit.  He now enjoys chicken nuggets and french fries, fish sticks (are we seeing a trend here?), veggie burgers, nearly any kind of fruit, peanut butter Ritz crackers, cereal bars, and cottage cheese.  We're keeping our fingers crossed that some day soon he might let a vegetable cross his lips!
• He's much more adept at feeding himself now.  He's great with a spoon (see video below) and he loves the control and independence of eating on his own.
• His fascination with music continues.  We played Reed his first CD in August - a Lisa Loeb children's album - and he now has all the songs memorized.  He can recite the last word of every line.  He's also become enamored of my childhood favorite, Free to Be You and Me, and requests it every day with "Me!" or "Be!".  At daycare, the multiple CD players around the room are his entertainment centers of choice.  During the weekends, we love having family dance parties to the Muppets station on Pandora!
• Reed also continues to love books.  We're told that at daycare he can often be found by himself, reading, and at home, his favorite spot is in Jeff's or my lap, reading a book.  Like with his CDs, he has most of his books memorized.  Some of his new favorites are Go Dog, Go, Rumble in the Jungle, Counting Kisses, Green Eggs and Ham, and Are You My Mother?
• He know and can verbalize all of his body parts, as well as most animals.
• Some of his cute baby phrases have disappeared.  "Mama" has become "Mommy" and "pappy" (for pacifier) has become "paci".  My heart broke a little with the paci.  I loved how he sounded when he said pappy! 
• Some of my favorite new words are "curlers", earrings, and "uic-ic" (music), and I love hearing him use phrases now too, like "I want", "I see you", and my personal favorite, "I love you" (which he said on my birthday!).

As promised, here are a few cute videos of our sweet boy. 

Hiatus: Part III (Late Summer/Early Fall)

I'm nearly all caught up!  Not as much to report from August and September, although they seemed so busy at the time!  Some highlights are below, including our first family trip to the Montgomery County Fair in August, Reed's first encounter with bubbles, and a visit from Grammy, timed perfectly with my 32nd birthday!

Daddy and Reed at the Montgomery County Fair

Petting the rabbit in the rabbit display

Bubbles are AMAZING!

I can almost get one!

Dear friends help celebrate the big 3-2!

My favorite guy

Precious at 17 months