What we've been up to...

Wow... where do we even begin? I suppose I could start by coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses for why our blog hasn't been updated in several months, but I know that's not why you read this. :) So, I'll just jump right in. What have the Illinois Klingenmaiers been up to? In a word... lots! Micah is growing like crazy, and learning new things every day. At his 15 month check up, he was 25 lbs., 2 oz., and 31 3/4 inches, which puts him in the 50-75% for both height and weight. So, while we might get a lot of comments on how big he is, he's right where he should be on the charts. :) He is getting more and more independent, which I both love and hate at the same time. On the one hand, his getting more independent is a good thing, especially as we anticipate the arrival of #2 in just a few short weeks, but at the same time I'm struggling with the fact that my baby isn't my baby anymore.

Micah is getting pretty good at using a fork and spoon to feed himself, and while a fair amount of his meals still end up on the floor, his ability to get the food from his plate to his mouth with a utensil improves with each attempt.

A lot of the time, Micah will stab his food with the fork and then pull it off and put it in his mouth with his hands, but he's learning and that's what's really important, right? :)

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We discovered our son loves ketchup! And anything else he has on his plate with the ketchup is just a conduit for him to eat the ketchup. :)



The way Micah attacked the ketchup at this meal reminded me of the kid in the movie "Big Daddy"... I have a feeling that someday Micah will be like that little boy when asked what he wants for lunch... I'm predicting a response of, "30 packets of ketchup" in a few years! :)

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He is getting very good at navigating the stairs by himself... going up has never been a problem for Micah, and coming down has always been pretty easy too, since Aaron started working with him on how to go down backwards as soon as he figured out how to go up the stairs. However, these days, Micah prefers to come down the stairs either by holding one of our hands and walking down like a big boy, or by holding on to our hands and sliding down on his backside like Uncle Eric taught him. :) Both of these methods of going down the stairs will be helpful once I'm trying to get down the stairs with 2 kids instead of just one. :)

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We have had a number of projects going on around our house over the past several months, and while the mess has been somewhat stressful for me, it has been fun to watch Micah turning into daddy's little helper. The kid is very mechanically minded... we might have an engineer on our hands!

Here he is learning how to lock and unlock our front door. (it was early on a Saturday morning... daddy was a little sleepy still) :)

And here are my boys hard at work ~

I found myself getting a little nervous as Micah would pick up a screwdriver and wave it around like a maniac, so I bought him his own tool belt from Ikea... this one is all fabric and a little less dangerous. Unfortunately, our little brainiac knows the difference and while he'll play with the plush tools, he definitely prefers the real thing. :)

Helping daddy take out the garbage ~

Other highlights from the past few months include playing in a box...

...a few trips to the Kohl Childrens Museum...







...coloring and playing with play doh...








...building a fort with daddy...



...swinging on the porch swing with Pops...

...and going for a bike ride with daddy. (we're still working on getting Micah to wear his helmet)

We've had a few VERY nice days lately, so we've also been able to get outside a bit and enjoy the warmer weather.

Watching the geese with daddy ~

Strollin' on his own ~

Happy guy ~

The look after a hard day of playing... I LOVE his hair in this picture! :)

And that's a glimpse into what we've been up to. :) Stay tuned... there's a lot more to come! :)