Happy 1 year

Today marks exactly one year of blogging for us. The blog has definitely shifted its focus a bit over the past twelve months and sixteen hundred miles. We've come from the early days of Paris Hilton and Hare Krishna festival coverage to extremely biased reports of the rugrat 's developmental milestones and strange behaviors. Also included are the sporadic Kent and Leisy happenings.
Here are the good old childless times (if you look closely you can see that zeb is hanging out in utero already seven months. I'm the one standing dead center with the bright orange spot on the head) at the Hare Krishna festival of colors- almost one year ago today! It was an annual tradition back home! If only they had a Hare Krishna temple here in Toledo.
Times have changed and I am enamored with our new little addition so he does get most of the blog space these days. I'm always looking for ideas on Zebless posts though :) If you have any, let me know.
Here's to another year of good blogging. Let's hope for some grand adventures and good recipes.

I think it's really here...

Hello spring. We went outside and played at the Heather Hills playground today. Z loved every second of it. I'm already getting nervous about the dishwasher weather (hot and stinking humid) but it was so nice to take zeb out to play. Today he finally started using the sign language we've been teaching him for months :) He been doing all sorts of tricks with his hands for quite some time now- but only if they involved him making sounds of some sort. He definitely has an ear for music/rhythm and sounds in general. This morning he finally did the sign for milk- no sounds involved. He's been doing it all day to get drinks.

577

Today we went to the 577 foundation for playgroup. The place is really great. It was donated to the city by the same lady who donated the bed and breakfast place where we stayed for my b-day. Toledo really does have all of these hidden treasures! The 577 foundation is an amazing garden/greenhouse/museum/nature center/playground for kids! They even have these ginormous nightmare enducing koi fish in the pond that the kids can feed.
The weather was amazing today (almost fifty degrees) and Zeb was SO SO SO excited to be outside with other kids. He's been a little crabby lately, but as soon as the apartment door opens he cheers up and begins smiling. The first picture may not portray his excitment- but trust me, the kid was in heaven.


















Here's a pleased shot!




Z and I even got to go running outside today! and then join Kent for free dinner (olive garden-Kent's favorite) at a pediatric doctor's panel at the school this evening. Zeb was in heaven flirting with all of the female med students. They all loved it as much as he did--many of them are interested in Peds. I cannot believe what a people person he is. I am so lucky that he is happier when he gets his outside people time. I don't know what we'd do if we had opposite personalities. We'd have given up on each other by now I'm sure.

happy ten months

He has now lived one month longer out of utero than in. I think this birthday officially makes him a real person.
Thanks for the birthday book, auntie laney! "That's Not My Dragon" is his new fav. I love how his tubby little fingers scratch and point to each feely part of the book. He's obsessed. Kent is especially glad for this new book. He was worried because Zeb has recently put aside his favorite "That's Not My Monster" for his new favorite "That's Not My Mermaid" that we checked out of the library. The dragon one is just a smidge more manly and, thankfully, has replaced the mermaid.

PANTS ON THE HEAD

It's kind of long, but kent and I really like it!

Free baby

I am giving Zeb away (until he can start sleeping well again). This child got up at five again (and slept intermittently until seven-thirty with me on the couch in the front room) and had also gotten up at 12, 1, and 3:30. I thought for sure the lack of sleep would mean a long pleasant nap-but no such luck. The rugrat napped a total of 42 minutes and 37 seconds today (I know that because it's how long I was on the treadmill when I heard his shrill little piggy whine from his crib). He whined like a piglet all day. He's got this terribly runny nose (you should have seen the mucus I extricated with the snot sucker this morning. wow! he's a snot producing machine-definitely a Miller trait) and nasty poo too. All signs of a cold, or teething, or allergies, or just being a ten month old baby. To top it all off, I bet he's eaten at least three full squares of toilet paper today! I cannot figure out where he's finding it. I was sure we had relocated all tp out of his reach. Come to think of it, the ingestion of all the toilet paper may be the explanation for his nasty poos. When he can't find any paper to eat he resorts to socks. Luckily he doesn't try to swallow them, he just chews and slobbers on them.
So I'm just praying that those teeth pop through, or that cold goes away, or he grows out of this phase, or ANYTHING. He's making me bonkers!!!!!!! and then he puts on that cute little smile and I totally forget that he's driving me crazy.

the t.p. bandit and other sunday events

Today has been an absolutely fabulous Sunday! Sundays have got to be my favorite day. I get Kent all day (thanks to his no studying) and we just get to enjoy the day.
Fasting really is one of those things that is so hard for me- so Kent and I try to make it a mini holiday of sorts! Yesterday afternoon we started our fast by indulging in a donut (KENT) and brownie from Wixey Bakery (another great toledo find!) and then had a great meal to break our fast today. The sisters came over for dinner too. I love having them over. I love missionaries-especially the sisters (I'm slightly biased). They helped out with my primary lesson on missionary work today too. I love my CTR 6es- such crazy little squidlets.

and speaking of squidlets, Zeb has been a slobberpus all day. This poor kid has been teething his entire life. Nine teeth in none months! and definitely more on the way!!! He loves to chew on wet wipes and toilet paper lately (perhaps why he loves the bathroom so much). This evening we were letting him roam the apartment when it got eerily quiet (besides the opera music kent has been playing ALL weekend-you can hear it in the video). The video and picture show what we found. I'm sure that every parent has experienced it, but we had to document our little t.p. bandit. Oh, and his little fall at the end did no damage- don't worry (The bruise on his head is from a prior incident!).


The day continued to get more exciting--Metta called and apparently her apartment complex caught on fire-a lot. They can't live there anymore. My other little sis called and she has impetigo-a highly contagious skin staph infection! Mom is in Italy?! and for sure Laney and Taylor are moving to Buffalo! a mere four hours away. Such exciting news from all around :)
Met and Days.. .you've got to drive out with Laney and Taylor!! I can't wait to go to cedar point again with you guys!- I'll make sure that Kent takes a dramamine this time!